Florida’s Certified Community Health Worker credential is issued by the Florida Certification Board. Its standard pathway combines training, verified experience, direct supervision, recommendations and an exam. This guide explains those steps, renewal planning and payment boundaries, then shows program leaders what to look for in documentation, referral and reporting software. [1, 2]
Florida CHW quick facts
| Topic | Florida guidance |
|---|---|
| Credential | Certified Community Health Worker (CCHW), Florida Certification Board. [2] |
| Education | High school diploma or qualifying equivalent under current board instructions. [1, 7] |
| Training | 30 hours, distributed across required domains and electives. [1] |
| Experience | 500 relevant hours within the applicable ten-year window. [1] |
| Supervision | 20 hours of direct supervision; specific verification and timing conditions apply. [1] |
| Recommendations | Three professional recommendations. [2] |
| Exam | 100 multiple-choice questions; passing score 70%. [1] |
| Application and exam fees | FCB lists $50 application and $65 exam; proctoring and other costs are separate. [3] |
| Continuing education | 20 hours per biennial renewal. [1, 2] |
| Renewal cycle | Detailed guide, maintenance page and fee schedule place CCHW in the October 31 biennial cycle. Verify the issued record. [1, 3, 4] |
| 2026 Medicaid proposal | SB1026 died in committee; its proposed July date did not create coverage. [5] |
| Last reviewed | November 6, 2026 |
For program leaders
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What is the Florida CCHW credential?
The Florida Certification Board offers CCHW recognition for frontline workers who connect communities with health and social services. Its performance domains include communication and education, resources, advocacy, foundations of health and professional responsibilities. [7]
For employers, certification is one part of readiness. The role also needs a defined service population, appropriate supervision, employer orientation and a reliable route to clinical help. Do not use the credential to imply that a worker has an unrelated professional license or authority for independent practice.
Keep CHW workforce records separate from participant records. The application file may contain references and employment evidence that a worker needs for certification but a participant-care team does not need to see.
How do you qualify for Florida CHW certification?
The standard pathway requires education, 30 training hours, 500 relevant experience hours, 20 direct-supervision hours, three recommendations and a passing exam. The guide also addresses employment background-screening requirements. [1]
Use the detailed CCHW guide and current board forms to build the application checklist. Use the CCHW-specific forms and requirements when arranging training, experience and verification.
Before paying for a course, ask the board or provider to confirm how the proposed education maps to CCHW requirements. A short course can satisfy only the portion it actually covers.
What should the application checklist track separately?
| Requirement | Record to organize |
|---|---|
| Formal education | Diploma or accepted education evidence |
| Content-specific training | Training form, certificates and domain mapping |
| Relevant experience | Employer verification and current position description |
| Direct supervision | Qualified supervisor’s separate verification |
| Professional support | Three recommendations from eligible professional contacts |
| Examination | Board approval to register, test result and credential award |
FCB’s standard-application page identifies these separate materials and requires exam approval after its review. Use the table as an organizing aid alongside the current forms. It does not change who must submit a document or turn a worker’s self-report into employer verification. FCB standard application.
An applicant can prevent avoidable delays by naming the person responsible for each third-party form, checking that the correct CCHW form was used and keeping the request open until submission is confirmed. Give the certification specialist accurate dates and contact information when an earlier employer must supply evidence.
What training does a Florida CCHW need?
The detailed guide allocates four hours to each of five performance domains and ten elective hours, for 30 total. Training generally falls within the previous ten years, with a separate rule for coursework taken in a degree program. [1]
Map each completion certificate to its applicable domain and record the date, provider and hours. A total of 30 unclassified hours does not show that all required subjects are covered.
FCB maintains training-provider resources. Its provider directory includes the Florida Community Health Worker Coalition as an education provider. Confirm the specific course, current eligibility and documentation before enrolling rather than assuming every offering from an organization counts. [8]
For employer-sponsored training, plan coverage for participant follow-up while staff attend classes. Keep a supervisor available to help workers apply the material to their caseload.
How should work experience and supervision be verified?
The employer verifies relevant work, and the qualified supervisor verifies direct supervision. The guide limits supervision credit to three hours per week and uses the applicable ten-year lookback. [1]
Maintain an evidence log with dates, relevant duties, verified hours, supervisor and source records. Distinguish service hours from supervision hours. Attending an ordinary team meeting should not automatically be counted as qualifying direct supervision without reviewing its content and the board’s conditions.
FCB’s application page requires an employer position description and separate experience and supervision forms. [2] Ask former employers for evidence early enough to resolve discrepancies.
An internal spreadsheet or workforce module can organize the evidence. It cannot convert undocumented estimates into verified hours.
Who submits the recommendations and verification forms?
The detailed guide requires specified third-party materials to go directly to FCB, including employment verification, supervision verification and recommendations. [1]
Track requested, received by the sender and confirmed submitted as separate steps. Keep contact information for the person responsible and a follow-up date. A worker uploading an informal copy to an employer system does not necessarily satisfy the board’s submission protocol.
FCB’s standard-application page identifies three recommendations and its required forms. It also describes the application review and exam-approval sequence. [2] Applicants should monitor their own account and email so requests from the assigned specialist do not go unanswered.
What is the Florida CCHW exam like?
The guide describes a 100-question multiple-choice exam with a 70% passing score. The board reviews application requirements before exam registration. [1, 2]
Prepare from the current CCHW blueprint and domain expectations, using practice that tests application of CHW skills. A course completion record is separate from exam approval and credential award.
Check the registration instructions for identity matching, scheduling and any accommodation request before selecting a test date. Record the official award after the passing result is accepted, rather than marking the worker certified when an exam is merely scheduled.
How should an applicant plan for exam approval and a possible retest?
The FCB guide separates an immediate unofficial score from the official result entered into the application record. A passing result must be recorded for the award. If another attempt is needed, the applicant works through the certification specialist and the retest process rather than treating the course-completion date as certification. FCB CCHW guide, examination section.
As a practical planning step, leave time for a missing employer form, an accommodation request, test-site scheduling and another attempt if needed. Check the account’s actual application deadline before committing to a job start that requires the issued credential. A supervisor can support preparation without promising that the Board will approve or award the credential on a particular date.
How much does Florida CHW certification cost?
FCB’s fee page lists a $50 CCHW application fee, a $65 Florida CHW exam fee and a $100 biennial renewal fee. [3] These are separate charges. Training, proctoring, screening, travel and repeat attempts can add costs.
Ask the training provider and testing site for a written total. Employers sponsoring applicants should state which expenses are covered and how reimbursement works.
Use the current fee schedule at payment time. A historical PDF, a course advertisement or a single advertised application price should not be presented as the entire cost of becoming certified.
Which costs should an employer include in the budget?
| Cost | How to treat it |
|---|---|
| $50 application | FCB application charge |
| $65 examination | Separate FCB exam charge |
| $100 biennial renewal | Future credential-maintenance cost |
| Training and test-site charges | Obtain the provider’s actual quote |
| Work coverage and travel | Include the employer’s own staffing plan |
The first three amounts are listed on FCB’s fee schedule. They are not a guarantee of a complete out-the-door total. Agree in writing which costs the employer will pay and whether a repeat attempt or additional course needs separate approval.
How do Florida CCHWs renew their credential?
The detailed CCHW guide requires 20 continuing-education hours per renewal. FCB’s maintenance page places CCHW in the biennial October 31 cycle, with the normal renewal window from August 1 through October 31. [1, 4]
One standard-application web summary displays a different expiration month. Use the issued credential and obtain board clarification if the account or notice conflicts with the detailed guide and renewal schedule. [2, 4]
Record the expiration date from the actual credential, the applicable education period and each course’s topic and hours. Do not count the same course repeatedly within one cycle. Schedule reminders for both missing education and the renewal submission itself.
The board’s renewal page explains late and inactive periods. A late-payment window should not become the program’s ordinary renewal plan. [4]
Does Florida Medicaid pay for every CCHW contact?
No. The board’s credential is a workforce qualification, not a complete Medicaid service policy. AHCA maintains coverage, billing and fee-schedule resources for specific services. Use the rules and managed-care agreement applicable to the organization. [6]
SB1026 proposed CHW coverage changes in 2026, but the Senate records it as having died in Health Policy on March 13, 2026. The July 1 date displayed on that bill page was proposed language, not proof that the benefit launched. [5]
For a funding decision, identify the actual payer, enrolled organization, covered activity, staff conditions, authorization and documentation. Keep grant-funded outreach and negotiated care-coordination arrangements distinguishable from claims.
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What should Florida CHW supervision cover after certification?
Recommended supervision topics include participant goals, difficult referrals, professional boundaries, documentation quality, workload and escalation. Credential-application supervision and ongoing service oversight should have clear purposes in the program.
Use a brief agenda that identifies decisions and next actions. For example, review a participant who has accepted assistance but cannot reach a resource. Decide whether a partner escalation, alternative referral or different contact method is needed.
Keep private workforce evidence in the appropriate file. The participant note should explain service decisions, not reproduce personnel references or screening material.
What belongs in a Florida CHW encounter note?
A useful note answers why the contact occurred, what the CHW did, how the participant responded and what happens next. Suggested fields include date, worker, program, participant goal, contact method, activity, referral result and follow-up owner.
Add duration, consent, recommendation or review fields when the actual service agreement requires them. These are recommended core elements, not a universal AHCA billing template.
For a fictional transportation referral, distinguish identifying an option, contacting the service, confirming availability and the participant reaching the appointment. If the option is unavailable, record the barrier and alternative plan rather than marking the underlying need resolved.
Which reports help a Florida CHW director?
Use separate workforce and participant views. The workforce view shows missing third-party evidence, exam status, issued credentials and renewal needs. The participant view shows people engaged, completed contacts, open referrals and confirmed outcomes.
Avoid double counting supervision and participant service time. Define how group activities, repeat contacts and corrected records enter the report. A vendor should be able to trace a reported total to its source records and reporting rules.
Review unresolved needs alongside activity volume. A high number of contacts can reflect successful engagement, repeated barriers or both; the report should help the supervisor tell the difference.
How do you choose Florida CHW software?
Test participant documentation, supervisor review, referral follow-up and reporting with your actual forms. Confirm that employment references and participant notes have different permissions.
Explore community health workflows and the Smores Health platform. Bring an FCB evidence checklist, a blank note and one funder report. Ask the vendor to show the proposed workflow in the current product and identify configuration in writing.
Use fictional data for a worker missing an employer verification and a participant waiting on a resource. Demonstrate both follow-up queues, correct a note and export the program report. Ask how data, attachments and history can be exported at the end of the agreement.
What should a Florida software proposal include?
Request a complete first-year and renewal price covering staff access, setup, migration, training, reporting and support. Identify optional services and integration work separately.
Agree on who owns implementation and what the team must successfully demonstrate before acceptance. Test the devices staff use and the behavior when a connection fails. A responsive interface alone does not establish offline operation.
Book a program walkthrough with Smores Health focused on credential oversight, participant continuity and reporting. A written scope should explain current fit and any remaining work.
See it in your program
Build your program around a connected workflow.
Bring your forms and reporting needs. See how Smores Health connects service notes, supervisor review, and program reporting in a walkthrough focused on your team.
A 20-minute walkthrough for your program.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 30-hour course enough to become a Florida CCHW?
No. The standard pathway also includes experience, supervision, recommendations, board review and an exam. [1, 2]
Can an applicant upload all third-party forms personally?
Follow FCB’s direct-submission instructions for employer, supervisor and recommendation materials. Tracking a form internally does not replace the required sender. [1]
How many continuing-education hours are required?
The CCHW guide requires 20 hours for biennial renewal, relevant to the credential’s domains. [1]
Did the proposed July 2026 Medicaid law take effect?
SB1026 did not pass. The official Senate record reports that it died in committee. Check actual current AHCA service policy for a particular payment arrangement. [5, 6]
Can a vendor guarantee CCHW certification or Medicaid payment?
Neither outcome follows from buying software. Certification decisions belong to the board; payment depends on the applicable service, organization and payer requirements.
Build a Florida CHW workflow your team can use
Bring your application checklist, referral example and reporting obligation to Smores Health. Evaluate how staff would document support, complete supervisor review and find unfinished work. Book a program walkthrough or request pricing for your program.
Sources
[1] Florida Certification Board, CCHW guide effective October 2025. https://flcertificationboard.org/wp-content/uploads/CCHW-Standards_Requirements_Application-Guide_Final-8.2025.pdf
[2] FCB, CCHW standard application. https://flcertificationboard.org/certifications/cchw-standard-application/
[3] FCB, current fees. https://flcertificationboard.org/fees/
[4] FCB, maintenance and renewal schedule. https://flcertificationboard.org/maintenance-renewal-information-2/
[5] Florida Senate, SB1026, 2026 status. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1026
[6] AHCA, policy library. https://ahca.myflorida.com/provider/policy.html
[7] FCB, CCHW credential overview. https://flcertificationboard.org/certifications/certified-community-health-worker-cchw/
[8] FCB, Florida CHW Coalition training-provider listing. https://flcertificationboard.org/providers/the-florida-community-health-worker-coalition-inc/