Oklahoma Will Reopen ABA Claims Lost to Contract Delays. Ask by January 31.

On October 9, 2026, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority opened a way to recover claims denied, or never filed, because OHCA didn't process a provider contract in time. Provider Letter 2026-18 covers SoonerCare and the SoonerSelect plans, and every request must be in by January 31, 2027.

Why it hits ABA groups

Oklahoma's ABA rule, OAC 317:30-5-311, requires every BCBA, BCaBA and RBT to be "fully contracted with SoonerCare as a provider." Each new hire is a contract action, and the letter names "facilities or groups delayed in adding or updating affiliated providers" as one of the cases it covers. An agency that hired through the backlog may have weeks of RBT sessions sitting denied or unbilled.

OHCA said on September 11, in Letter 2026-15, that the backlog had fallen by nearly 40% and that it expected normal processing times by mid-October.

What the letter says

• If you already have proof of timely filing: submit the claims as normal with that proof attached. The letter puts in this group providers whose OHCA contract action was processed within 45 business days, and claims still within six months of the timely filing deadline.
• If claims were denied, or you couldn't bill at all: complete OHCA's exception form, wait 15 business days, then submit through the regular claims process. This covers new providers delayed in enrollment or contracting, and groups delayed in adding or updating affiliated providers through new, renewal or update applications.
• SoonerSelect claims: if a plan denied the claim, you couldn't submit, or you were paid the non-participating rate because OHCA's contracting ran late, use the same form, wait 15 business days, then follow that plan's own instructions.
• Deadline: all requests by January 31, 2027, a little under four months from the letter.

The limits

OHCA "cannot guarantee approval," and it doesn't say what it will check. The letter doesn't say how the SoonerSelect plans will treat claims they paid at the non-participating rate, only that each plan's guidance applies. It also doesn't address claims that are already past the timely filing limit for reasons other than contracting.

What you must know or do

• Owners and billers: list every BCBA, BCaBA and RBT whose SoonerCare contract, renewal or update was pending at any point this year. Pull every denied or unbilled date of service for each.
• Sort them into the letter's two cases. Claims you can prove were timely go in now with proof attached. The rest go through the form.
• Do the same for each SoonerSelect plan, including claims paid at the non-participating rate.
• Submit the forms well before January 31, 2027, and budget the 15-business-day wait before you resubmit. Questions go to the OHCA call center at 800-522-0114, option 1.