Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 24 - Mental Health › Part 5 - DMH Peer Support Specialist Professional Standards and Requirement › Chapter Seven - Renewal

Current through June 25, 2024
RENEWAL GENERAL INFORMATION
* Individuals holding CPSSP are required to renew
every four (4) years
on a certification
				schedule established by the Division.
RENEWAL DEADLINE
*
The renewal deadline is September
				30th
(or closest prior working
				day) of each four-year certification period.
*
Renewal deadlines will be every four
				years
- September 30, 2015, September 30, 2019,
				etc.*
* Qualified individuals will renew their certification on or
				before the established renewal deadline in order to maintain Current or
				Inactive Status.
* Individuals who fail to renew by the established deadline
				will have their credential automatically changed to Lapsed Status. Lapsed
				Status means the credential is expired, and the individual no longer holds the
				credential.
RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS
Employment Requirement
Renewing individuals must either continue to be employed in the
				"state mental health system" or hold Inactive Status.
An individual who is no longer employed in the state mental
				health system at the time of renewal no longer meets the employment criteria
				for DMH professional credentialing. Unless the individual holds Inactive
				Status, he/she may make a request to change his/her certification status
				category. Certificate status information is located in Chapter Nine.
Continuing Education (CE) Requirement
CPSSP must complete all in-service training required by their
				employing agency,
AND
A minimum of at least 20 hours of educational trainings,
				seminars, workshops, or post-secondary courses must be completed each
				recertification period. Examples of eligible course content are listed below.
				This list is not exhaustive; any course that builds knowledge and skills
				necessary to perform a job task is eligible for training credit.
Recovery in the Fields of Mental Health and Co-Occurring
				Disorders
Click
				here toview image
Reporting the Continuing Education
				Requirement
Documentation of successful completion of continuing education
				hours (e.g., training records, staff development printouts, official college
				transcripts, conference certificates, etc.) should be housed with the Staff
				Development Officer (SDO) at the individual's
current
place of employment and/or maintained by the applicant. The renewing individual
				should also keep a copy.
As part of the renewal process, each renewing individual is
				asked to attest to the fact that he/she has obtained the required number of
				appropriate continuing education hours.
Unless randomly-selected for audit, renewing individuals in
				Current Status
do not
submit CE documentation to the
				Division of PLACE.
Individuals in Inactive Status must report CE
				activities at the time of renewal.
For DMH credentialing purposes only
,
				CE documentation should be maintained for one year following the conclusion of
				the given renewal year.
RENEWAL APPLICATION
Prior to the renewal deadline, each certified individual will
				be sent a renewal notice to his/ her self-reported home and/or email
				address.
In addition to the general renewal directions found in this
				document, the renewal notice will include specific, current instructions on how
				to renew. Specific directions in the current year's renewal packet, along with
				specific directions provided on each renewal form, must be followed.
Each person who wishes to renew his/her certification must
				submit a renewal application packet to the Division by the established deadline
				(which includes all required forms and fees).
Failure to receive a renewal notice does not relieve the
				individual from the renewal requirement. Individuals should keep their
				addresses/contact information updated with DMH.
RENEWAL AUDIT
Following the conclusion of each renewal period, DMH reserves
				the right to audit randomly-selected renewed individuals to determine
				compliance with the continuing education requirement. The audit process will
				include a 10 percent sample of randomly-selected renewed individuals.
If an individual is randomly selected for audit, both the
				individual and the program SDO will be notified. Along with the notification,
				detailed instructions for audit procedures will be provided.
If randomly selected for audit, the renewed individual (in
				conjunction with the program SDO) will be required to submit to DMH
				documentation to validate successful completion of the renewal continuing
				education requirement. (Examples of sufficient documentation would include, but
				are not limited to: training records, staff development printouts verified by
				the SDO, conference certificates, and official college transcripts). This
				documentation must be submitted within a prescribed deadline.
In the case of
				noncompliance
,
the audited individual will have up to six
				months to comply, during which time the credential will be placed in Suspended
				Status (covered more fully in Chapter 10); the individual will be unable to
				practice with his/her credential during the period of suspension. Failure to
				comply within six months will result in the automatic loss of
				credentialing.
SPECIAL REQUESTS DURING RENEWAL
Inactive Status Request
: An individual
				who is not employed in the state mental health system at the time of renewal
				may want to request Inactive Status. Individuals must initiate this request by
				the established renewal deadline and submit all required renewal forms,
				materials and fees.
Retired Status Request
: An individual
				who has retired from state mental health system employment at the time of
				renewal may want to request Retired Status. Individuals must do so by the
				renewal deadline.
Relinquished Status Request
: An
				individual who no longer wants to hold the credential may request Relinquished
				Status. Individuals must do so by the renewal deadline.
Certification status information is covered more
				fully in Chapter Nine.
In addition to the information
				in Chapter Nine, instructions on making special requests at the time of renewal
				will also be included in the current renewal packet; interested individuals
				should contact the DMH for assistance.
CERTIFICATE RENEWAL
Each individual who successfully renews his/her
Current
CPSSP credential may continue to use the title
				of "Certified Peer Support Specialist Professional" and practice as such for
				the next four-year certification period.
Each individual who successfully renews his/her
Inactive
CPSSP credential may continue to use the
				appropriate title behind his/her name; however, he/she must not practice as a
				Certified Peer Support Specialist Professional during the next four-year
				certification period (until he/she returns to Current Status).
The terms of administrative appeal are applicable to the
				renewal process.
CERTIFICATE EXPIRATION
Renewal Deadline
* The renewal application packet and fee are due
on
				or befo
re September 30th (or closest
				prior working day, as prescribed in the current renewal notice) of the given
				renewal year.
* Any certified individual wishing to request Inactive, Retired
				or Relinquished Status at the time of renewal must submit the request so that
				DMH receives it by the established renewal deadline. Otherwise, without proper
				renewal, the individual's credential will
automatically
be changed to Lapsed Status.
* Unless successfully renewed, an individual's certificate
				ceases to be valid after September 30th at the end
				of the certification period.
* Any certified individual for whom DMH has not received a
				renewal application packet (or a special request) by September
				30th will be expired; his/her certification status
				will
automatically
be changed to Lapsed Status.
"Late Renewal"
* Between October 1st and October
				31st (or closest prior working days, as determined
				by DMH), professional certification which has lapsed due to failure to renew
				may be rectified upon submission of all required renewal forms, materials, and
				payment in full of the Renewal Fee
PLUS
payment of a
				Late Renewal Fee.
* All problems with renewal applications (or special requests
				submitted at the time of renewal) must be resolved by October
				31st (or closest prior working day, as determined by
				DMH).
* Incomplete renewal applications or renewal applications with
				unresolved deficiencies received by the renewal deadline may be maintained on
				file through October 31st (or closest prior working
				day) to allow individuals an opportunity to resolve problem(s). After October
				31st (or closest prior working day, as determined by
				DMH), these credentials are expired and
automatically
changed to Lapsed Status if the deficiencies were not satisfactorily resolved
				by this date - no exceptions.
* The certification of any individual who has not successfully
				completed either renewal or a special request by October
				31st (or closest prior working day, as determined by
				DMH) is expired. The status of any such individual's credential will
automatically
be changed to Lapsed Status.
Beginning November
				1st
On and after November
				1st
. an individual who failed to renew
				or successfully make a status change remains in Lapsed Status and will not be
				allowed to renew.
Following the conclusion of renewal
				season
, each state mental health system program will be provided a
				list of program employees whose credentials lapsed.