On May 21, 2026, the Department of Justice announced charges against 15 people in Minnesota in what it called the largest autism fraud scheme ever charged by the Justice Department. Two ABA therapy clinics, Smart Therapy in Minneapolis and Star Autism in St. Cloud, billed Medicaid $46.6 million between 2020 and 2024 for services that were medically unnecessary or never provided. They paid kickbacks of up to $1,500 per month to families to use their children's names on billing claims. Unqualified teenagers with no training beyond high school were documented as licensed behavioral technicians delivering one-on-one therapy.

If your child receives ABA therapy through Medicaid, you're reading this for one reason: you need to know if your provider is legitimate and what happens to your child's care if it isn't.

Why This Fraud Happened and What It Means for Your Provider

Minnesota's ABA Medicaid program grew from $600,000 per year to $400 million per year in six years. That kind of explosive growth creates cover for fraud. When a program expands that fast, oversight can't keep pace with the money moving through the system.

The fraud wasn't sophisticated. Smart Therapy employed 18- and 19-year-old relatives with no certifications as "behavioral technicians." They billed for full eight-hour days of one-on-one therapy when sessions were either shorter, never happened, or involved no therapeutic activity. They altered psychological reports and plans of care to justify billing. They paid families directly to sign their children up for services those children didn't need and never received.

That pattern, documented in the DOJ complaint, is your checklist. If your provider is doing any of these things, you need to act.

How to Verify Your Provider Is Legitimate

Start with credentials. ABA therapy requires Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) to design treatment plans and supervise care. Behavioral technicians, the people delivering direct therapy, should have Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certification or be working toward it under BCBA supervision.

Ask your provider:

• What certifications do the therapists working with my child hold?
• Who supervises them and how often?
• Can I see proof of those credentials?

Your state Medicaid agency maintains a provider directory. Call the number on your Medicaid card and ask if your ABA provider is currently enrolled and in good standing. If the provider's enrollment has been suspended or terminated, your state should tell you.

Check the Behavior Analyst Certification Board's public registry at bacb.com. Enter your BCBA's name. If they're certified, their credential and expiration date will appear. If they're not in the registry, they're not certified.

Red Flags Families Can Spot

The patterns documented in Minnesota's fraud case are visible to parents. You're the only person who sees what happens at every session.

Watch for these:

• Therapists with no visible credentials. RBTs carry certification cards. BCBAs have license numbers. If your therapist can't produce proof when you ask, find out why.
• High turnover with no explanation. Rotating therapists every few weeks disrupts your child's progress and can mask unqualified staff cycling through.
• Billing for hours your child didn't receive. Request an itemized billing statement from your provider every month. Compare what they billed to what your child received. If the hours don't match, document the discrepancy.
• No treatment plan or progress tracking. Legitimate ABA requires an individualized treatment plan written by a BCBA, updated every six months, with data tracking your child's progress toward specific goals. If you've never seen that plan or don't receive regular progress reports, ask for them.
• Kickbacks or incentives offered to families. If a provider offers you cash, gift cards, or other payments to enroll your child or keep them in the program, that's illegal. Full stop.

What to Do If Your Provider Is Under Investigation or Shuts Down

The Minnesota case isn't unique. In 2026, Piece by Piece Autism Centers in Indiana shut down following a Medicaid billing investigation. Arizona families lost access to ABA when the state terminated contracts with two of the largest providers. Alabama families scrambled for care after Key Autism Services' contract ended abruptly. When a clinic closes or loses its Medicaid contract, families are told to transition to another provider. That guidance doesn't match the reality on the ground, where waitlists for ABA providers can stretch two to three years.

If your provider is investigated or closes:

• Contact your Medicaid managed care organization immediately. The number is on your insurance card. Tell them your provider is no longer available and you need a continuity of care plan. Ask how long your current provider can continue services while you transition and what happens if no other provider has openings.
• Request an expedited authorization for a new provider. Most states require expedited processing when a child's current services are disrupted. Use that term: "expedited authorization."
• Document your child's current treatment plan and progress. Get copies of all records from your current provider before they close. You'll need those to onboard with a new provider.
• Ask about out-of-network exceptions. If no in-network providers have openings, your state may allow you to continue with your current provider on an out-of-network basis or authorize a provider not yet enrolled in Medicaid.

How to Report Suspected Fraud Without Jeopardizing Your Child's Coverage

Reporting fraud won't affect your child's eligibility for Medicaid or their right to ABA therapy. Medicaid fraud investigations target providers, not families.

If you suspect your provider is billing for services your child didn't receive:

• Contact your state Medicaid fraud control unit. Every state has one. Search "[your state] Medicaid fraud hotline" to find the number. You can report anonymously.
• File a complaint with the federal Office of Inspector General. Call 1-800-HHS-TIPS or file online at oig.hhs.gov. Include your provider's name, what you observed, and any documentation you have.
• Request your child's billing records from your Medicaid managed care plan. Compare what was billed to what your child received. If there are discrepancies, document them with dates, session lengths, and therapist names.

Families who received kickbacks from Smart Therapy or Star Autism weren't charged in the Minnesota case. The DOJ's investigation focused on the clinics and their owners. If a provider offered you money and you accepted it, reporting the fraud now won't result in charges against you. The government needs your information to build the case against the provider.

What Legitimate ABA Looks Like

Legitimate ABA is evidence-based, individualized, and closely supervised. A BCBA meets with your family regularly, updates your child's treatment plan based on data, and oversees the behavioral technicians working with your child. Sessions are documented with specific data on your child's progress toward measurable goals. You receive regular reports showing what's working and what needs adjustment.

Billing is transparent. If you request an itemized statement, the provider can produce it. The hours billed match the hours your child received. The therapists delivering care are qualified and supervised.

The Minnesota fraud case doesn't mean ABA therapy through Medicaid is suspect. It means explosive program growth without adequate oversight created conditions for fraud, and families need to know what legitimate care looks like so they can spot when something's wrong.

You have the right to verify your provider's credentials, request billing records, and report suspected fraud without risking your child's coverage. Millions of families rely on legitimate Medicaid-funded ABA services. This case is not a reason to fear those services. It's a reason to know what they should look like.