"15 to 30 Hours" Is a Range, Not a Promise

Two posts on r/ABA, same plot.

One behavior technician accepted a job offer advertising “potential 15 to 30 hours” per week. Except now they're worried those hours could end up being closer to 8 or 10.

At their current job, they're averaging about 16 hours a week and earning roughly $3 less per hour. So they're left wondering whether the higher pay is worth the risk of getting fewer hours.

And for another RBT, that concern became a reality.

At just 19 years old and about eight months into the field, they were hired with the expectation of full-time work. But as clients were reassigned and others graduated from services, their schedule dropped to just 15 hours a week.

Then their last remaining client ran into an insurance issue, and their hours dropped to zero. The following day, they were let go.

What the numbers say

Virginia's Medicaid agency shared data for the year ending March 2026. Providers asked for about 22.9 hours a week on average. They delivered about 14.3 hours. Under a proposed policy, services would generally be limited to 20 hours per week, with additional hours requiring further review and approval. As of October 27, the proposal had not been finalized.

In Nebraska, one big insurer says it will cut its weekly ABA max from 40 hours to 25 starting Nov 15.

When insurance delays, reduces, or denies a client's ABA hours, it doesn't just affect services. It can also mean fewer scheduled hours and a smaller paycheck for the RBT.

Questions to ask before you sign

• What's my minimum weekly hours, in writing?
• What happens when a client cancels or an authorization lapses?
• How fast do you fill an open slot?
• How many techs here got their promised hours last month?

"Up to 30 hours" is a ceiling. Ask about the floor.

Our matchmakers ask these before you ever get on a call. Want hours you can plan your rent around? Find us at u/PairABA.

General info only, not legal or billing advice.