Please note the below are intended to be guidelines and may not be appropriate for every scenario. If the therapeutic staff support (TSS), behavioral health technician (BHT), BHT-applied behavior analysis (BHT-ABA), or assistant behavior consultationABA (assistant BC-ABA) services to be provided through telehealth will not fall within the guidelines set forth below, please include an explanation as to why telehealth is an appropriate method to deliver the services in the proposal you are submitting with the attestation form as explained in bulletin OMHSAS-20-02 Guidelines for the Use ofTelehealth Technology in the Delivery of Behavioral Health Services issued February 20, 2020 and OMHSAS memorandum “Telehealth Guidelines Related to COVID-19” issued May 5, 2020. If you are providing a service approved as a BHRS program exception which unitizes undergraduate staff, you may find these guidelines as well as the group services guidelines helpful. 

• When BHT, BHT-ABA, TSS or assistant BC-ABA services are being delivered to children 3 to 5 years old, a caregiver should participate.
• When BHT, BHT-ABA, TSS or assistant BC-ABA services are being delivered to children 6 to 9 years old, a caregiver should observe the child during services.
• When BHT, BHT, BHT-ABA, TSS or assistant BC-ABA services are being delivered to children 10 to 13 years old, if the child needs a caregiver during the provision of services, a caregiver should be available.
• When BHT, BHT-ABA, TSS or assistant BC-ABA services are being delivered to youth 14 years old or older, if the youth needs a caregiver during the provision of services, a caregiver should be available.
• Services should usually be provided for 15 to 30 minutes and should not be longer than one hour per session.
• Documentation, including data, should continue to be collected during telehealth services.