Mental health services: peer support specialist certification.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on whether counties can develop their own certification programs independently of the state's requirements.

Mental Health Services: Peer Support Specialist Certification

This law removes the requirement of having a high school diploma or equivalent degree to become a certified peer support specialist and includes these specialists under the definition of community health workers.

What This Bill Does

• Removes the need for a high school diploma or equivalent degree to get certification as a peer support specialist.
• Includes peer support specialists in the list of community health workers.

Who It Names or Affects

• People who want to become certified peer support specialists
• Counties and agencies that manage mental health services

Terms To Know

Peer Support Specialist

A person with lived experience of mental illness or addiction who helps others facing similar challenges.

Community Health Worker

Someone who acts as a bridge between health and social services and the community, helping people access these services better.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify when it will take effect.
• It is unclear how many more people might apply to become peer support specialists without needing a high school diploma or equivalent degree.

Official Summary Text

AB 96, as amended, Jackson.
Community health workers.
Mental health services: peer support specialist certification.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes a schedule of benefits under the Medi-Cal program and provides for various services, including behavioral and mental health services that are rendered by Medi-Cal enrolled providers.
Existing law authorizes a county, or an agency representing the county, to develop a peer support specialist certification program, subject to department approval. Existing law imposes specified requirements on applicants for certification as a peer support specialist,
including that the applicant be at least 18 years of age and possess a high school diploma or equivalent degree.
This bill would remove the requirement of possessing a high school diploma or equivalent degree from the requirements necessary for an applicant to receive certification.
Existing law required the Department of Health Care Access and Information, on or before July 1, 2023, to develop and approve statewide requirements for community health worker certificate programs. Existing law requires the department, as part of developing those requirements, to, among other things, determine the necessary curriculum to meet certificate program objectives. Existing law defines “community health worker” for these purposes to mean a liaison, link, or intermediary between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services and to improve the access and cultural competence of service delivery. Existing law specifies that “community health worker” include Promotores, Promotores de Salud, Community Health Representatives, navigators, and
other nonlicensed health workers with the qualifications developed by the department.
This bill would also specify for these purposes that a “community health worker” includes a peer support
specialist and would deem a certified peer support specialist to have satisfied all education and training requirements developed by the department for certification as a community health worker.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF