Public Policy Committee

Current Events

The Public Policy Committee strives to provide outreach, collaboration, and advocacy for its stakeholders at the state and federal levels. The current projects in progress include:

Access to Medically Necessary Services for Students

Medicaid Collaboration to Increase Quality Services in Colorado

EVV transition; assistance and outreach for providers

NPI Reporting/Filing Education

About the Committee

The COABA Public Policy Committee (PPC) works under the direction of the COABA Executive Board. The PPC facilitates actions with key Colorado state decision-makers including the state legislature and other governmental bodies, as well as other practitioner and parenting advocacy organizations to recommend policy, legislative, and regulatory solutions. The PPC also arranges trainings on issues relevant to our membership (e.g., billing codes and issues, legal issues).

Initiatives to date include the provision of ABA CPT Code Training by Jeanna Mitton, planning for an Autism Law Workshop by the Autism Law Resource Center (Dan Unumb and Tim Courtney), submitting and managing the Sunrise Application for licensure consideration, intimately supporting HB22-1260 on Medical Necessity in Schools, and general discussions on regulatory practices of behavior analysis in Colorado.

Committee Chairs

Rebecca Urbano Powell

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Rebecca Urbano Powell

Rebecca Urbano Powell is the Executive Director of Seven Dimensions Behavioral Health. Rebecca has been working in the field of ABA since 2001 in clinic, community, home, and school settings. From 2005-2014, she helped start and grow the ABA Program in Tustin Unified School District in Orange County, CA to 80+ ABA staff and 120+ students. Rebecca has co-authored and led teacher/staff trainings in ABA, behavior management systems, and inclusive schooling for district employees and BCBA level clinicians. Rebecca is passionate about implementing organizational behavior management strategies to improve employee performance and client experience. Her current passion project is advocating for public policy to remove barriers to quality treatment across funding sources and settings, including medically necessary ABA in Colorado schools.

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Committee Co-Chair

Emily Ice

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Emily Ice

Emily Ice is the Executive Director of Step-In Autism Services and a behavioral sleep treatment mentor for Behavior Analysts across the globe. As ED, she understands the challenges associated with accessing funding sources necessary for providing quality care. She has been actively involved in Medicaid reform for Alaskan Medicaid and has co-led the COABA Medicaid subcommittee to advocate for Colorado ABA stakeholders. It is her aim to continue this advocacy and improve the Colorado Medicaid coverage for ABA.

As a behavioral sleep treatment mentor, Emily strives to increase access to ABA for treatment of sleep disturbances. Emily’s doctorate research focuses on the behavioral conceptualization of sleep and analyzing contingencies affecting sleep. Since 2001, she has worked with families, children, and adults experiencing developmental disabilities in home and center-based settings, witnessing the impact that sleep treatment and ABA has on the entire family unit. Emily’s passion is to empower Behavior Analysts to become sleep curators for their clients.

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Committee Co-Chair

Committee Members

A huge shout out to these amazing Colorado #wavemakers that are creating meaningful change!

Be a part of the movement! COABA is seeking movers! Contact the Public Policy Committee, click here.

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Join Our Committee:

Sign up to be a part of the Medical Necessity in Schools Action Committee or Medicaid Action Committee below!
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