Fort Irwin, California Clinic

The best way to have services start seamlessly is for you to reach out as soon as you know you are transferring to Fort Irwin. We will make every effort to get you the staff you need and have ABA services start as soon as possible either upon your arrival or very shortly after it.
Autism Behavior Services, Inc. considers it an honor to be a service provider to military families at the Fort Irwin Army Base.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the form of Behavioral Therapy that ABSI provides for Autism. Each therapy program is tailored to the client. The ultimate goal of this therapy is that the client will be able to generalize what they’ve learned across multiple environments. ABA is a way to manage behaviors so that people can engage more positively in their environments, while managing the challenging behaviors that might create issues for them. For many ABA Therapy can be profound and life-changing.

Once your child receives a diagnosis they can access ABA services by receiving a referral from their doctor. The next step is to request a list of providers from your health plan and always check to see if Autism Behavior Services is available. When checking for ABA services, have a list of questions to ask each provider with questions such as: Are all of your behavior technicians and autism specialists certified? You can check on the public registry to ensure that the individuals treating your child are certified. Should you have further questions please reach out to ABSI via our website or call 1(855) 581-0100.

An Autism Behavior Specialist is someone who works with people on the Autism Spectrum. An individual that specializes in care of autism should be certified or licensed in ABA with a specialization in autism. The certifications a behavioral specialist should hold are one of the following: BCBA, BCaBA, QBA, or QASP S. The certified practitioner puts together a series of programs that allow the person to manage their challenging behaviors and gain new skills so that they can be as functional as possible in their communities.

Just as every need is different, so is every provider of ABA services. Some questions to ask are what is your company’s philosophy on Autism? What are some assessments you conduct to determine what my child needs? What kind of training does your staff have? Do your Autism Specialists also work with my child’s school and other service providers? Does your company use evidence based practices? There are many questions to answer when interviewing potential service providers. When you can align your needs with what a provider offers that will create an environment with the best outcomes for everyone.

ECHO provides services and supplies above the basic health standards of Tricare. This program is only required for active duty family members who meet eligibility criteria outlined by Tricare. Qualifying conditions can be found on www.tricare-west.com under the resources tab. The monthly cost of the ECHO program varies depending on the rank of the service member. In the event that you have more than one dependent who has a qualifying condition, only one monthly payment is required for enrollment in the program. Benefits paid into the ECHO program do not count towards your annual catastrophic cap.

EFMP is offered to families in all branches to meet educational and medical needs of qualifying individuals. This program assists families in identifying and receiving services relevant to the physical, intellectual, or emotional disability of an active duty dependent. Family support services are available at every duty station. If you are stationed or plan to be stationed overseas you will need to contact the Tricare Area Office Director at 1888-777-8343.

A referral for continued ABA is required every 2 years using the Tricare provided DSM-V checklist.

The Autism Care Demonstration provides ABA coverage for Tricare beneficiaries. To qualify for ACD services you must have an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis by an approved provider and be enrolled in a Tricare plan (Prime, Prime Remote, Select, etc).

If you are PCSing to a different region (West to East or East to West) you must re enroll in the EFMP and ECHO programs for that region. Once you have hard orders and an anticipated move date you can begin researching providers located near the new duty station. If you began ABA on or after October 1, 2021 your ASN will assist in the transition of records and authorization to a Tricare approved provider.