Arkansas Peer Support & Medicaid Guide

Arkansas has developed a formal statewide peer recovery workforce serving people affected by mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and related behavioral health challenges.

The Arkansas Department of Human Services, through the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health and its Office of Recovery, oversees a statewide peer recovery infrastructure that includes training, certification, supervision, ethics, workforce development, and peer advisory structures.

A distinctive feature of Arkansas is its three-tiered peer recovery credentialing model, which provides a career pathway from Core Peer Recovery Specialist to Advanced Peer Recovery Specialist and ultimately Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor.

Arkansas Medicaid also recognizes peer-delivered behavioral health services through certified behavioral health agencies. Its provider framework separately identifies Certified Peer Support Specialists, Certified Youth Support Specialists, and Certified Family Support Partners as recognized performing provider types.

Peer professionals work in treatment centers, hospitals and emergency departments, crisis stabilization units, youth programs, outpatient programs, community organizations, jails, police departments, reentry programs, specialty courts, medication for opioid use disorder programs, recovery organizations, and other community settings.

Medicaid coverage does not mean that every certified peer can independently enroll and bill Arkansas Medicaid. Reimbursement depends on the service, provider organization, beneficiary eligibility, staff qualifications, certification, supervision, treatment planning, documentation, procedure codes, and applicable Medicaid requirements.

Arkansas Peer Support Quick Facts

Category	Arkansas overview
State Medicaid program	Arkansas Medicaid
Medicaid coverage	Certain peer, family, youth, and recovery support services are covered through eligible programs
State peer system	Arkansas Peer Recovery
Primary peer authority	Arkansas Department of Human Services, Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Credentialing model	Three-tier Arkansas Model of Peer Recovery
Core credential	Arkansas Core Peer Recovery Specialist (PR)
Advanced credential	Arkansas Advanced Peer Recovery Specialist (APR)
Supervisor credential	Arkansas Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor (PRPS)
Entry pathway	Peer in Training (PIT)
Youth peer role	Certified Youth Support Specialist
Family peer role	Certified Family Support Partner
Medicaid peer provider type	Certified Peer Support Specialist
Primary Medicaid peer code	H0038 with applicable modifiers
Peer support unit	Generally per 15 minutes under the current outpatient behavioral health manual
Medicaid delivery	Certified behavioral health agencies and PASSE structures where applicable
Peer ethics oversight	Arkansas Peer Ethics Review Board
Peer workforce advisory body	Arkansas Peer Advisory Committee
Common workplaces	Treatment programs, hospitals, crisis units, youth services, outpatient programs, RCOs, courts, jails, reentry and MOUD programs
Last reviewed	August 2026

What Is Peer Support?

Peer support is assistance provided by someone whose relevant lived experience informs how they support another person pursuing recovery.

Arkansas describes Peer Specialists as people whose personal experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery allows them to connect with individuals in ways that differ from traditional clinical relationships.

Peer support is built around:

Hope
Recovery
Self-determination
Empowerment
Advocacy
Mutuality
Respect
Lived experience
Community connection
Personal responsibility
Recovery capital
Strengths
Natural supports

The Arkansas Peer Recovery Code of Ethics states that the primary responsibility of a Peer Specialist is to support the recovery of the person being served and help that individual pursue their own needs, wants, and goals.

Peer Specialists are expected to promote self-determination and advocate for the people they support.

Common Peer Support Activities

Depending on the role and program, Arkansas peer professionals may:

Build trusting peer relationships
Share relevant lived experience
Promote hope
Help people identify recovery goals
Support self-advocacy
Provide recovery education
Help people navigate behavioral health systems
Connect individuals with housing resources
Connect individuals with employment supports
Help people access benefits
Build or rebuild natural supports
Facilitate peer groups
Support treatment engagement
Help individuals develop coping and recovery skills
Provide mentoring
Support transitions
Assist with community integration
Help individuals build recovery capital
Participate in behavioral health teams
Document peer services
Advocate for participant needs and preferences

Peer professionals generally do not diagnose mental health or substance use disorders, prescribe medication, conduct psychotherapy, or represent themselves as licensed clinicians unless they separately hold an applicable professional license and are acting within that role.

How Peer Support Is Organized in Arkansas

Arkansas has a particularly developed peer workforce infrastructure.

The Arkansas Peer Recovery system is supported by:

DHS Office of Recovery
Arkansas Peer Recovery Supervisors
Arkansas Peer Advisory Committee
Arkansas Peer Ethics Review Board
State-approved credentialing infrastructure
Peer training programs
Peer supervision
Workforce development initiatives

The state uses a three-tier career ladder.

Tier 1: Arkansas Core Peer Recovery Specialist

The Core Peer Recovery Specialist credential, generally abbreviated PR, is the foundational professional credential within the Arkansas Model.

Tier 2: Arkansas Advanced Peer Recovery Specialist

The Advanced Peer Recovery Specialist, or APR, builds on the Core credential with additional training, experience, and supervision.

Tier 3: Arkansas Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor

The PRPS is the advanced supervisory credential within the Arkansas Model.

The state also recognizes people progressing through training and supervision, including:

Peer in Training
Supervisor in Training

This creates a formal career ladder rather than treating peer support as a single static credential.

Becoming a Peer Specialist in Arkansas

Arkansas DHS currently identifies minimum requirements for candidates entering its peer recovery certification pathway.

Candidates generally must:

Be at least 18 years old
Have a high school diploma or GED
Have lived experience with substance use disorder or mental health challenges
Have at least two years of sustained recovery
Have at least two years of complete abstinence from mind- or mood-altering substances under the current Arkansas model
Submit an appropriate background check
Meet applicable criminal-history requirements
Agree to follow the Arkansas Peer Recovery Code of Ethics

Current applications are reviewed through the DHS-approved certification process.

Applicants should use the current Arkansas DHS application rather than relying on historical certification requirements.

Arkansas and Abstinence-Based Recovery

Arkansas is important to distinguish from states whose peer certification requirements expressly recognize broader definitions of personal recovery.

The current Arkansas peer credentialing system uses an abstinence-based recovery requirement for its primary state peer pathway.

Current DHS materials require candidates to attest to a minimum of two years of abstinence-based recovery from substance use and/or a mental health disorder as applicable to the credentialing process.

The Arkansas Peer Recovery Code of Ethics also requires Peer Specialists to protect their personal recovery and establishes procedures involving recurrence or return to use.

Organizations should therefore not import another state’s recovery eligibility requirements into Arkansas.

Arkansas Core Peer Recovery Specialist

The Arkansas Core Peer Recovery Specialist is the foundational credential in the Arkansas Model.

Core training is a five-day program based on peer recovery curriculum with additional Arkansas-specific material.

The training prepares Peer Specialists to intentionally use lived experience while maintaining professional boundaries and peer values.

Core topics include concepts such as:

Recovery
Lived experience
Peer relationships
Ethics
Advocacy
Recovery planning
Communication
Boundaries
Self-determination
Wellness
Community resources
Professional peer practice

Candidates must satisfy the applicable credentialing requirements and complete the state credentialing process.

Arkansas Advanced Peer Recovery Specialist

The Advanced Peer Recovery Specialist represents the second tier of the Arkansas Model.

Current Arkansas training materials require applicants for APR to:

Hold a current Arkansas Core Peer Recovery Specialist credential
Meet the applicable recovery requirements
Complete the APR application
Adhere to the Arkansas Peer Recovery Code of Ethics
Submit required references
Complete additional education
Complete required peer work experience
Complete domain-specific experience
Complete peer supervision
Pass the APR credentialing examination

Current Arkansas materials identify 35 education hours, including the 18-hour Advanced training.

Applicants must also complete 500 experience hours, including 100 hours of domain-specific experience divided among:

Advocacy
Ethical responsibility
Mentoring and education
Recovery and wellness

Current requirements also identify 25 hours of domain-specific peer supervision.

Organizations should verify these numbers against the current application before using them for credential compliance.

Arkansas Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor

The Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor is the third tier of the Arkansas Model.

Peer Recovery Supervisors have advanced experience in:

Peer practice
Peer supervision
Ethics
Workforce development
Recovery
Leadership
Advocacy
Program management

Arkansas DHS describes its established Peer Recovery Supervisors as having completed Core, Advanced, and supervisory certification requirements.

Current state materials describe fully credentialed supervisors as having substantial requirements that include:

At least four years of abstinence-based recovery at the fully credentialed supervisor level
135 hours of continuing education
48 hours attending peer supervision
150 hours facilitating peer supervision
2,000 hours of consistent peer employment

These requirements distinguish Arkansas from states where peer workers are primarily supervised by clinicians without a formal peer-supervisor career pathway.

What Does a Peer Recovery Supervisor Do?

Arkansas Peer Recovery Supervisors provide individual and group supervision to:

Peers in Training
Core Peer Recovery Specialists
Advanced Peer Recovery Specialists
Supervisors in Training

Supervisors may also:

Guide ethical peer practice
Support professional development
Help Peer Specialists protect their recovery
Review boundaries
Support role fidelity
Provide feedback
Facilitate supervision groups
Develop peer programs
Participate in advisory committees
Advocate for the peer workforce
Influence organizational policy
Train Peer Specialists
Support credential advancement

The Arkansas Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor Code of Ethics establishes additional responsibilities for people providing peer supervision.

Certified Peer Support Specialists and Medicaid

Arkansas Medicaid’s Outpatient Behavioral Health Services framework recognizes Certified Peer Support Specialist as a performing provider type.

The current provider manual states that Certified Peer Support Specialists:

Do not require a professional clinical license solely because of the peer role
Require state certification to provide services within a certified behavioral health agency
Require supervision

Arkansas Medicaid separately recognizes:

Certified Peer Support Specialist
Certified Youth Support Specialist
Certified Family Support Partner

This distinction is important because the Medicaid performing-provider classifications and the Arkansas Peer Recovery career ladder should not simply be treated as interchangeable labels.

Organizations should determine which certification and provider classification applies to the service they intend to deliver.

Is Peer Support Covered by Arkansas Medicaid?

Yes.

Arkansas Medicaid covers Peer Support within its outpatient behavioral health service system when applicable requirements are met.

The current Medicaid Outpatient Behavioral Health Services manual uses H0038 with applicable modifiers for Peer Support.

The service is generally billed in 15-minute units.

Arkansas Medicaid describes Peer Support as a consumer-centered service delivered by trained and certified Peer Specialists who self-identify as being in recovery from behavioral health issues.

The service is intended to promote:

Education
Hope
Healing
Advocacy
Self-responsibility
Meaningful roles
Empowerment
Functional recovery

Peer Specialists may also assist beneficiaries with navigation involving:

Housing
Supportive employment
Benefits
Natural supports
Other systems affecting functioning

Services may be delivered individually or in groups and may occur in the beneficiary’s home or community environment when permitted.

Arkansas Medicaid Peer Support Code

The current Arkansas Medicaid Outpatient Behavioral Health Services manual identifies:

H0038 with applicable modifiers: Self-help/peer services, per 15 minutes

The current manual also identifies a telephonic peer-support structure with applicable modifiers.

Providers should always check the current Arkansas Medicaid manual before configuring claims.

Procedure codes, modifiers, limits, and delivery rules can change.

Medicaid Documentation Requirements

Arkansas’s Medicaid manual is more prescriptive about peer documentation than a generic peer note template.

Current minimum documentation requirements for Peer Support include information such as:

Date of service
Names and relationship to the beneficiary of people involved
Start and stop times of actual contact
Place of service
Specific location and rationale where required
Diagnosis necessitating the service
How the service addressed goals and objectives in the master treatment plan
Information obtained during the contact
How that information relates to treatment-plan objectives
Impact of information provided or received on treatment
Changes indicated for the master treatment plan

Organizations should therefore design Arkansas Medicaid peer documentation around the actual Medicaid service specification rather than using a generic recovery coaching note.

Can an Individual Peer Bill Arkansas Medicaid Directly?

Organizations should not assume that an individual Peer Specialist may independently enroll and bill Arkansas Medicaid simply because Peer Support is a covered service.

Arkansas Medicaid ties peer services to eligible behavioral health provider structures.

The current manual specifically identifies Certified Peer Support Specialists as performing providers delivering services within certified behavioral health agencies.

Organizations should determine:

Who is the Medicaid billing provider?
Is the organization an eligible behavioral health agency?
Is the agency appropriately certified?
Is the Peer Specialist appropriately certified?
Is the peer registered or recognized as the appropriate performing provider?
Who provides required supervision?
Is the service included in the treatment plan?
What code applies?
What modifiers apply?
What documentation is required?
Is the beneficiary in fee-for-service Medicaid or a PASSE structure?

PASSE and Peer Support

Arkansas has an important Medicaid delivery structure known as the Provider-Led Arkansas Shared Savings Entity, or PASSE.

PASSE coordinates services for certain Medicaid beneficiaries with significant behavioral health or developmental disability needs.

People may qualify for PASSE based on factors including:

Developmental disability waiver participation
Developmental disability service needs
Behavioral health diagnoses requiring services beyond counseling and medication management
Independent Assessment results identifying qualifying levels of need

Arkansas DHS identifies Peer Support among services available within the PASSE service continuum.

The PASSE service array also identifies:

Family Support Partners
Recovery Support Partners
Child and Youth Support Services
Supportive Life Skills Development
Mobile Crisis Intervention
Crisis Intervention
Therapeutic Communities
Supportive Housing
Other home and community-based behavioral health services

Organizations serving PASSE beneficiaries should determine which PASSE is responsible for the member and follow the applicable network, authorization, claims, and service requirements.

Recovery Support Partners

Arkansas Medicaid materials also identify Recovery Support Partners within portions of the behavioral health service continuum.

Organizations should not automatically assume that:

Peer Support = Recovery Support Partner

The terminology may represent different service definitions, staff qualifications, program requirements, or reimbursement structures.

The exact Medicaid benefit should be identified before establishing:

Staffing
Credential requirements
Documentation
Supervision
Coding
Billing workflows

Youth Peer Support

Arkansas Medicaid recognizes Certified Youth Support Specialists as a distinct behavioral health performing-provider classification.

Youth peer support may involve people with relevant lived experience supporting young people navigating behavioral health challenges and services.

Potential activities may include:

Building engagement
Supporting youth voice
Promoting self-advocacy
Helping young people navigate services
Supporting behavioral health goals
Connecting youth with resources
Supporting education or employment goals
Developing natural supports
Supporting transitions
Participating in youth and family teams

The exact certification and Medicaid requirements should be verified through current DHS standards and the applicable service manual.

Family Support Partners

Arkansas also recognizes Certified Family Support Partners as a distinct behavioral health workforce category.

Family Support Partners use relevant lived experience as family members or caregivers to support families navigating behavioral health systems.

They may:

Help caregivers navigate behavioral health systems
Support family voice and choice
Help families participate in treatment planning
Connect caregivers with resources
Promote self-advocacy
Support communication with providers
Help families understand services
Support transitions
Provide lived-experience-based emotional support
Participate in family and treatment teams

Family Support Partners are not interchangeable with clinical family therapists, case managers, attorneys, or Peer Recovery Specialists.

Arkansas Peer Recovery Code of Ethics

Arkansas has a formal statewide Peer Recovery Code of Ethics.

The code applies to Arkansas Peer Specialists and addresses areas including:

Personal recovery
Self-determination
Advocacy
Professional boundaries
Confidentiality
Scope of practice
Peer choice
Respect
Dual relationships
Ethical concerns
Supervision
Personal conduct

The Code states that Peer Specialists should only provide services within their area of experience, training, competence, or scope of practice.

It also requires Peer Specialists to communicate the roles and responsibilities of the peer relationship to the people they support.

Personal Recovery and Ethics

Arkansas places unusually explicit emphasis on the Peer Specialist’s own recovery.

The Arkansas Peer Recovery Code of Ethics requires Peer Specialists to keep their personal recovery first.

Peer Specialists must communicate with supervisors when their recovery may be at risk and follow applicable procedures if they experience a recurrence or return to use.

This makes workforce wellness a compliance and credentialing issue in addition to an employee-retention issue.

Organizations employing Arkansas Peer Specialists should establish policies that allow workers to seek help without creating a culture that discourages early disclosure or supervision.

Arkansas Peer Ethics Review Board

Arkansas maintains an Arkansas Peer Ethics Review Board, or APERB.

Its purpose is to protect the integrity of peer services by:

Reviewing ethical issues
Providing guidance
Supporting professional standards
Protecting people receiving peer services
Promoting ethical behavior
Providing education
Helping prevent ethical violations

Arkansas also maintains:

Ethics complaint procedures
Self-report procedures
Peer codes of ethics
Peer supervisor ethical standards

Organizations should incorporate these state structures into their internal peer compliance policies.

Arkansas Peer Advisory Committee

The Arkansas Peer Advisory Committee, or APAC, provides peer workforce input into statewide policy and program development.

Its responsibilities include advising the DHS Recovery Unit on best practices and providing guidance intended to strengthen the state’s peer recovery workforce.

The committee helps institutionalize peer voice within Arkansas’s broader behavioral health system.

Peer Support Scope of Practice in Arkansas

Arkansas peer professionals provide recovery-oriented support grounded in lived experience.

Activities Commonly Associated With Peer Support

Depending on the service, peers may:

Build supportive relationships
Share lived experience
Promote hope
Support recovery goals
Provide recovery education
Advocate
Promote self-determination
Support treatment engagement
Navigate behavioral health systems
Connect people with housing
Connect people with employment resources
Help access benefits
Build natural supports
Facilitate groups
Mentor participants
Support community integration
Support transitions
Help build recovery capital
Participate in treatment teams
Document peer services

Activities Generally Outside the Peer Role

Unless separately qualified through another professional role, peers generally should not:

Diagnose mental health disorders
Diagnose substance use disorders
Provide psychotherapy
Prescribe medication
Practice medicine
Represent themselves as licensed clinicians
Conduct restricted clinical assessments
Make legal determinations
Make clinical decisions outside their training
Perform services beyond their experience or competence
Promise confidentiality beyond legal and organizational limits

Arkansas’s Peer Recovery Code of Ethics expressly requires Peer Specialists to remain within their experience, training, competence, and scope.

Supervision of Peer Professionals in Arkansas

Supervision is one of the strongest features of the Arkansas Model.

Rather than treating supervision solely as oversight by clinical professionals, Arkansas has created a dedicated Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor pathway.

Peer Supervision May Address

Personal recovery
Peer role fidelity
Intentional use of lived experience
Boundaries
Ethics
Advocacy
Recovery-oriented practice
Documentation
Difficult peer relationships
Professional development
Credential advancement
Self-care
Burnout
Organizational role conflicts

Administrative Supervision

Administrative supervision may address:

Scheduling
Attendance
Caseload
Productivity
Organizational policy
Documentation completion
Medicaid requirements
Program operations

Clinical Consultation

Clinical professionals may provide consultation when participant needs involve:

Diagnosis
Medication
Clinical treatment
Medical concerns
Acute clinical risk
Other issues outside peer scope

Clinical consultation should not eliminate the distinct role of peer supervision.

Questions Organizations Should Answer

Who provides peer supervision?
Does the supervisor meet Arkansas requirements?
Is the supervisor a PRPS when required or appropriate?
How frequently does supervision occur?
Is supervision individual, group-based, or both?
Is supervision documented?
How are ethical concerns escalated?
Who provides clinical consultation?
How are Peers in Training supervised?
How are Core peers supported in advancing?
How is role drift prevented?
How does the organization respond when a peer’s personal recovery is at risk?

Documentation for Peer Support Services

Arkansas Medicaid peer documentation should demonstrate that the covered service occurred and that it addressed the beneficiary’s treatment-plan goals.

Common Documentation Elements

A peer support note may include:

Beneficiary name or identifier
Date
Start time
Stop time
Duration
Place of service
People involved
Treatment-plan goal
Peer intervention
Relevant lived-experience support
Resources discussed
Systems navigated
Participant response
Information learned
Progress toward goals
Follow-up plan
Peer worker
Credential
Required signature

Peer Documentation Should Be

Accurate
Timely
Recovery-oriented
Person-centered
Respectful
Relevant
Connected to applicable treatment goals
Consistent with peer scope
Compliant with Medicaid requirements
Limited to necessary information

Peer Documentation Should Avoid

Unsupported diagnoses
Stigmatizing language
Clinical interpretations outside peer scope
Copying identical notes
Claims for services that did not occur
Irrelevant trauma details
Personal opinions presented as facts
Unnecessary sensitive information
Documentation written solely to mimic a billing code

Documentation and Billing Are Not the Same Thing

A complete peer note does not automatically create a payable Medicaid claim.

Payment may also depend on:

Medicaid eligibility
PASSE enrollment
Provider certification
Provider enrollment
Peer certification
Performing-provider eligibility
Supervision
Treatment planning
Service authorization
Correct procedure code
Correct modifiers
Units
Place of service
Billing limits
Timely filing

Arkansas peer programs may handle sensitive behavioral health and substance use information.

Applicable requirements may include:

HIPAA
42 CFR Part 2
Arkansas law
Medicaid requirements
DHS certification standards
PASSE requirements
Organizational policies
Consent and authorization requirements
Requirements involving minors

The Arkansas Peer Recovery Code of Ethics specifically addresses confidentiality and requires Peer Specialists to respect the privacy of people receiving services.

Peer workers should receive training on:

Information access
Documentation
Care-team communication
Participant consent
Confidentiality
Text messaging
Mobile devices
Telehealth
Emergencies
Legal requests
Substance use information
Social media
Boundaries

Where Peer Support Is Delivered in Arkansas

Arkansas DHS identifies a broad range of settings in which Peer Specialists work.

Treatment Centers

Peer Specialists may support people entering, participating in, and transitioning from mental health and substance use treatment.

Hospitals and Emergency Departments

Peers may engage people following:

Overdose
Substance-related emergencies
Psychiatric crises
Behavioral health hospitalization
Other acute events

Crisis Stabilization Units

Peer professionals may provide recovery-oriented engagement and transition support in crisis programs.

Youth Services

Youth Support Specialists and other peer workers may serve young people involved with behavioral health programs.

Outpatient Programs

Peer Specialists may work alongside behavioral health clinicians and other staff in outpatient services.

Community Organizations

Peers may provide outreach, navigation, recovery support, groups, advocacy, and community connection.

Recovery Community Organizations

Arkansas has a growing recovery community organization infrastructure.

RCOs may provide:

Peer recovery support
Recovery coaching
Community activities
Resource navigation
Mutual support
Recovery events
Advocacy
Education
Volunteer opportunities

Jails and Police Departments

Arkansas DHS specifically identifies jails and police departments among settings where Peer Specialists may work.

Peers with relevant lived experience may support:

Diversion
Engagement
Overdose response
Treatment connection
Reentry
Recovery planning

Reentry Programs

Peer Specialists may support individuals transitioning from incarceration into community treatment, recovery services, housing, employment, and other supports.

Specialty Courts

Peers may work with specialty courts and justice-involved behavioral health programs.

MOUD Services

Peer Specialists may work in programs providing medications for opioid use disorder and other substance use services.

Peer support remains distinct from prescribing and clinical treatment.

Collegiate Recovery Programs

Arkansas also has an Arkansas Collegiate Network within DHS’s behavioral health infrastructure.

College and university programs may use:

Student peer mentors
Recovery peers
Recovery coaches
Student leaders
Other peer-based recovery models

These roles do not automatically constitute Medicaid Peer Support simply because they use a peer model.

Starting a Peer Support Program in Arkansas

Organizations should begin with the population and service model rather than a Medicaid code.

Step 1: Define the Population

Identify who the program serves:

Adults with mental health conditions
People with substance use disorders
Youth
Families
People leaving hospitals
People involved with specialty courts
People returning from incarceration
People receiving MOUD
College students
People experiencing homelessness
A specific community or population

Step 2: Select the Appropriate Peer Role

Determine whether the program requires:

Peer in Training
Core Peer Recovery Specialist
Advanced Peer Recovery Specialist
Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor
Certified Youth Support Specialist
Certified Family Support Partner
Recovery Support Partner
Another community peer role

Do not assume these titles are interchangeable.

Step 3: Define the Peer Relationship

Clarify:

What lived experience is relevant?
How will lived experience be used?
Is support individual or group-based?
Is participation voluntary?
How will participants be matched?
What does self-determination mean within the program?
How will boundaries be handled?

Step 4: Identify the Funding Model

Potential funding may include:

Arkansas Medicaid
PASSE
State contracts
Federal block grants
State Opioid Response funding
Opioid settlement funding
Federal grants
Specialty court funding
Hospital funding
Philanthropy
University contracts
Private payment

Each source may impose different requirements.

Step 5: Confirm Qualifications

Determine:

Required peer credential
Recovery requirements
Training
Education
Experience hours
Supervision hours
Examination
Background requirements
Continuing education
Ethics requirements
Supervisor qualification

Step 6: Confirm Provider Eligibility

For Medicaid services, determine:

Who is the billing provider?
Is the organization Medicaid enrolled?
Is behavioral health agency certification required?
What performing-provider classification applies?
Is the Peer Specialist appropriately certified?
What supervision applies?
Is the beneficiary enrolled in PASSE?
What code and modifiers apply?

Step 7: Design the Workflow

Map:

Referral
Intake
Medicaid eligibility
Consent
Treatment planning
Assignment
Matching
Scheduling
Service delivery
Documentation
Supervision
Clinical escalation
Follow-up
Transition
Discharge
Outcomes reporting

Step 8: Establish Role Boundaries

Create written policies addressing:

Scope of practice
Confidentiality
Crisis response
Transportation
Gifts
Social media
Dual relationships
Communication outside business hours
Home visits
Participant contact after discharge
Staff wellness
Personal recovery
Recurrence or return to use
Role drift

Step 9: Build Quality Measurement

Track more than service volume.

Useful measures may include:

Referral-to-contact time
Engagement
Retention
Participant-defined goals
Recovery capital
Natural supports
Treatment engagement
Successful transitions
Community connection
Housing
Employment
Education
Satisfaction
Peer workforce retention
Supervision completion
Credential advancement
Documentation timeliness
Referral outcomes

Step 10: Verify Current Requirements

Before providing reimbursable services, verify current requirements with:

Arkansas Medicaid
Arkansas Department of Human Services
Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
DHS Office of Recovery
Applicable PASSE
Current Medicaid provider manual
Current credentialing entity
Provider certification staff
Organizational compliance advisors
Qualified legal counsel

Common Challenges for Arkansas Peer Programs

Multiple Peer Classifications

Arkansas has several overlapping but distinct peer workforce terms.

Programs may encounter:

PIT
PR
APR
PRPS
Certified Peer Support Specialist
Certified Youth Support Specialist
Certified Family Support Partner
Recovery Support Partner

Organizations need to map the employee’s credential to the actual service being delivered.

Credential Advancement

The Arkansas Model creates a career ladder but also creates significant credential-tracking requirements.

Programs may need to track:

Recovery duration
Training
Education hours
Work experience
Domain experience
Supervision attendance
Supervision provided
Examinations
Continuing education
Credential level
Supervisor status

Personal Recovery Requirements

Arkansas’s abstinence-based requirements and ethical expectations regarding personal recovery create workforce-management issues that programs should address carefully and consistently.

Documentation Burden

Medicaid peer documentation has specific treatment-plan and service requirements.

Poorly designed workflows can shift time away from participant relationships.

Role Drift

Peer Specialists may gradually be assigned:

Case management
Transportation
Surveillance
Administrative work
Clinical tasks

Organizations should protect peer role fidelity.

Inconsistent Supervision

Arkansas has built peer supervision into its workforce model, but employers still need to ensure Peer Specialists actually receive meaningful, regular supervision.

Fragmented Technology

Programs may use separate tools for:

Referrals
Scheduling
Documentation
Participant communication
Groups
Credential tracking
Supervision
Medicaid billing
PASSE reporting
Grant reporting
Outcomes

Demonstrating Outcomes

Peer support may produce outcomes that traditional clinical measures do not fully capture.

Programs may consider measuring:

Hope
Engagement
Recovery capital
Natural supports
Community connection
Self-efficacy
Treatment retention
Participant-defined progress
Successful transitions
Housing
Employment

Frequently Asked Questions

Is peer support covered by Arkansas Medicaid?

Yes.

Arkansas Medicaid covers Peer Support through eligible behavioral health provider structures when applicable requirements are satisfied.

The current outpatient behavioral health manual identifies H0038 with applicable modifiers for Peer Support.

What is Arkansas’s primary peer credential?

Arkansas uses a three-tier peer recovery career ladder rather than a single credential:

Core Peer Recovery Specialist
Advanced Peer Recovery Specialist
Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor

What is a Peer in Training?

Peer in Training is an entry pathway for people progressing toward full Arkansas peer credentialing while receiving required training and supervision.

Organizations should verify what services a PIT may perform under the specific program and payer.

Is lived experience required?

Yes.

Relevant lived experience with mental health and/or substance use recovery is central to Arkansas’s peer credentialing model.

Does Arkansas require a period of recovery?

Yes.

Current Arkansas DHS materials identify a minimum two-year recovery requirement for entry into the primary peer certification pathway.

Does Arkansas require abstinence?

Current Arkansas Peer Recovery requirements use an abstinence-based model and require applicable candidates to attest to at least two years of abstinence from illicit drugs and alcohol.

Organizations should verify the current application because credentialing requirements can change.

How do I become an Advanced Peer Recovery Specialist?

Current requirements include holding the Core credential, completing additional training, 500 hours of experience, domain-specific experience, 25 hours of domain-specific peer supervision, and passing the APR examination.

Does Arkansas have a peer supervisor credential?

Yes.

Peer Recovery Peer Supervisor is the third tier of the Arkansas Model.

Arkansas has unusually detailed requirements for peer supervision experience, education, recovery, and peer employment.

Does Arkansas recognize youth peers?

Yes.

Arkansas Medicaid recognizes Certified Youth Support Specialists as a distinct performing-provider classification.

Does Arkansas recognize family peers?

Yes.

Certified Family Support Partner is a distinct Arkansas behavioral health workforce classification.

Can an individual Peer Specialist bill Medicaid independently?

Do not assume so.

The Medicaid manual identifies Certified Peer Support Specialists as performing providers within certified behavioral health agencies. Provider enrollment and billing authority are separate from individual peer certification.

What Medicaid code is used for Peer Support?

The current Arkansas Outpatient Behavioral Health Services manual identifies H0038 with applicable modifiers for self-help/peer services, generally per 15 minutes.

Can Peer Support be provided by telephone?

The current Medicaid manual identifies a telephonic H0038 peer-support structure with applicable modifiers.

Providers should verify current rules before implementing telephone or virtual peer support.

Can Peer Specialists provide group services?

Yes.

Arkansas Medicaid describes Peer Support as potentially being provided individually or in groups when applicable requirements are met.

Can peers work in jails and reentry programs?

Yes.

Arkansas DHS specifically identifies jails, police departments, reentry programs, and specialty courts among settings where Peer Specialists work.

Are Peer Specialists clinicians?

No.

Peer certification does not create a clinical professional license.

Can Peer Specialists write progress notes?

Yes.

Peer Specialists providing reimbursable services must document those services according to the applicable Medicaid, program, contract, or organizational requirements.

What is APERB?

The Arkansas Peer Ethics Review Board promotes ethical peer practice, reviews ethical matters, provides guidance, and helps protect people receiving peer services.

What is APAC?

The Arkansas Peer Advisory Committee advises the DHS Recovery Unit on peer workforce best practices and strategies for strengthening Arkansas peer recovery services.

What is PASSE?

PASSE stands for Provider-Led Arkansas Shared Savings Entity.

It coordinates services for certain Medicaid beneficiaries with significant behavioral health or developmental disability needs.

Peer Support is included within the PASSE service continuum.

What outcomes should Arkansas peer programs track?

Programs may track:

Engagement
Retention
Recovery goals
Recovery capital
Natural supports
Treatment engagement
Housing
Employment
Education
Community connection
Successful transitions
Satisfaction
Peer workforce retention
Supervision
Credential progression
Documentation timeliness

Official and State-Recognized Arkansas Peer Support Resources

Certification and Training

Arkansas Peer Recovery

Official Arkansas DHS hub for the state’s peer recovery workforce, three-tier credentialing model, training, certification, supervision, ethics, peer directory, events, and workforce resources.