Key takeaways
- Collect identity and work authorization, criminal background and abuse registry checks, BACB registry verification, immunizations, CPR, HIPAA and mandated reporter training, and signed ethics acknowledgments.
- Georgia licensure for analysts is the item that most often delays a start date. Start it the day an offer is accepted.
- The three things that reliably slow a start: Georgia licensure, school district clearances, and immunization records candidates cannot locate or that require titers.
- RBT recertification moves to a two year cycle from 2026 with 12 professional development units required, which can be earned through employer in-service training.
- Log qualifying in-service sessions from the start rather than reconstructing them later.
- If you bill Medicaid, screen monthly against the OIG and state exclusion lists. A one-time check at hire is not sufficient.
Most ABA providers assemble credentialing from memory, which works until a start date slips or an audit asks for something nobody kept. This is the list, in the order the items actually cause problems.
Before anyone starts
Identity and eligibility
- Government photo identification
- I-9 and work authorization
- Signed offer and employment agreement
- Emergency contact details
Background screening
- Criminal background check. Confirm the scope your payers and any school district contracts require, since these differ.
- Abuse registry check. Required for RBT certification and reviewed by an attestor. Do not assume a general background check covers it.
- Motor vehicle record where staff drive to clients or transport them
- Exclusion list screening. If you bill Medicaid, check the OIG exclusion list and your state's list, and re-check on a schedule rather than once at hire.
Credential verification
- RBT: verify certification directly on the BACB registry rather than accepting a certificate image. Record the certification date and the recertification due date.
- BCBA or BCaBA: verify on the registry, and separately verify the Georgia state license through the Georgia Behavior Analyst Licensing Board. National certification is not a license to practice here, and this is the item that most often delays a start date.
- For supervisors, confirm the 8-hour supervision training is complete and their supervisor status is current.
Health and safety
- Immunization records to your payer and site requirements, including any titers
- TB screening where required
- Drug screen if your policy or a district contract requires it
- CPR and first aid, with expiry dates recorded
- Crisis training such as Safety Care or CPI, with the expiry, if the caseload requires it
Training and acknowledgments
- HIPAA training
- Mandated reporter training, which most states require and many providers forget to document
- Bloodborne pathogens where applicable
- Signed acknowledgment of your policies, the RBT Ethics Code, and confidentiality
- For technicians, the 40-hour training certificate carrying the 2026 approval statement, plus the Initial Competency Assessment record
Payer and system access
- Payer enrollment or roster addition where required, which has its own lead time
- Practice management and data system accounts
- School district badging and clearances if placing into schools, which is frequently the longest lead item of all
What expires, and when
The part that fails quietly. A credential lapsing mid-assignment is worse than one missing at hire, because by then the person is on a caseload and billing.
| Item | Cycle | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RBT certification | Two years from 2026 | Replaced annual renewal. Requires 12 PDUs per cycle. |
| RBT supervision | Monthly | 5% of service hours, two face-to-face contacts |
| BCBA certification | Per BACB cycle | Plus continuing education |
| Georgia analyst license | Per board cycle | Separate from BACB and separately renewable |
| CPR and first aid | Typically two years | |
| Crisis training | Typically annual | Check your curriculum's requirement |
| Exclusion list screening | Monthly is common | Payer dependent |
Track these with a date field and an alert, not a folder. A spreadsheet with a conditional format works if the alternative is nothing.
The 2026 change that affects onboarding
RBT recertification moved from annual to a two-year cycle requiring 12 professional development units, which can be earned through in-service training you provide as the employer.
That converts a compliance obligation into a retention tool. Training you were probably delivering anyway now satisfies a requirement your technicians would otherwise fund themselves, and it is worth saying so explicitly in your offer. Full detail in the RBT credential and the 2026 changes.
Practically, start logging qualifying PDUs from day one rather than reconstructing two years of in-service records later.
Where start dates actually slip
Four items, consistently.
Georgia licensure for analysts. A nationally certified BCBA is not able to practice here until the state license is in place. Establish status at offer, not at onboarding, and ask whether an application is already in progress.
School district clearances. Districts run their own processes on their own timelines, frequently weeks. If you are placing into schools, start this the day the offer is accepted.
Immunization records. People cannot find them. Titers take laboratory time. This is a fortnight that surprises providers every single hire.
The 40-hour certificate. If it does not carry the 2026 approval statement, the training does not count and there is no bridge course. The technician repeats all 40 hours. Check this before the offer rather than after.
Two operational points
Collect once and keep it current. The difference between a provider that can submit a clinician to a new payer or district in two days and one that takes three weeks is entirely whether the file was maintained or reassembled.
Give the candidate the list upfront. Most delay is a candidate hunting for records nobody told them to find. A single sheet at offer stage removes most of it.
If you would rather not run this at all, it is what a staffing partner is for. We maintain files to this standard continuously, which is why submissions arrive complete rather than starting the clock. See ABA staffing or send us a requisition.
Common questions
What do you need to credential a new RBT?
Identity and work authorization, criminal background and abuse registry checks, BACB registry verification, immunizations, CPR, HIPAA and mandated reporter training, signed ethics and confidentiality acknowledgments, and the 40-hour training certificate carrying the 2026 approval statement plus the competency assessment record.
Do BCBAs need anything beyond BACB certification in Georgia?
Yes. Georgia requires a license through the Georgia Behavior Analyst Licensing Board, separate from national certification and separately renewable. It is the item that most often delays a start date, so confirm status at offer stage.
What credentialing item most often delays a start?
Georgia licensure for analysts, school district clearances, and immunization records that candidates cannot locate or that require titers. All three should start the day an offer is accepted rather than during onboarding.
How often does RBT certification renew now?
Every two years from 2026, replacing annual renewal, with 12 professional development units required per cycle. Those can be earned through employer in-service training, so log qualifying sessions from the start.
Should we re-screen exclusion lists after hire?
If you bill Medicaid, yes. Monthly screening against the OIG and state exclusion lists is common practice, and a one-time check at hire is not sufficient.
Can a staffing agency handle credentialing for us?
Yes, and it is one of the main reasons to use one. Files kept current continuously mean a clinician can be submitted in days rather than the process starting when you call.
PNG Solutions is a healthcare staffing agency in Atlanta placing nurses and allied health professionals nationwide. If you want to talk to a recruiter, call 470 713 0689 or send us a note.