Moving to Colorado for ABA therapy: family checklist

If you are moving to Colorado for ABA therapy, plan for a gap. Medicaid from your current state does not move with you, Health First Colorado can take up to 45 days to decide an application, and every ABA provider needs its own assessment and approval before sessions start. Line up providers, records and insurance before the move, and apply for coverage as soon as you live here.

Our directory lists 83 ABA providers in 25 Colorado cities, including 19 based in Denver and 13 in Colorado Springs. Results appear in a rotating random order, not a ranking.

The short version

No one publishes Colorado ABA wait times. Do not assume waits here are shorter than where you live now. Call providers before you choose where to live.
Health First Colorado is for people who live in Colorado. Apply through PEAK once you have moved. A decision can take up to 45 days, or up to 90 if a disability determination is needed.
Benefits may be backdated to the first day of the month you applied, so apply right away.
Moving to a new ZIP code or county can open a special enrollment period for private coverage. HealthCare.gov says moving only for medical treatment does not qualify.
Bring the diagnostic report, the current treatment plan and assessment, recent progress data and any IEP or IFSP.
A school IEP from another state carries over in part. The new district has to provide comparable services until it evaluates your child, if needed, and writes a new IEP.

How long are ABA waitlists in Colorado?

No agency publishes them. Children’s Hospital Colorado’s public wait-time chart, updated July 2026, shows no figure for Developmental Pediatrics in Denver Metro or Southern Colorado and says the hospital recognizes continued access challenges. KJCT reported in April 2026 that Colorado families were waiting months for autism services.

Waits depend on each provider’s staffing, your coverage, your address and the hours you need. Before you sign a lease, call several providers near the neighborhoods you are considering and ask:

Are you taking new clients with our coverage, and how long from intake to the first session?
Can we start intake before we move?
Do you serve this address for in-home sessions, or how far is your clinic?
Can you staff the hours in our child’s current plan, at the times we need?

Use the directory to filter by city, insurance and setting. Our guide to choosing an ABA provider in Colorado has more questions and warning signs.

Before the move: what to set up

Collect records. Ask your current providers for the diagnostic report, the most recent ABA assessment and treatment plan, progress graphs, authorization dates and a discharge or transition summary. Get your child’s IEP or IFSP and the latest evaluation from school or Early Intervention.
Decide how you will be covered in Colorado. Health First Colorado, a new employer plan, a plan bought through Connect for Health Colorado or TRICARE each have different rules for ABA.
Check whether a new employer plan is state-regulated. Colorado’s autism mandate applies to plans the Division of Insurance regulates. Self-funded employer plans generally fall under federal law. Ask the employer’s benefits office.
Get on provider lists. Ask each provider what it needs to start intake and whether it will hold a spot until your coverage begins.
Keep your current services as long as you can. Ask your current provider for a home program or parent training you can use during the gap.

If your child does not have a diagnosis yet, start the evaluation before you move if you can. Our autism evaluation guide explains who can diagnose and what each type of coverage needs.

Getting Health First Colorado as a new resident

Medicaid is run by each state, and federal rules tie eligibility to the state where you live (42 CFR 435.403). Health First Colorado says it covers people who live in Colorado and meet its qualifications. Ask your current state how to close your Medicaid case when you move.

How to apply, according to Health First Colorado:

Online through PEAK, which the program calls the fastest way. You may find out right away whether you qualify.
By phone at 1-800-221-3943, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In person at your county human services office or a community application site.
By mail, with a paper application.

A decision can take up to 45 days, or up to 90 days if the application needs a disability determination. Benefits may be backdated to the first day of the month you applied. There is no open enrollment period, so you can apply any time.

If your income is above the limit, a child with a qualifying disability may still qualify through the Children with Disabilities Buy-In. The state describes it as open to children under 19 with gross family income below 300% of the federal poverty level, with a monthly premium. Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) does not cover ABA.

After you are enrolled

Health First Colorado covers ABA for members 20 and younger when it is medically necessary, and an autism diagnosis is not required. The steps start over in Colorado, even if your child had ABA approved in another state:

Get a written referral from a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or licensed psychologist.
Choose a provider enrolled with Health First Colorado.
The provider assesses your child and writes a plan of care.
The provider submits a prior authorization request. Requests submitted on or after December 1, 2026 are reviewed against InterQual criteria.
Sessions start after approval. Each approval lasts up to six months.

Our Medicaid ABA guide covers each step and how to appeal. Since 2025, Health First Colorado no longer covers 40 clinic hours a week for a child who has access to school hours, unless the school district shows the child cannot be served in a classroom. See how many hours of ABA a child needs.

For more support at home, the Children’s Extensive Support (CES) waiver can add services such as respite. You apply through your county’s Case Management Agency after you live here. The state’s March 2024 waiver chart did not list a waiting list for CES.

Private insurance after a move

HealthCare.gov lists a move to a new ZIP code or county as a reason for a special enrollment period, generally within 60 days. It also says moving only for medical treatment does not qualify. Colorado runs its own marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado.

Colorado’s autism mandate, C.R.S. 10-16-104(1.4), requires state-regulated plans to cover assessment, diagnosis and treatment of autism for a child, including medically necessary ABA ordered by a licensed physician or licensed psychologist. A new plan means a new authorization. Ask the plan whether it will accept your child’s existing diagnostic report or wants a new evaluation.

TRICARE families

If the move is a PCS to Fort Carson, Peterson or the Air Force Academy, TRICARE’s Autism Care Demonstration continues, but Colorado is in the West Region, run by TriWest. Your autism services navigator handles moving and transition support. Our Colorado Springs guide covers the referral and authorization steps.

School and Early Intervention after the move

Children under 3: Early Intervention Colorado is run by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood. Call its referral line at 833-733-3734 after you arrive. Federal rules give the program 45 days from referral to the first service plan meeting.

Children 3 and older with an IEP: under 34 CFR 300.323(f), if your child transfers from another state and enrolls within the same school year, the new district has to provide services comparable to those in the old IEP, in consultation with you, until it evaluates your child (if it decides that is needed) and writes a new IEP. Bring a copy of the IEP and the latest evaluation to enrollment.

Children 3 to 5 without an IEP: contact the district’s Child Find team. Evaluations are free and do not require enrollment in a district school.

Where in Colorado are ABA providers?

Compare by city:

Counts are providers based in each city. Providers based nearby may also serve your address. Local guides cover Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Northern Colorado and Grand Junction and the Western Slope.

Frequently asked questions

Is the ABA waitlist shorter in Colorado?

We cannot say. No agency publishes ABA wait times for Colorado, and waits differ by provider, coverage and address. Call providers in the area you are considering before you move.

Can I apply for Health First Colorado before I move?

Health First Colorado covers people who live in Colorado. Plan to apply through PEAK as soon as you have moved. Benefits may be backdated to the first day of the month you applied.

Does my child’s Medicaid from another state cover ABA in Colorado?

No. Medicaid is run by each state, and eligibility is tied to where you live. Your child needs Health First Colorado, and the ABA provider needs a new Colorado authorization.

Will my child’s ABA approval transfer to Colorado?

No. Health First Colorado, private plans and TRICARE all need the new provider’s own assessment and authorization. Bring your child’s treatment plan and progress data so the new provider can build on them.

Does my child need a new autism diagnosis in Colorado?

Not for Health First Colorado, which needs a referral and not a diagnosis. A private plan or TRICARE may accept the existing report. TRICARE asks for an updated diagnostic assessment if the diagnosis is more than two years old when ABA is requested.

Does my child’s IEP transfer to a Colorado school?

Partly. If your child enrolls within the same school year, the new district has to provide comparable services until it evaluates your child, if needed, and writes a new IEP.

Sources

Checked October 2026.

Moving to Colorado for ABA therapy: what to set up before and after