Michigan Peer Support Services Guide

Michigan has a well-developed peer workforce spanning public mental health, substance use recovery, youth behavioral health, family support, crisis services, community mental health, recovery organizations, supportive housing, and other community-based programs.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, or MDHHS, maintains two major statewide adult peer certification pathways:

• Certified Peer Support Specialist, or CPSS, primarily associated with mental health recovery
• Certified Peer Recovery Coach, or CPRC, primarily associated with substance use, co-occurring disorders, and other addictive disorders

Michigan also has distinct peer-delivered services for Youth Peer Support and Parent Support Partners within its children’s behavioral health system. (Michigan)

Michigan has reimbursed Certified Peer Support Specialists through Medicaid since receiving federal approval in 2006. Peer Recovery Coach standards were later formally established by MDHHS as part of Michigan’s Recovery Oriented System of Care. (Michigan)

Michigan’s peer service infrastructure is closely connected to its public behavioral health system, including Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans, commonly called PIHPs, and Community Mental Health Services Programs, or CMHSPs.

Michigan Peer Support Quick Facts

MDHHS maintains a dedicated Peer Recovery Information hub containing the current Peer Support Specialist Certification Training Application, Peer Recovery Coach Certification Training Application, Medicaid policies, and workforce reports. (Michigan)

What Is Peer Support?

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

Michigan distinguishes several forms of lived-experience support based on population and service system.

A peer professional may draw on personal experience with:

• Serious mental illness
• Public mental health services
• Substance use disorder
• Co-occurring disorders
• Other addictive disorders
• Behavioral health services as a young person
• Parenting a child involved with the behavioral health system

The specific lived experience required depends on the peer role.

Peer support may include:

• Building relationships
• Sharing relevant lived experience
• Supporting hope
• Supporting self-advocacy
• Helping people identify recovery goals
• Supporting person-centered planning
• Connecting people with community resources
• Helping people navigate behavioral health systems
• Supporting recovery and wellness
• Helping build natural supports
• Supporting community inclusion
• Supporting treatment engagement
• Helping remove barriers to recovery
• Providing information and education
• Supporting transitions
• Helping people build recovery capital
• Facilitating peer groups
• Supporting harm reduction
• Promoting youth or family voice
• Documenting services when required

Peer support is distinct from psychotherapy and other licensed clinical treatment.

A peer professional may work on a multidisciplinary behavioral health team, but the peer role is grounded in lived experience and mutuality rather than clinical authority.

How Peer Support Is Organized in Michigan

Michigan uses several distinct peer workforce pathways.

The major categories include:

• Certified Peer Support Specialists
• Certified Peer Recovery Coaches
• Youth Peer Support Specialists
• Parent Support Partners
• Other peer and family support roles operating through community or grant-funded programs

The distinction among these roles matters because they have different:

• Lived-experience requirements
• Training requirements
• Certification processes
• Populations served
• Medicaid service definitions
• Employment structures
• Supervision requirements

An organization should not assume that qualification for one Michigan peer role automatically qualifies a worker for another.

Certified Peer Support Specialists

What Is a Michigan Certified Peer Support Specialist?

A Certified Peer Support Specialist, or CPSS, is Michigan’s primary formally certified mental health peer role.

Michigan’s Medicaid framework historically defines a Peer Support Specialist as an individual in recovery from serious mental illness who has received services through the public mental health system and whose lived experience provides expertise that professional training cannot replicate. (Michigan)

Michigan received federal approval for Medicaid reimbursement of Certified Peer Support Specialists in 2006. (Michigan)

The CPSS role is closely tied to Michigan’s public mental health system.

CPSS Eligibility

Michigan’s certification framework requires Peer Support Specialists to meet state-defined eligibility requirements.

State certification materials have historically required applicants to:

• Have a serious mental illness
• Have received public mental health services currently or previously
• Work in a peer support role
• Meet MDHHS specialized training and certification requirements

Michigan’s current Peer Recovery Information page links to an updated MDHHS-6120 Peer Support Specialist Certification Training Application, revised June 2025. Organizations and applicants should use that current application rather than relying on older certification documents. (Michigan)

Historically, Michigan’s certification process has also required an applicant to already be employed and providing peer services before completing state certification training. (Michigan)

This makes Michigan different from states where someone obtains a peer credential before seeking employment.

CPSS Certification Process

Michigan’s historical certification process has included:

• Employment in an eligible peer role
• Completion of the state application
• Supervisor participation
• Letters of recommendation
• Job description
• Peer interview
• Participation in MDHHS-approved specialized training
• Successful completion of certification requirements

Current procedures should be verified through the June 2025 MDHHS-6120 application because Michigan may revise application or training processes over time. (Michigan)

What Does a Certified Peer Support Specialist Do?

Depending on the program, a Michigan CPSS may:

• Build supportive peer relationships
• Share relevant lived experience
• Promote hope
• Support person-centered goals
• Encourage self-advocacy
• Help participants understand public mental health systems
• Support community integration
• Help identify natural supports
• Assist with recovery and wellness goals
• Support independent living
• Help people navigate resources
• Participate in person-centered planning
• Support treatment engagement
• Help people prepare for meetings
• Participate on multidisciplinary teams
• Facilitate peer groups
• Document peer support services

Michigan Medicaid has historically recognized H0038 as the HCPCS code associated with peer specialist services within peer-directed and operated support services. (Michigan)

Organizations should verify current code charts before billing because coding, modifiers, and program structures can change.

Certified Peer Recovery Coaches

What Is a Certified Peer Recovery Coach?

A Certified Peer Recovery Coach, or CPRC, is Michigan’s primary state-certified substance use recovery peer role.

MDHHS defines Peer Recovery Coach services as support provided by a person on a journey of recovery from addictions or co-occurring disorders who connects with a beneficiary through shared background and life experience. (Michigan)

Peer Recovery Coaches function as personal guides and mentors for people seeking or maintaining recovery.

They may help people:

• Explore multiple pathways to recovery
• Build recovery networks
• Navigate treatment
• Connect with community resources
• Remove barriers to recovery
• Strengthen recovery capital
• Connect with mutual support
• Develop wellness strategies
• Support harm reduction
• Maintain engagement in recovery
• Navigate transitions from treatment
• Build formal and informal support systems

Michigan emphasizes that each individual determines their own recovery pathway. (Michigan)

CPRC Eligibility

Michigan’s current Peer Recovery Coach application was revised in June 2025. The state Peer Recovery Information page should be used for the current application and requirements. (Michigan)

Michigan’s established CPRC requirements include several important elements.

A Certified Peer Recovery Coach must generally:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Have relevant lived experience with addiction, co-occurring disorders, and/or non-substance addictive disorders
• Have two continuous years in recovery
• Have experience navigating treatment or recovery services
• Be willing to share their recovery story appropriately
• Complete MDHHS Peer Recovery Coach training
• Work in an eligible recovery support environment

Michigan’s SUD staff qualification guidance identifies these requirements for Certified Peer Recovery Coaches. (Michigan)

Education

Michigan’s Peer Recovery Coach certification application has historically required:

• High school diploma
• GED
• Or qualifying college transcripts in lieu of a high school diploma or GED

(Michigan)

Applicants should verify the current June 2025 application before relying on older requirements.

CPRC Recovery Requirement

Michigan requires meaningful personal recovery experience for its Certified Peer Recovery Coach pathway.

Existing state guidance requires two continuous years in recovery from addiction.

Older application materials further clarify that the two continuous years must have occurred at some point after age 18. (Michigan)

The purpose is not simply to establish a time threshold.

Michigan’s certification structure expects Peer Recovery Coaches to possess substantial personal experience with recovery and the ability to use that experience intentionally in supporting other people.

CPRC Employment Requirement

Michigan’s peer credentialing system is strongly employment based.

Existing SUD workforce guidance states that a Certified Peer Recovery Coach must generally be employed at least 10 hours per week by:

• A licensed SUD treatment organization
• A PIHP
• A Community Mental Health Services Program
• Or another organization under contract with one of those organizations that provides SUD treatment or recovery support services

(Michigan)

Organizations should verify the current MDHHS-6121 application because employment requirements may have been updated since earlier policy guidance.

CPRC Certification Process

Michigan’s certification application process has historically included:

• Written application
• Supervisor acknowledgment
• Two professional reference letters
• Current job description
• Agreement to the MDHHS Peer Recovery Coach Code of Ethics
• Peer-to-peer interview
• Completion of state-approved training
• Certification examination

(Michigan)

Earlier training materials describe the core certification training as a five-day program.

Current training format, scheduling, and delivery should be confirmed directly with MDHHS.

CPSS vs. CPRC

These roles may overlap.

A person may have lived experience with both serious mental illness and substance use recovery.

However, organizations should not automatically treat CPSS and CPRC credentials as interchangeable when Medicaid, contracts, staff qualifications, or service definitions are involved.

Other Michigan Substance Use Peer Credentials

Michigan’s SUD workforce guidance also recognizes other peer recovery qualifications.

Certified Peer Recovery Mentor

Michigan guidance identifies the Certified Peer Recovery Mentor, or CPRM, credential and directs individuals to meet Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals requirements to obtain and maintain it. (Michigan)

This credential should not automatically be treated as equivalent to MDHHS Certified Peer Recovery Coach status.

CCAR-Trained Recovery Coaches

Michigan’s SUD workforce policies have historically recognized completion of Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery, or CCAR, training as a minimum qualification for certain Peer Recovery Coach roles. (Michigan)

However, an individual who completed a recovery coach academy should not assume that course completion is identical to MDHHS certification.

Organizations should determine which qualification is required by the:

• Medicaid service
• PIHP
• Employer
• Contract
• Funding source

Youth Peer Support

Michigan has a distinct Youth Peer Support service.

The program is a statewide initiative developed in partnership between MDHHS and the Association for Children’s Mental Health. (Michigan)

Youth Peer Support is a Medicaid-reimbursable service for eligible youth and young adults.

Michigan describes the service as peer-delivered support for youth and young adults with serious emotional disturbance or serious mental illness. (Michigan)

Goals of Youth Peer Support

Michigan identifies goals including:

• Supporting youth empowerment
• Helping youth develop skills
• Improving overall functioning
• Improving quality of life
• Supporting self-advocacy
• Collaborating with other members of the youth’s care team

Youth Peer Support may involve:

• Direct support
• Information sharing
• Skill building
• Community integration
• Support with family and school relationships
• Transition into adulthood

(Michigan)

Youth Peer Support Specialist Qualifications

Michigan requires Youth Peer Support Specialists to have lived experience navigating behavioral health systems and complete MDHHS-approved training.

Current public guidance identifies core qualifications including:

• Young adult status
• Personal lived experience receiving mental health services as a youth
• Willingness to self-identify as someone who has received public behavioral health services
• Willingness to use that experience in supporting other youth
• Employment by a PIHP, CMHSP, or contract provider
• Completion of the MDHHS-approved curriculum and ongoing training model

(Michigan)

Current public information identifies the Youth Peer Support Specialist age range as 18 through 26. (Michigan)

Organizations should check the current Medicaid Provider Manual because qualification language has been updated periodically.

2026 Youth Peer Support Update

Michigan updated Youth Peer Support language in the July 2026 Medicaid Provider Manual.

The revised policy describes Youth Peer Support as a service for youth and young adults with serious emotional disturbance or serious mental illness.

The updated policy also clarifies that a youth or young adult with an intellectual or developmental disability, including autism, may qualify when the person also has SED or SMI. (Michigan)

Participation must be directed by the youth or young adult and based on the individual’s ability to engage in the service as intended. (Michigan)

This is an important current update for organizations serving transition-age youth.

Parent Support Partners

Michigan also operates a formal Parent Support Partner, or PSP, service.

A Parent Support Partner is a parent or caregiver with lived experience navigating the mental health system for their own child who uses that experience to support other parents and caregivers.

Michigan states that no degree is required to become a Parent Support Partner.

However, the individual must:

• Have relevant parental lived experience
• Be hired by the Community Mental Health system or an eligible contract provider
• Complete approved training

(Michigan)

What Does a Parent Support Partner Do?

Parent Support Partners work alongside families whose children have serious emotional disturbance and, in some programs, intellectual or developmental disabilities.

The service focuses on helping parents and caregivers:

• Build confidence
• Develop parenting skills
• Navigate systems
• Advocate for their child
• Develop sustainable natural supports
• Partner with service providers
• Participate in family-centered planning
• Identify goals
• Make informed decisions
• Strengthen family voice

Michigan describes Parent Support Partners as equal members of the treatment team. (Michigan)

Parent Support Partner Medicaid Coverage

Michigan has moved Parent Support Partner services into its Medicaid State Plan.

Michigan’s State Plan Amendment resources identify SPA 24-0007, Parent Support Partner Services, as approved. (Michigan)

MDHHS subsequently issued final Medicaid policy MMP 25-38 addressing Parent Support Partner services. (Michigan)

The service is designed as parent-to-parent support for parents and primary caregivers of children and youth with:

• Serious emotional disturbance
• Intellectual or developmental disabilities

The service emphasizes:

• Nonjudgmental support
• Connection through lived experience
• Family self-advocacy
• Parent empowerment
• Hope
• Confidence
• Decision-making
• Participation in treatment

The parent’s goals are incorporated into the individualized plan of service.

Adult, Youth, and Parent Peer Roles: What Is the Difference?

Michigan’s multiple peer pathways allow the state to match lived experience more closely to the population receiving services.

They also create additional workforce-management responsibilities for organizations.

Is Peer Support Covered by Michigan Medicaid?

Yes.

Michigan has covered certain peer support services through Medicaid for many years.

Michigan received federal approval for Certified Peer Support Specialist reimbursement in 2006. (Michigan)

Michigan also recognizes Medicaid-relevant:

• Certified Peer Support Specialist services
• Peer Recovery Coach services
• Youth Peer Support
• Parent Support Partner services
• Other peer-directed and peer-operated behavioral health services

Coverage does not mean every activity performed by a peer is Medicaid reimbursable.

Billability may depend on:

• Medicaid eligibility
• Behavioral health eligibility
• Medical necessity
• PIHP requirements
• CMHSP requirements
• Individual Plan of Service
• Provider organization
• Peer qualification
• Peer certification
• Supervision
• Authorization
• Service definition
• Correct code
• Units
• Place of service
• Documentation
• Contract requirements

Michigan’s Public Behavioral Health Structure

Understanding Michigan peer support requires understanding the state’s public behavioral health system.

Michigan relies heavily on:

• Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans
• Community Mental Health Services Programs
• Contracted behavioral health and recovery providers

Many formal Medicaid peer services flow through this infrastructure rather than through individual practitioners billing Michigan Medicaid independently.

This is particularly important for organizations considering new peer programs.

An organization may need to establish a relationship with a:

• PIHP
• CMHSP
• Licensed SUD provider
• Existing contracted behavioral health organization

depending on the population and service.

Can an Individual Michigan Peer Bill Medicaid Directly?

Organizations should not assume that CPSS or CPRC certification allows an individual to independently enroll with Michigan Medicaid and submit peer support claims.

Michigan’s Medicaid peer infrastructure is closely integrated with PIHPs, CMHSPs, and contracted provider organizations.

Certification determines whether someone is qualified to perform certain peer services.

It does not automatically establish independent Medicaid provider status.

Organizations should separately evaluate:

• Peer qualification
• Medicaid service eligibility
• Provider organization eligibility
• Contracting requirements
• Billing authority

These are different questions.

Michigan Medicaid Peer Specialist Coding

Michigan has historically used H0038 for Peer Specialist Services. (Michigan)

Other codes and modifiers may apply to:

• Individual peer support
• Group peer support
• Recovery coaching
• Youth Peer Support
• Parent Support Partner services
• Peer-operated services
• Other community-based supports

Organizations should use the current Michigan Medicaid Behavioral Health Code Charts and Provider Qualificationsmaterials rather than relying on older code lists.

Michigan’s Medicaid Provider Manual is updated quarterly and incorporates policy bulletins issued since the previous edition. (Michigan)

Michigan Medicaid Provider Manual

The Michigan Medicaid Provider Manual is the primary source for current coverage, participation, billing, and reimbursement policy.

The manual covers:

• Michigan Medicaid
• Healthy Michigan Plan
• Children’s Special Health Care Services
• Other MDHHS-administered health programs

MDHHS updates the electronic manual quarterly. (Michigan)

Organizations should also review supplemental bulletins that have not yet been incorporated into the manual.

This is especially important when developing a new peer billing program because current policy may differ from older certification documents or archived guidance.

Peer Support Scope of Practice in Michigan

Michigan peer professionals generally provide recovery-oriented, nonclinical support based on lived experience.

Depending on the role and service, peers may:

• Engage participants
• Build trust
• Share lived experience
• Support recovery goals
• Support self-advocacy
• Promote person-centered planning
• Connect people with community resources
• Support treatment engagement
• Help build natural supports
• Support recovery planning
• Support harm reduction
• Support community inclusion
• Help remove barriers
• Facilitate groups
• Support transitions
• Support youth empowerment
• Support family empowerment
• Participate on care teams
• Document peer services

Activities Generally Outside the Peer Role

Unless separately qualified and authorized through another professional credential, peers generally should not:

• Diagnose mental health or substance use disorders
• Provide psychotherapy
• Prescribe medication
• Provide medical advice as a licensed healthcare professional
• Conduct clinical assessments requiring licensure
• Make involuntary treatment decisions
• Represent themselves as licensed clinicians
• Make legal determinations
• Determine Medicaid eligibility
• Independently change clinical treatment plans

Organizations should establish clear written peer role definitions.

Harm Reduction and Peer Recovery Coaching

Michigan’s current recovery infrastructure explicitly recognizes harm reduction as compatible with Peer Recovery Coach services.

State opioid settlement materials describe Peer Recovery Coaches as helping people remove barriers, connect with recovery resources, and engage in harm reduction practices. (Michigan)

This is important because peer recovery support should not automatically be limited to abstinence-based pathways.

Programs may support:

• Medication-supported recovery
• Naloxone access
• Safer-use education
• Connection with harm reduction services
• Multiple pathways to recovery
• Continued engagement even when abstinence is not the participant’s current goal

Activities should remain consistent with the worker’s training, role, program policies, and applicable Medicaid requirements.

Supervision of Michigan Peer Professionals

Peer supervision supports quality, ethics, role fidelity, and workforce retention.

Michigan peer programs may involve several forms of supervision.

Administrative Supervision

May include:

• Attendance
• Scheduling
• Caseload
• Documentation
• Organizational policy
• Performance
• Training
• Certification status

Peer Practice Supervision

May include:

• Intentional use of lived experience
• Boundaries
• Ethics
• Recovery principles
• Mutuality
• Engagement
• Harm reduction
• Self-advocacy
• Role fidelity

Clinical Consultation

Clinical professionals may provide consultation when participant needs involve:

• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Medication
• Suicide risk
• Clinical assessment
• Other matters outside peer scope

Peer supervision should not simply turn into clinical supervision.

Organizations should preserve the distinct lived-experience identity of peer practice.

Documentation for Michigan Peer Support Services

Peer support documentation should accurately demonstrate what occurred while preserving the nonclinical and recovery-oriented nature of the service.

Documentation requirements may depend on:

• Medicaid service
• PIHP
• CMHSP
• Individual Plan of Service
• SUD provider
• Contract
• Grant
• Organizational policy

A peer support note may include:

• Beneficiary name or identifier
• Date of service
• Start and end time
• Service duration
• Location
• Modality
• Peer service type
• Individual Plan of Service goal
• Participant-defined recovery goal
• Peer intervention
• Relevant use of lived experience
• Recovery activity
• Resource navigation
• Participant response
• Progress
• Follow-up
• Peer worker name
• Credential
• Required signature or attestation

Peer Documentation Should Be

• Accurate
• Timely
• Person-centered
• Recovery-oriented
• Strengths-based
• Relevant
• Respectful
• Specific
• Connected to the person’s goals
• Consistent with peer scope
• Consistent with Medicaid requirements

Peer Documentation Should Avoid

• Unsupported diagnoses
• Stigmatizing language
• Clinical interpretations outside peer scope
• Identical copy-and-paste notes
• Unnecessary sensitive information
• Exaggerated services
• Personal opinions presented as clinical facts
• Generic statements that do not describe the peer intervention
• Documentation written solely to justify a billing code

Documentation and Billing Are Not the Same Thing

A complete peer support note does not automatically establish that a service is billable.

A payable Michigan Medicaid service may also depend on:

• Medicaid eligibility
• PIHP enrollment
• Service eligibility
• Medical necessity
• Individual Plan of Service
• Provider contracting
• Staff qualification
• Certification
• Supervision
• Authorization
• Correct HCPCS code
• Modifier
• Units
• Place of service
• Timely filing
• Other Medicaid requirements

Organizations should separately validate:

• The service actually occurred
• The documentation accurately reflects it
• The service meets the Medicaid definition
• The claim meets current billing requirements

Individual Plan of Service

Michigan’s public behavioral health system uses the Individual Plan of Service, commonly abbreviated IPOS.

Peer support services should be connected to the person’s identified needs, preferences, and goals when required by the Medicaid benefit.

Michigan’s historical CPSS certification framework specifically referenced supported peer services documented within the IPOS. (Michigan)

Peer support should nevertheless remain person-centered and recovery-oriented rather than becoming a checklist of clinical treatment objectives.

Confidentiality and Information Sharing

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

Depending on the organization and service, requirements may include:

• HIPAA
• 42 CFR Part 2
• Michigan confidentiality laws
• Medicaid requirements
• PIHP requirements
• CMHSP policies
• Consent and authorization
• Protections involving minors
• Organizational privacy policies

Peer workers should receive role-specific training addressing:

• What information they may access
• What information should be documented
• What may be shared
• Participant consent
• Communication with treatment teams
• Substance use information
• Text messaging
• Email
• Telehealth
• Social media
• Crisis communication
• Legal requests

Organizations should obtain qualified legal and compliance guidance for their specific circumstances.

Where Peer Support Is Delivered in Michigan

Community Mental Health Services Programs

CMHSPs are a major employer and contracting structure for Michigan Certified Peer Support Specialists.

Peers may work alongside clinicians, case managers, nurses, and other behavioral health professionals while maintaining their distinct peer role.

Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans

PIHPs administer major portions of Michigan’s Medicaid specialty behavioral health and substance use system.

They play an important role in:

• Provider contracting
• Medicaid service administration
• SUD systems
• Peer recovery services
• Network oversight

Substance Use Disorder Treatment Organizations

Peer Recovery Coaches may work within licensed SUD treatment organizations.

Michigan revised its SUD administrative rules effective June 3, 2026.

One significant change is that outpatient services are no longer a separately licensed SUD service category. Remaining licensed categories include prevention, methadone, certain mobile methadone units, residential, residential withdrawal management, and inpatient hospitalization. (Michigan)

Organizations should therefore verify current licensure requirements rather than relying on pre-June 2026 SUD rules.

Recovery Organizations

Peer Recovery Coaches may work through community recovery organizations and contracted recovery support providers.

Services may include:

• Recovery coaching
• Recovery groups
• Resource navigation
• Mutual support connection
• Community activities
• Recovery planning
• Harm reduction
• Recovery capital development

Youth Behavioral Health Programs

Youth Peer Support Specialists work with youth and young adults experiencing SED or SMI.

They may provide:

• Individual peer support
• Group support
• Skill building
• Community integration
• Youth empowerment
• Transition support

Family Behavioral Health Programs

Parent Support Partners work with families of children with serious emotional disturbance and certain developmental disabilities.

Supportive Housing

Michigan’s 2026 Medicaid policy updates recognize both Certified Peer Support Specialists and Certified Peer Recovery Coaches among qualified workforce types in certain supportive housing services when additional relevant experience requirements are met. (Michigan)

Crisis Services

Peers may participate in portions of Michigan’s behavioral health crisis continuum when permitted by applicable program requirements.

Hospitals and Emergency Departments

Peer professionals may support:

• Behavioral health engagement
• Overdose response
• Recovery connections
• Discharge transitions
• Treatment initiation
• Community follow-up

Justice and Reentry Programs

Peers with relevant lived experience may support people:

• Returning from incarceration
• Navigating community supervision
• Engaging with behavioral health treatment
• Building recovery supports
• Addressing housing and employment barriers

Program-specific qualifications should be reviewed separately.

Michigan Family Support Network

Michigan also supports broader family-to-family peer programming outside the formal Parent Support Partner Medicaid service.

The Michigan Family Support Network connects parents and caregivers of children with special healthcare needs with experienced family members who provide peer support, encouragement, resources, and information. (Michigan)

This service should be distinguished from the Medicaid Parent Support Partner role.

Not every family peer interaction is a Medicaid behavioral health service.

Starting a Peer Support Program in Michigan

Organizations developing peer services in Michigan should begin with the population and funding model rather than simply selecting a billing code.

Step 1: Define the Population

Determine whether the program serves:

• Adults with serious mental illness
• People with substance use disorders
• People with co-occurring conditions
• People with behavioral addictions
• Youth with SED or SMI
• Parents and caregivers
• People leaving hospitals
• People in recovery
• People experiencing homelessness
• People returning from incarceration
• Other defined populations

Step 2: Identify the Appropriate Peer Role

Determine whether workers need to be:

• Certified Peer Support Specialists
• Certified Peer Recovery Coaches
• Youth Peer Support Specialists
• Parent Support Partners
• Certified Peer Recovery Mentors
• Other recovery workers

Do not assume these qualifications are interchangeable.

Step 3: Determine the System Relationship

Identify whether the organization needs to work through:

• A PIHP
• A CMHSP
• A licensed SUD provider
• A PIHP or CMHSP contract provider
• Another eligible Medicaid provider
• A grant or state contract

This is particularly important in Michigan because the formal peer workforce is deeply integrated with the public behavioral health system.

Step 4: Confirm Workforce Requirements

Determine:

• Required lived experience
• Required recovery time
• Education
• Employment requirements
• Required training
• Certification
• Supervision
• Continuing education
• Background checks
• Employer-specific requirements

Step 5: Build Certification Pathways

For developing peers, track:

• Application
• Employment duration
• Supervisor approval
• References
• Interview
• Training
• Examination
• Certification
• Ongoing training

Michigan organizations should not wait until audit time to reconstruct this information.

Step 6: Build the Service Workflow

Map:

• Referral
• Eligibility
• Intake
• Consent
• Person-centered planning
• Peer assignment
• Matching
• Scheduling
• Service delivery
• Documentation
• Supervision
• Clinical escalation
• Follow-up
• Transition
• Outcomes
• Billing

Step 7: Establish Role Boundaries

Create written policies covering:

• Use of lived experience
• Scope of practice
• Harm reduction
• Confidentiality
• Crisis response
• Transportation
• Gifts
• Social media
• Dual relationships
• Communication outside work hours
• Home and community visits
• Clinical escalation
• Staff wellness
• Role drift

Step 8: Establish Supervision

Determine:

• Who supervises peer workers
• Whether the supervisor understands peer practice
• Frequency
• Documentation
• Peer practice consultation
• Clinical escalation
• Staff wellness
• Role fidelity

Step 9: Build Quality Measurement

Programs should measure more than service volume.

Potential measures include:

• Referral-to-contact time
• Engagement
• Retention
• Recovery capital
• Participant-defined progress
• Self-advocacy
• Community connection
• Treatment engagement
• Youth empowerment
• Family confidence
• Recovery stability
• Successful transitions
• Satisfaction
• Peer workforce retention
• Documentation timeliness
• Supervision completion

Step 10: Verify Medicaid Requirements Before Billing

Before submitting claims, verify current requirements through:

• Michigan Medicaid Provider Manual
• Current policy bulletins
• Current Behavioral Health Code Charts
• Provider Qualifications materials
• PIHP
• CMHSP
• Applicable provider contracts
• MDHHS
• Qualified billing and compliance professionals

Michigan’s Medicaid manual is updated quarterly, so programs should avoid relying exclusively on archived documents. (Michigan)

Common Challenges for Michigan Peer Programs

Navigating Multiple Peer Roles

Michigan has distinct mental health, SUD, youth, and parent peer pathways.

Organizations serving multiple populations may need to manage several qualifications simultaneously.

Employment-Based Certification

Michigan’s certification models are closely connected to employment within the public behavioral health and recovery system.

This can create a workforce development challenge because organizations may need to employ and supervise workers while they progress through certification.

PIHP and CMHSP Complexity

Michigan does not operate like a simple fee-for-service peer billing environment.

Organizations often need to navigate:

• State Medicaid rules
• PIHP policy
• CMHSP policy
• Provider contracts
• Local workflows

Certification Tracking

Organizations may need to track:

• CPSS certification
• CPRC certification
• Youth Peer Support training
• Parent Support Partner training
• Recovery coach credentials
• Continuing education
• Supervisor assignments

Documentation Burden

Peers enter the workforce primarily because of their ability to connect with other people through lived experience.

Poorly designed documentation systems can reduce time available for direct peer support.

Role Drift

Peers may gradually be assigned:

• Case management
• Transportation
• Administrative work
• Compliance monitoring
• Clinical tasks
• Surveillance

Organizations should actively protect peer role fidelity.

Fragmented Technology

Organizations may use different systems for:

• Referrals
• Person-centered plans
• Scheduling
• Documentation
• Supervision
• Certification
• Participant communication
• Outcomes
• Claims
• Grant reporting

This fragmentation creates administrative burden for both workers and supervisors.

Demonstrating Outcomes

Clinical metrics alone may not adequately capture the value of peer support.

Michigan programs may also want to track:

• Recovery capital
• Hope
• Self-efficacy
• Connection
• Community participation
• Engagement
• Youth empowerment
• Family empowerment
• Participant-defined progress

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Michigan’s mental health peer credential?

Michigan’s primary formal mental health peer credential is the Certified Peer Support Specialist, or CPSS. (Michigan)

What is Michigan’s substance use peer credential?

Michigan’s state-certified substance use recovery peer credential is the Certified Peer Recovery Coach, or CPRC. (Michigan)

Are CPSS and CPRC the same credential?

No.

CPSS is primarily associated with mental health recovery and public mental health services.

CPRC is primarily associated with substance use, co-occurring, and other addictive disorder recovery.

Does Michigan Medicaid cover peer support?

Yes.

Michigan has reimbursed Certified Peer Support Specialist services through Medicaid since receiving federal approval in 2006 and also maintains Medicaid-recognized recovery coach, youth peer, and parent peer services. (Michigan)

What lived experience does a CPSS need?

Michigan’s CPSS framework requires relevant lived experience with serious mental illness and experience receiving services through the public mental health system. (Michigan)

How much recovery time does a Certified Peer Recovery Coach need?

Michigan’s established requirements specify two continuous years in recovery from addiction. (Michigan)

Does a CPRC need to be at least 18?

Yes. Michigan identifies age 18 as the minimum age for Certified Peer Recovery Coaches. (Michigan)

Does Michigan require Peer Recovery Coach training?

Yes. Certified Peer Recovery Coaches must complete MDHHS-approved certification training. (Michigan)

Is a recovery coach academy alone the same as Michigan CPRC certification?

Not necessarily.

Michigan recognizes specific training and certification requirements. Completion of a recovery coach training does not automatically establish MDHHS certification.

Does Michigan have youth peer support?

Yes.

Youth Peer Support is a Medicaid-reimbursable statewide service for eligible youth and young adults. (Michigan)

Who can become a Youth Peer Support Specialist?

Michigan’s public guidance describes Youth Peer Support Specialists as young adults, generally ages 18 through 26, with lived experience receiving mental health services as youth who complete MDHHS-approved training. (Michigan)

Can a young person with autism receive Youth Peer Support?

Potentially.

Michigan’s July 2026 Medicaid update clarifies that youth or young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, including autism, may qualify when they also have serious emotional disturbance or serious mental illness. (Michigan)

Does Michigan have parent peer support?

Yes.

Michigan uses the Parent Support Partner model for parents and caregivers with relevant lived experience. (Michigan)

Do Parent Support Partners need a college degree?

No. Michigan states that no degree is required, although relevant lived experience, employment, and approved training are required. (Michigan)

Is Parent Support Partner a Medicaid service?

Yes. Michigan’s Parent Support Partner State Plan Amendment was approved, and MDHHS issued final Medicaid policy for the service in 2025. (Michigan)

Can a peer independently bill Michigan Medicaid?

Do not assume so.

Michigan’s formal peer services generally operate through PIHPs, CMHSPs, SUD providers, and other contracted organizations.

What is H0038 in Michigan?

H0038 has historically been used for Peer Specialist Services within Michigan Medicaid’s peer-directed and operated support structure. (Michigan)

Organizations should verify current code charts before billing.

Do peer services need to be in the IPOS?

When required by the applicable Michigan Medicaid service, peer services and goals should be incorporated into the Individual Plan of Service.

Can Michigan peers work in supportive housing?

Yes, under applicable programs. A 2026 Medicaid policy identifies Certified Peer Support Specialists and Certified Peer Recovery Coaches among qualified workers in certain supportive housing services when additional qualification requirements are met. (Michigan)

Can Michigan Peer Recovery Coaches use harm reduction?

Yes. Current Michigan recovery policy materials expressly describe Peer Recovery Coaches as helping people with harm reduction practices as part of recovery support. (Michigan)

Can peer professionals write progress notes?

Yes.

Peer workers may document services when required by Medicaid, a PIHP, CMHSP, employer, contract, or grant.

Documentation should remain within peer scope.

Are peer professionals clinicians?

No.

CPSS or CPRC certification itself is not a clinical professional license.

What changed in Michigan SUD regulation in 2026?

Revised Michigan SUD Administrative Rules took effect June 3, 2026. One major change is that outpatient is no longer a separately licensed SUD service category. (Michigan)

How often is the Michigan Medicaid Provider Manual updated?

MDHHS states that the electronic Medicaid Provider Manual is updated quarterly to incorporate applicable policy bulletins. (Michigan)

Official Michigan Peer Support Resources

Certification and Training

MDHHS Peer Recovery Information

Official Michigan Department of Health and Human Services hub for Peer Support Specialist and Peer Recovery Coach certification, including current applications, Medicaid policies, and workforce resources.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Michigan Peer Support Specialist Certification Training Application

Current MDHHS-6120 application for Michigan Peer Support Specialist certification training. The current state page identifies the application as revised June 2025.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Michigan Peer Recovery Coach Certification Training Application

Current MDHHS-6121 application for Peer Recovery Coach certification training. The current state page identifies the application as revised June 2025.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Michigan Peer Recovery Coach Medicaid Policy

Official MDHHS policy governing state-certified Peer Recovery Coach services and their role within Michigan’s public behavioral health and recovery system.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Michigan Peer Support Specialist Medicaid Policy

Official Michigan Medicaid policy governing Peer Support Specialist services within the public behavioral health system.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Youth and Family Peer Support

Michigan Youth Peer Support

Official MDHHS resource describing Michigan’s Medicaid-reimbursable Youth Peer Support service, its goals, worker qualifications, lived-experience requirements, and approved training model.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Michigan Parent Support Partner

Official MDHHS information describing the Parent Support Partner model for parents and caregivers of children with serious emotional disturbance and developmental disabilities.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Association for Children’s Mental Health

Statewide Michigan partner providing coordination, training, coaching, support, and technical assistance for Youth Peer Support and Parent Support Partner initiatives.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Michigan Family Support Network

Statewide peer-to-peer family support infrastructure connecting parents and caregivers of children with special healthcare needs.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Medicaid and Reimbursement

Michigan Medicaid Provider Manual

Official MDHHS Medicaid policy manual containing current coverage, provider, billing, service, and reimbursement requirements.

The electronic manual is updated quarterly.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Michigan Medicaid Policy Bulletins

Official MDHHS collection of Medicaid policy bulletins. Organizations should review current bulletins in addition to the Medicaid Provider Manual because newly issued policies may not yet have been incorporated into the quarterly manual.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

2026 Michigan Medicaid Policy Updates

Official MDHHS policy updates for the current calendar year, including changes affecting behavioral health, Youth Peer Support, supportive housing, and provider qualifications.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Substance Use Disorder Resources

Michigan SUD Credentialing and Staff Qualifications

Official MDHHS guidance describing staff qualifications for SUD treatment and recovery services, including Certified Peer Recovery Coaches and other peer recovery workforce roles.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Michigan Substance Use Disorder Licensure

Official state licensing resource containing current SUD provider licensure requirements and information about the revised SUD Administrative Rules effective June 3, 2026.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

State Agencies

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

State health and human services agency responsible for Michigan Medicaid, public behavioral health, substance use services, peer certification, and children’s behavioral health programs.

Last checked: August 19, 2026.

Michigan Medicaid

Michigan’s state Medicaid program and primary payer for many formal peer-delivered behavioral health services.

Last checked: August 19, 2026. (Michigan)

Resource Links

MDHHS Peer Recovery Informationhttps://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/keep-mi-healthy/mentalhealth/drugcontrol/peer-recovery-information

Michigan Medicaid Provider Manualhttps://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/doing-business/providers/providers/medicaid/policyforms/medicaid-provider-manual

Michigan Medicaid Policy, Letters and Formshttps://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/doing-business/providers/providers/medicaid/policyforms/policy-letters-and-forms

Michigan Children, Youth and Families Peer Serviceshttps://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/keep-mi-healthy/mentalhealth/mentalhealth/childrenandfamilies/cyf

Michigan Families and Caregivers Behavioral Health Guidehttps://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/adult-child-serv/information-and-resources/guides/families-caregivers

Michigan SUD Licensurehttps://www.michigan.gov/lara/bureau-list/bchs/substance-use-disorder-licensure

Technology for Michigan Peer Support Programs

Michigan’s peer service infrastructure creates significant operational complexity because organizations may need to manage several peer workforce types simultaneously.

Technology supporting Michigan peer programs should account for:

• Certified Peer Support Specialists
• Certified Peer Recovery Coaches
• Youth Peer Support Specialists
• Parent Support Partners
• Other recovery coach credentials
• State training applications
• Certification status
• Lived-experience role requirements
• Recovery requirements
• PIHP relationships
• CMHSP relationships
• Contract providers
• Individual Plans of Service
• Person-centered goals
• Peer-specific documentation
• Recovery-oriented language
• Harm reduction
• Youth-directed support
• Family-driven support
• Referrals
• Caseloads
• Scheduling
• Groups
• Supervision
• Certification tracking
• Training
• Participant communication
• Community-based services
• Outcomes
• Medicaid documentation
• Claims workflows
• Role-based permissions
• HIPAA
• 42 CFR Part 2
• Grant and contract reporting

Michigan presents a particularly important workforce management challenge because peer certification can be tied to the person’s employment and participation in the public behavioral health system.

An organization may employ a person who has the necessary lived experience but is still progressing through:

• Application
• Supervisor approval
• References
• Interview
• Training
• Examination
• Certification

A workforce system should therefore track more than simply whether someone is “certified.”

The platform should also distinguish among:

• CPSS
• CPRC
• Youth Peer Support
• Parent Support Partner

because the appropriate qualification depends on the individual receiving services and the service being delivered.

Michigan’s PIHP and CMHSP structure creates another layer of complexity.

Organizations may have to satisfy:

• MDHHS policy
• Medicaid requirements
• PIHP requirements
• CMHSP requirements
• Contract requirements
• Staff qualifications
• IPOS requirements

Technology should make these requirements easier to manage without forcing peer professionals into workflows designed exclusively around traditional clinical care.

About Peerakeet

Peerakeet builds infrastructure for organizations delivering peer support and recovery services.

The platform supports peer-specific documentation, program workflows, supervision, participant engagement, scheduling, reporting, credential management, billing workflows, and day-to-day operations.

Peerakeet does not determine whether a Michigan service is billable and does not replace guidance from MDHHS, Michigan Medicaid, PIHPs, CMHSPs, credentialing organizations, attorneys, compliance professionals, or applicable state and federal agencies.

Editorial Disclaimer

This guide is provided for general educational purposes. It is not legal, billing, credentialing, clinical, or regulatory advice.

Michigan peer support requirements may vary by service, payer, PIHP, CMHSP, provider type, contract, credential, worker qualification, population, and program.

Michigan updates its Medicaid Provider Manual quarterly, and significant behavioral health and SUD policies changed during 2025 and 2026. Organizations should therefore verify current requirements rather than relying on older certification materials, Medicaid manuals, code charts, or SUD licensing rules.

Organizations and peer professionals should verify current requirements with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan Medicaid, applicable PIHPs and CMHSPs, current Medicaid policy bulletins, provider contracts, and qualified professional advisors.

Last reviewed: August 2026.