Peer Support Specialist Certification in Kansas: Training, Hours and Medicaid Rules
Kansas certifies peer specialists; it does not license them.
KDADS, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, issues three peer credentials — the Kansas Certified Peer Specialist (KCPS, mental health), the KCPM (substance use) and the KCPPSS (parent peer) — each with an in-training stage.
The path runs from self-paced Level 1 online training through KDADS in-training approval and at least 90 supervised days to live Level 2 training and KDADS's final review.
For the KCPS, the Level 2 final exam is passed at 80% or higher.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Kansas Certified Peer Specialist (KCPS) for mental health with a KCPST in-training stage; Kansas Certified Peer Mentor (KCPM) for substance use with a KCPMT stage; Kansas Certified Parent Peer Support Specialist (KCPPSS) with a KCPPSST stage; and a Forensic Specialty for fully certified KCPM or KCPS.
Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), a state agency, with Level 1 training on KDADS's LearnWorlds platform.
Two levels: Level 1 is a self-paced online training and Level 2 is live.
No total training hours are stated; the KCPS page gives conflicting Level 2 day counts (2-day vs. all three days).
A minimum of 90 days under supervision before applying for Level 2 training.
The KCPS Supervisor Overview sets 1 hour of supervision per 20 hours of services in training and 1 per 30 once certified, and caps certified peers at 30 hours of Peer Support Services per week.
Stated only in the KCPS Certification Supervisor Overview: the Level 2 training ends in a final exam requiring a score of 80% or higher, with supervisors supporting retaking the Level 2 Training otherwise.
The KCPM and parent peer sources describe no exam.
KCPS: lived experience with mental health challenges and stable, sustained recovery for at least one year; KCPM: the same for substance use challenges; parent peer: lived experience raising a child with SED, SUD or co-occurring conditions.
The eligibility list requires completion of all court-ordered parole, probation, and conditions; no offence list was located in the sources read.
Peer Support Services cannot be billed without documentation of a valid KCPST or KCPS certification (KCPMT or KCPM for peer mentors).
Billing supervision sits in the KMAP Mental Health Fee-for-Service Manual, which was not read; the vehicle was not established.
Not stated in the sources read.
The Kansas credential ladder
- Kansas Certified Peer Specialist in Training(KCPST)Pre-licensure
KDADS's provisional KCPS certificate, valid for one year, held while the peer works at least 90 days under supervision and completes Level 2 training; peer support services cannot be billed without documentation of a valid KCPST or KCPS.
- Kansas Certified Peer Specialist(KCPS)Independent
The full mental health peer certification: the peer is added to the Kansas Certified Peer Specialist Registry, receives a KCPS Certification Number, and can provide up to 30 hours of Peer Support Services per week.
- Kansas Certified Peer Mentor in Training(KCPMT)Pre-licensure
The provisional substance use track certificate, held while the peer works a minimum of 90 days under supervision and completes the two-day Level 2 training.
- Kansas Certified Peer Mentor(KCPM)Independent
The full substance use peer certification; the KCPM page states the same billable-only-with-certification rule for a valid KCPMT or KCPM.
- Kansas Certified Parent Peer Support Specialist in Training(KCPPSST)Pre-licensure
The provisional parent peer certificate, issued after Level 1 and the Families Together IEP training, and held through a 90-day supervision period before Level 2.
- Kansas Certified Parent Peer Support Specialist(KCPPSS)Independent
The full parent peer certification after the 2-day Level 2 training; parent peer support is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic program requirement in Kansas.
- Forensic SpecialtyOther
Additional training available for fully certified KCPM or KCPS who have lived experience navigating the criminal justice system from within the system.
Three KDADS credentials, each with an in-training stage
Kansas certifies peer workers through KDADS; no licence is involved.
The Kansas Certified Peer Specialist (KCPS) covers mental health, the Kansas Certified Peer Mentor (KCPM) covers substance use, and the Kansas Certified Parent Peer Support Specialist (KCPPSS) covers parents raising children with behavioral health needs.
Each has an in-training stage — KCPST, KCPMT or KCPPSST.
KDADS states peer support services cannot be billed without documentation of a valid KCPST or KCPS, and the KCPM page states the same for a valid KCPMT or KCPM; the parent peer page carries no billing statement of this kind.
The provisional KCPST certificate is valid for one year.
On the KCPS track, KDADS reviews the final application for approval, denial, extension or remediation, and approval adds the peer to the Kansas Certified Peer Specialist Registry with a KCPS Certification Number.
A Forensic Specialty sits above the two main credentials for certified holders with criminal justice lived experience.
For how the mental health peer and recovery coach tracks differ, see peer support specialist vs. recovery coach.
“To become fully certified, individuals must complete a provisional certification period of up to one year. This is known as the Kansas Certified Peer Specialist in Training (KCPST).”
One year of stable, sustained recovery, defined per credential
The lived-experience rule differs by credential.
KCPS applicants must have lived experience with mental health challenges and been in stable, sustained recovery for at least one year; KCPM applicants the same for substance use challenges.
The parent peer credential states no recovery duration: its providers must self-identify as a person with lived experience in raising a child with a Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED), Substance Use Disorder (SUD), or co-occurring mental health diagnosis.
The Forensic Specialty is limited to fully certified KCPM or KCPS who have lived experience navigating the criminal justice system from within the system.
The one-year recovery clock sits in the eligibility list, so be ready to document it when you apply.
“Have lived experience with mental health challenges and been in stable, sustained recovery for at least one year”
Two training levels, no stated hour total
Training runs in two levels on KDADS's LearnWorlds platform: Level 1 is self-paced and online, and Level 2 is live.
No total training hours are stated on any of the three pages.
For KCPS, the page calls Level 2 a 2-day in-person or virtual training, but its schedule text says individuals should plan to attend all three days of training from 9 am to 5 pm — confirm the day count with KDADS before you book around it.
KCPM Level 2 is stated as a two-day in-person training, and participants must attend both dates.
Parent peer training adds an Individualized Education Plan course through Families Together after Level 1, and its Level 2 is a 2-day training held at least quarterly, alternating in-person and virtual.
Registration closes two weeks before the preferred date.
For the whole path from training to certification, see how to become a certified peer support specialist.
“Training occurs in two parts: Level 1 is a self-paced, online training, and Level 2 is a 2-day in-person or virtual training that will be offered at least 4 times per year in varying locations around the state.”
The qualifying experience is counted in days, not hours
Kansas sets no work-hour total; it counts days under supervision.
Individuals must have a minimum of 90 days under supervision before applying for Level 2 training, and the KCPST approval has to come first; the KCPST certificate is valid for one year, so plan the supervised period and Level 2 training inside it.
On the KCPS track, the in-training supervisor provides 1 hour of supervision for every 20 hours of Peer Support Services and completes the Supervisor Observation Form, which is submitted with the Level 2 registration.
KCPM applicants must in addition be recommended by their supervisor as having demonstrated competency.
Once fully certified on the KCPS track, a peer can provide up to 30 hours of Peer Support Services per week.
“Individuals must have a minimum of 90 days under supervision before applying for Level 2 training.”
The KCPS Level 2 final exam, passed at 80%
The test sits at the end of the KCPS Level 2: a final exam on which a score of 80% or higher is required, and the supervisor must support retaking the Level 2 Training otherwise.
Full attendance is required to pass the KCPS Level 2 training itself.
KDADS then reviews the final certification application for approval, denial, extension or remediation — approval is what adds the peer to the Kansas Certified Peer Specialist Registry and issues the KCPS Certification Number.
For KCPM and the parent peer credential, the sources read describe no exam at all.
“Support individuals seeking certification in retaking the Level 2 Training if they did not achieve a score of 80% or higher on the final exam.”
One eligibility line, no offence list
The only criminal-history language in the sources read is the preliminary-eligibility line requiring that an applicant has completed all court-ordered parole, probation, and conditions, which appears on the KCPS, KCPM and parent peer pages alike.
No offence list, look-back period, or waiver or exception route was located, and the pages describe no background-check program of their own.
That gap is not permission: if you have a record, ask KDADS how it affects an application before you invest in training, because the sources read do not say.
For how criminal-history rules and waivers work across certifiers, see can you become a peer specialist with a criminal record?
“Have completed all court-ordered parole, probation, and conditions.”
Billable only with a valid certification; the billing manual was not read
KDADS ties billing directly to the credential: Peer Support Services cannot be considered billable without documentation of the Peer Specialist's valid KCPST or KCPS Certification, and the KCPM page states the same for a valid KCPMT or KCPM.
For billing supervision, the Supervisor Overview points to the KMAP Mental Health Fee-for-Service Manual; that manual was not retrieved, so its rules are not restated here, and the Medicaid vehicle was not established in the sources read.
Parent Peer Support is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) program requirement as part of its required scope of services, and KDADS's service definition for Parent/Family Peer Support Services describes rehabilitative services as defined at section 1905(a)(13) of the Social Security Act and 42 CFR 440.130(d).
For how Medicaid peer billing works, see can peer support be billed to Medicaid?
“Peer Support Services cannot be considered billable without documentation of the Peer Specialist's valid KCPST or KCPS Certification.”
Trained supervisors only, with two supervision ratios
Supervising a peer specialist requires KDADS's two-part supervisor training, and only supervisors who completed it are authorized to submit approval forms.
Supervisors also complete the PS Observation Form throughout the in-training period.
The KCPS Supervisor Overview sets two ratios: 1 hour of supervision for every 20 hours of Peer Support Services provided by individuals seeking certification, and 1 hour for every 30 hours provided by certified individuals; the KCPM and parent peer supervisor overviews were not retrieved, so their supervision terms are not stated here.
Pick an employer whose supervisors are already trained — an untrained supervisor cannot file the forms a Level 2 registration needs.
“Provide 1 hour of supervision for every 20 hours of Peer Support Services provided by individuals seeking certification.”
Changes 2023–2026
The KCPS Certification Supervisor Overview is dated Rev 0, 4/14/2025, and the two-level Level 1/Level 2 training structure appears current on the KDADS pages read on 2026-09-24.
The KCPM and parent peer supervisor overviews are linked from those pages but were not retrieved, so their document dates are not stated here.
The date of the change to that structure was not located.
Kansas's renewal and continuing-education cycle was also not located in the sources read.
What This Page Does — and Doesn’t — Cover
This page summarizes the Kansas statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above, as read for this state-by-state peer specialist certification series, current as of September 2026.
It does not list application forms, fees beyond those cited above, or processing times, and it is not a substitute for the instructions the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) publishes.
Nor does it cover substance abuse counselor requirements in Kansas.
Hour totals, exams and supervision rules change by statute and by board rule; for how the peer specialist and recovery coach credentials differ, see peer support specialist vs. recovery coach.
Confirm every requirement with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) before you count hours, register for an exam or apply — and before you take one of the peer support specialist jobs in Kansas that asks for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is peer support specialist a licensed profession in Kansas?
No. Kansas certifies peer workers: KDADS, the state's Department for Aging and Disability Services, issues the KCPS, KCPM and KCPPSS certificates and the in-training stages beneath them, and nothing in the sources read describes a peer licence.
The certification is what billers need — KDADS states peer support services cannot be billed without documentation of a valid KCPST or KCPS certification — so confirm which credential a job posting requires.
How long does it take to get peer specialist certification in Kansas?
No training-hour total is stated, so the timeline runs on the sequence: pass the self-paced Level 1 online training, receive KDADS's KCPST in-training approval, work at least 90 days under supervision, then register for Level 2 — registrations close two weeks before the training date and need the supervisor's approval form with the Supervisor Observation Form attached.
After passing Level 2, the Final Certification Application goes to KDADS for review; on the KCPS, the final exam is passed at 80% or higher.
The KCPST certificate is valid for one year, so plan the steps inside that window.
Can I transfer a peer certification from another state to Kansas?
A reciprocity or endorsement route was not stated in the sources read.
Kansas certification runs through KDADS's own two-level training and in-training period, so plan to complete the Kansas sequence.
Before you start, contact KDADS's peer support staff and ask whether an existing out-of-state credential changes anything — the pages read do not address it.
How many hours can a certified peer specialist work in Kansas?
The KCPS Supervisor Overview states that fully certified peers can provide up to 30 hours of Peer Support Services per week, with supervision continuing after certification at 1 hour for every 30 hours of services, compared with 1 hour per 20 hours during the in-training period.
The KCPM and parent peer supervisor overviews were not retrieved, so this figure is stated for the KCPS only.
Billing additionally requires the valid KCPST or KCPS documentation KDADS describes on its page.
What do I need to qualify before peer specialist training in Kansas?
The KCPS preliminary eligibility list has four items: being at least 18 years of age, a high school diploma or equivalent, lived experience with mental health challenges and stable, sustained recovery for at least one year, and completion of all court-ordered parole, probation and conditions.
KCPM swaps in substance use challenges, and the parent peer credential instead asks for lived experience raising a child with SED, SUD or co-occurring conditions.
More Kansas & Peer Support Specialist Resources
Sources
- KDADS, Kansas Certified Peer Specialist (KCPS) Information (MH) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- KDADS, Kansas Certified Peer Mentor (KCPM) Information (SUD) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- KDADS, Kansas Certified Parent Peer Support Specialist (KCPPSS) Information (retrieved 2026-09-24)
- KDADS, KCPS Certification Supervisor Overview (Rev 0, 4/14/2025) (retrieved 2026-09-24)
Sourced from the statute, rules, board pages and other documents cited above.
Verified September 2026.
This is career information, not legal or clinical advice — confirm current rules with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS).