OMAHA- Telehealth, under new federal budget cuts, may no longer be an option for some Nebraska residents starting May 11th. The Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced this week that telehealth won't be available for applied behavioral analysts, a move that could impact thousands of children with autism in Nebraska currently receiving those services.

Officials from Nebrasaka Behavior Supports say they're most concerned about rural communities in Western Nebraska. The agency currently offers telehealth services to this region of the state, which lacks in-person services, but requires a board-certified behavioral analyst to conduct these telehealth meetings.

"You have to have the BCBA to run the program, and there are currently less than 200 BCBAs throughout the entire state of Nebraska," said Colleen Heiser, director of operations for Nebraska Behavior Supports, "meaning that there's just a huge disparity regarding how many providers are available for this service, versus how many students in Nebraska who could benefit from this."

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