FABA continues to monitor the rapidly changing situation related to the spread of COVID-19. We understand that concerns for health, safety, and the impact on meeting attendance, among other issues, are affecting our members.

 

Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities

Includes helpful information for providers including information on Qlarant (Quality Assurance Reviews),  The Emotional PPE Project and AHCA Medicaid Health Alerts.

Agency for Persons with Disabilities

 

Disaster Unemployment Assistance

Disaster Unemployment Assistance is a federally funded benefit program that assists individuals who become unemployed because of a disaster.

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Disaster Unemployment Assistance

 

Short Time Compensation Program for Employers

The Short Time Compensation program helps employers retain their workforce in times of temporary slowdown by encouraging work sharing as an alternative to layoff.

Short Time Compensation Program for Employers

 

US Small Business Administration: Guidance & Loan Resources

Small business owners in designated states (Florida is included) are currently eligible to apply for a low-interest loan due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources

 

Florida's Small Business Administration

Governor DeSantis has activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program. The purpose of the program is to provide an expedient source of capital to impacted small businesses. The bridge loan is a short-term, interest-free source of working capital intended to help the business “bridge the gap” between the time of impact and when federal assistance is available. Application deadline: May 8, 2020

Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program

 

Billing Codes Commission

During the COVID-19 crisis, many funding sources are authorizing telehealth services in order to curtail the spread of the virus and minimize disruption to medically necessary treatment. ABABCC has collected information from funding sources throughout the US on telehealth options for delivery of ABA-based services.

Information about telehealth, including which 3rd party payers are accepting billing for telehealth

 

ABA Coding Coalition

Navigating the COVID-19 Impact on ABA Services

 

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

ASHA is sharing information and resources about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) to help you protect yourself, staff, clients/patients/students, and other individuals involved in your practice.

Protecting Those You Serve, Co-Workers, and Yourself From COVID-19

 

BACB

Covid-19 Updates from the BACB

 

BHCOE

COVID-19 FAQs for ABA Providers

 

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Coronavirus Info

Preventing the Spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Homes and Residential Communities

Implementation of Mitigation Strategies for Communities with Local COVID-19 Transmission (PDF Download)

 

Johns Hopkins University

Live Tracker

 

 

World Health Organization

Key Messages and Actions for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Schools (PDF Download)

Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations During COVID-19 Outbreak (PDF Download)

Advice for the public

 

BACB's Ethics Guidance for ABA Providers During COVID-19 Pandemic

Because the COVID-19 pandemic is particularly impactful on vulnerable populations and their service providers, we offer the following information to our certificants as they make critical decisions about service delivery during this difficult time. Please keep in mind that this information does not constitute legal or medical advice.

First, we extend our gratitude to the many behavior analysts who had contingency plans in place to address service interruptions. We also want to serve as a resource for the many BACB certificants who have contacted us for ethics guidance as they seek to develop and modify contingency plans consistent with the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (Code) during the pandemic. The Code is primarily focused on ensuring that high-quality services are delivered in a safe manner. Throughout the Code, it is clear that the primary directive is to do no harm to clients. Section 2.0, Behavior Analysts’ Responsibility to Clients, states “Behavior analysts have a responsibility to operate in the best interest of clients.” Section 2.04(d) states: “Behavior analysts put the client’s care above all others …”

Section 1.04(d) of the Code makes it clear that behavior analysts must comply with legal requirements, including those related to social distancing and service provision. Recent directives regarding social distancing may create scenarios that are not easily addressed under 4.07(b) of the Code. Essentially, the social distancing requirements could be deemed “environmental conditions [that] hinder implementation of the behavior-change program.” Accordingly, BACB certificants must “seek to eliminate the environment constraints, or identify in writing the obstacles to doing so.” 4.07(b). This means that if barriers cannot be removed, the behavior analyst must document those barriers (e.g., requirements to engage in social distancing) in writing for each client.

As BACB certificants endeavor to uphold the Code and protect clients, we provide the following considerations:

Health and Safety

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identify an increased risk of COVID-19 infection—and more acute conditions if infected—for individuals with intellectual disabilities and developmental delays regardless of age.
  • The World Health Organization and the CDC recommend social distancing to slow the spread of the infection, minimize the risk of infection to those considered high-risk, and reduce the strain on health services and resources. In the United States, the federal and state governments have directed the public to engage in social distancing, schools have closed or moved to online instruction, and many other public services have been limited or temporarily stopped. Similar practices have been enacted in many other countries.
  • The CDC indicates that individuals who are asymptomatic or have yet to display symptoms may expose others to the virus, and because testing is limited, most individuals are unable to verify that they are not infected. This means that service providers or clients who do not appear ill could be spreading the virus.
  • To minimize risk, service providers should consider developing a COVID-19 pandemic risk mitigation plan and implementation policies. The risk mitigation plan may include some of the following elements: regular communication with staff and clients about how to stay safe, telecommuting/telehealth, limits on air travel, attestations about symptoms and exposure, encouraging social distancing, and cancelling services/sessions if clients or service providers are symptomatic or if deemed necessary to comply with social distancing recommendations.

Continuity of Care and Appropriate Transition of Services

  • Section 2.15, Interrupting or Discontinuing Services, indicates that certificants must work in the best interest of clients to avoid interrupting or disrupting services. This code element must be balanced with the overall requirement to not harm clients. Therefore, certificants providing services to vulnerable individuals must first comply with all government mandates (1.04(d) of the Code). Assuming there are no mandates to the contrary, the service provider must determine if the risk of suspending services is greater than the risk of continuing to provide services. If continuing services is a consideration, the certificant must then determine if services can be delivered in a manner that does not unduly increase the risk of exposure to COVID-19. In the event that services should be suspended, the next step is to determine how services can be supplemented (e.g., provide telehealth services, develop maintenance and generalization programming, create home-based program materials, move to parent consultation via telehealth) to minimize disruptions (i.e., minimize loss of critical skills).


As certificants make these difficult decisions, we urge you to follow all laws and public health recommendations from your local health authority and respective governmental agencies. We have compiled a list of resources relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic below. Note that including a resource is not an endorsement of the agency or organization, or the guidance provided by said agency or organization.