Coverage for screening for and diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders required to be provided by local governmental agency that provides health insurance through plan of self-insurance.
Nev. Rev. Stat. § 287.0276
in effect1. The governing body of any county, school district, municipal corporation, political subdivision, public corporation or other local governmental agency of the State of Nevada that provides health insurance through a plan of self-insurance must provide coverage for screening for and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders and for treatment of autism spectrum disorders to persons covered by the plan of self-insurance under the age of 18 years or, if enrolled in high school, until the person reaches the age of 22 years. For the purposes of such coverage, the governing body of a county, school district, municipal corporation, political subdivision, public corporation or other local governmental agency shall accept as dispositive any diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder that is rendered in accordance with the statewide standard for measuring outcomes and assessing persons with autism spectrum disorders through the age of 21 years prescribed pursuant to NRS 427A.872 .
2. Coverage provided under this section is subject to:
(a) A maximum benefit of the actuarial equivalent of $72,000 per year for applied behavior analysis treatment; and
(b) Copayment, deductible and coinsurance provisions and any other general exclusion or limitation of a plan of self-insurance to the same extent as other medical services or prescription drugs covered by the policy.
3. A governing body of any county, school district, municipal corporation, political subdivision, public corporation or other local governmental agency of the State of Nevada that provides health insurance through a plan of self-insurance which provides coverage for outpatient care shall not:
(a) Require an insured to pay a higher deductible, copayment or coinsurance or require a longer waiting period for coverage for outpatient care related to autism spectrum disorders than is required for other outpatient care covered by the plan of self-insurance; or
(b) Refuse to issue a plan of self-insurance or cancel a plan of self-insurance solely because the person applying for or covered by the plan of self-insurance uses or may use in the future any of the services listed in subsection 1.
4. Except as otherwise provided in subsections 1 and 2, a governing body of any county, school district, municipal corporation, political subdivision, public corporation or other local governmental agency of the State of Nevada that provides health insurance through a plan of self-insurance shall not limit the number of visits an insured may make to any person, entity or group for treatment of autism spectrum disorders.
5. Treatment of autism spectrum disorders must be identified in a treatment plan and may include medically necessary habilitative or rehabilitative care, prescription care, psychiatric care, psychological care, behavioral therapy or therapeutic care that is:
(a) Prescribed for a person diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder by a provider of health care acting within his or her scope of practice; and
(b) Provided for a person diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder by a provider of health care acting within his or her scope of practice.
Ê A governing body of any county, school district, municipal corporation, political subdivision, public corporation or other local governmental agency of the State of Nevada that provides health insurance through a plan of self-insurance may request a copy of and review a treatment plan created pursuant to this subsection.
6. A plan of self-insurance subject to the provisions of this chapter that is delivered, issued for delivery or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, has the legal effect of including the coverage required by subsection 1, and any provision of the plan of self-insurance or the renewal which is in conflict with subsection 1 or 2 is void.
7. Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring a governing body of any county, school district, municipal corporation, political subdivision, public corporation or other local governmental agency of the State of Nevada that provides health insurance through a plan of self-insurance to provide reimbursement to a school for services delivered through school services.
8. As used in this section:
(a) Applied behavior analysis means the design, implementation and evaluation of environmental modifications using behavioral stimuli and consequences to produce socially significant improvement in human behavior, including, without limitation, the use of direct observation, measurement and functional analysis of the relations between environment and behavior.
(b) Autism spectrum disorder has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 427A.875 .
(c) Behavioral therapy means any interactive therapy derived from evidence-based research, including, without limitation, discrete trial training, early intensive behavioral intervention, intensive intervention programs, pivotal response training and verbal behavior provided by a licensed psychologist, licensed behavior analyst, licensed assistant behavior analyst or registered behavior technician.
(d) Evidence-based research means research that applies rigorous, systematic and objective procedures to obtain valid knowledge relevant to autism spectrum disorders.
(e) Habilitative or rehabilitative care means counseling, guidance and professional services and treatment programs, including, without limitation, applied behavior analysis, that are necessary to develop, maintain and restore, to the maximum extent practicable, the functioning of a person.
(f) Licensed assistant behavior analyst has the meaning ascribed to the term assistant behavior analyst in NRS 641D.020 .
(g) Licensed behavior analyst has the meaning ascribed to the term behavior analyst in NRS 641D.030 .
(h) Prescription care means medications prescribed by a licensed physician and any health-related services deemed medically necessary to determine the need or effectiveness of the medications.
(i) Provider of health care has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 629.031 .
(j) Psychiatric care means direct or consultative services provided by a psychiatrist licensed in the state in which the psychiatrist practices.
(k) Psychological care means direct or consultative services provided by a psychologist licensed in the state in which the psychologist practices.
(l) Registered behavior technician has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 641D.100 .
(m) Screening for autism spectrum disorders means all medically appropriate assessments, evaluations or tests to diagnose whether a person has an autism spectrum disorder.
(n) Therapeutic care means services provided by licensed or certified speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists.
(o) Treatment plan means a plan to treat an autism spectrum disorder that is developed by a provider of health care acting within his or her scope of practice after he or she has assessed the person for whom the treatment plan is developed.
Source: NV Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/NRS-287.htmlFetched: 10/4/2026