Maryland certifies community health workers through the Maryland Department of Health. The standard pathway requires an accredited training program, age and education eligibility, and a separate certification application. Program leaders also need to manage two-year renewals and professional development evidence. This guide connects those requirements with everyday CHW operations. [1,2]
Maryland CHW quick facts
| Topic | Maryland guidance |
|---|---|
| Issuing agency | Maryland Department of Health (MDH). [1] |
| Minimum age | 18 years. [1] |
| Education | High school diploma or GED equivalent. [1] |
| Training | MDH-accredited CHW certification program. [1,3] |
| Program minimums | 100 instructional hours, supervised 40-hour practicum and objective knowledge assessment. [4] |
| Application | Maryland OneStop, with age and program-completion evidence. [1] |
| State fees | No fee for initial certification or renewal. [1,2] |
| Credential term | Two years from issuance. [2] |
| Renewal learning | 20 professional development hours with required activity details. [2] |
| Renewal timing | Submission opens 120 days before expiration; prepare to submit at least 30 days before. [2,5] |
| Verification | MDH publishes a certificate verification resource. [6] |
| Last reviewed | November 6, 2026 |
For program leaders
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What is a community health worker in Maryland?
MDH describes CHWs as frontline public health workers with trusted relationships or close understanding of the communities they serve. Its competency framework includes advocacy, communication, cultural competency, ethics, resource navigation, care coordination support, teaching, outreach and health literacy. [7]
A strong job description translates that framework into the actual assignment. Identify the community, languages, referral relationships and expected services. Clarify clinical escalation and confidentiality expectations before a worker begins carrying a caseload.
Who issues Maryland CHW certification?
MDH administers certification of individual CHWs and accreditation of CHW certification training programs. These are related processes with different purposes. Accreditation approves a training program; certification recognizes an individual who completes the applicable application requirements. [1,3]
A school completion document is evidence for an application, rather than proof that MDH has already issued the state credential. Keep the training award and state certificate in separate fields so onboarding reports do not confuse the two.
What are the eligibility requirements?
The standard MDH pathway requires applicants to be at least 18, have a high school diploma or GED equivalent and successfully complete an MDH-accredited CHW certification training program. The application requires age verification and acceptable program-completion evidence. [1]
Applicants should check the current MDH instructions before enrolling, especially when they completed training outside Maryland or are relying on an older experience pathway. Do not assume another state's certificate or a general health education course automatically meets Maryland's application criteria.
How much Maryland CHW training is required?
Maryland's training-program regulation requires at least 100 hours of instruction, an additional supervised 40-hour practicum and an objective knowledge assessment. Programs must cover the specified core competencies, and students must meet all of their program's completion requirements. [4]
Ask a provider how it arranges practicum supervision, documents attendance and evaluates competency. Confirm whether the practicum placement is provided or must be secured by the student. A schedule that lists classroom hours without explaining fieldwork leaves an important planning question unanswered.
How do you choose an accredited training program?
Use MDH's training accreditation resources to confirm the particular provider and program. MDH says accreditation must be issued before an organization offers a CHW certification training program. Do not rely only on a provider's marketing description. [3]
Compare current start dates, language, delivery format, tuition, placement requirements and accommodation procedures. Ask what happens if a learner misses a session or cannot complete a practicum on the original schedule. Cost assistance and seat availability should be confirmed for the specific cohort.
How do you apply through Maryland OneStop?
Prepare the age-verification document and official completion evidence, then follow MDH's link to the Maryland OneStop certification application. MDH specifies that completion evidence should identify the program, its address, accreditation number, completion date and authorizing signature. [1]
Open every uploaded document before submission. Preserve the submitted application, confirmation and any request for more information. Internal onboarding software can organize this evidence, but the official application and decision remain with Maryland's process.
What can delay an otherwise eligible application?
Check that the age-verification document displays the applicant’s name and date of birth. If the name differs from the application, the manual requests additional matching-name evidence. The official training award must contain all five required program details, including its accreditation number and authorizing signature. Request a corrected award from the program rather than silently editing the school’s document. MDH certification manual, chapter 2.
MDH describes a decision within 90 days of a complete application and notification within 30 calendar days when material is missing. The manual permits administrative closure when requested information is not supplied within 120 calendar days. These are different milestones, so an employer should not promise that a submission receipt means the credential will arrive by a fixed start date. Applicants needing a paper form or another language can contact the CHW Program through the same manual. MDH manual, chapters 2 and 7.
How much does certification cost?
MDH currently lists no fee for certification or renewal. That does not establish that every training course, practicum expense, travel cost or replacement school document is free. Ask the training provider for a written total and clarify which costs an employer will cover. [1,2]
For rural workforce support, Maryland Labor's current Rural Health Transformation page describes Pathways to Health Careers, including registered apprenticeships and Rural Advancement for Maryland Peers. The latter includes support for CHW training and certification barriers. Eligibility and availability depend on the funded program. [8]
How does Maryland CHW renewal work?
Certificates run for two years. Renewal requires 20 professional development hours with information about the activity and its relevance to practice. MDH asks for the title, date, hours, sponsor, location, learning or skills explanation, and associated CHW competency or health principle. [2]
Set a routine for recording learning when it happens. Retain a completion document and a brief explanation in the worker's own words. A calendar entry or registration alone should not be treated as proof that the worker completed the activity.
How should a professional-development reflection be written?
MDH accepts a range of learning formats when they relate to a Maryland CHW competency or health principle. Its manual includes employer-sponsored training, webinars and community meetings containing an educational component. Attendance at a meeting without that component should not automatically be counted as qualifying learning. MDH manual, chapters 4 and 5.
For a fictional resource-navigation workshop, a useful reflection could identify the referral approach learned, the barrier it addresses and how the worker plans to apply it. Add the actual title, date, hours, sponsor and location. Describe real learning in the worker’s own words, without copying a standard reflection into every record.
When should CHWs submit a renewal?
The current renewal page and OneStop instructions allow submission beginning 120 days before expiration. MDH advises preparation to submit 30 days before expiration. A draft is not a submitted application. [2,5]
The portal explains that renewal information is entered directly into the application; a tracking sheet can still support personal recordkeeping. Renewal may be requested up to two years after expiration, but that is not permission to describe an expired certificate as active. The certification manual explains reinstatement and the consequences of a lapse. [5,9]
What happens if the certificate expires?
The manual says a worker whose certificate expires may no longer represent themselves publicly as a CCHW until reinstated. Reinstatement is available through the renewal application for up to two years after expiration; after that, the worker has the status of a new applicant and must follow the application requirements. Maintain an expired status while the agency considers reinstatement. MDH manual, chapter 8.
OneStop also warns that 30 minutes of inactivity can log a user out while leaving the form visible. New entries in that state may not be saved. Refresh and confirm the login before continuing, and preserve the actual submission confirmation. This is especially useful when entering professional-development records across several sessions. Current OneStop renewal instructions.
How should an employer verify certification?
Use MDH's certificate verification resource and record when verification occurred. Keep the certificate number, issue date, expiration and supporting document. Recheck status when a worker renews or changes roles. [6]
If a worker has submitted a renewal but the current certificate has expired, record the two statuses separately. Ask MDH to resolve an unclear status. An employer's acceptance of paperwork does not substitute for the agency's renewal decision.
Does Maryland certification authorize Medicaid billing?
Certification establishes workforce evidence; it does not by itself identify a payable service, enrolled billing organization or applicable payer contract. MDH's CHW resources link financing tools and current Medicaid outreach information, but those resources should not be converted into a universal CHW fee schedule. [10]
Before budgeting reimbursement, obtain the actual program's coverage and contract instructions. Identify the eligible population, responsible organization, service, supervision, documentation and payment mechanism. Distinguish direct claims from team funding, contracted work and grants.
See it in your program
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What should CHW documentation and supervision look like?
For program design, connect each contact to a participant goal, service provided, response and next action. Record the date, worker, contact method and referral owner. Add time, consent, review or payer-specific fields only where the actual program requires them.
Supervision should make unresolved needs visible. A participant who declines a referral, encounters a waiting list or cannot reach a partner needs an accurate outcome and a follow-up plan. Review documentation quality and worker support without replacing the participant's priorities with task-completion targets.
What should Maryland CHW software help program leads manage?
A useful evaluation connects workforce readiness with participant work. Test credential dates, professional development evidence, assignments, encounter notes, referral status and reports. State application submission should remain distinct from an internal onboarding checklist.
Explore community health workflows using a fictional worker approaching renewal and a participant with an open referral. Ask Smores Health to demonstrate what the current product supports, what needs configuration and which requirements remain outside the product.
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.
Which reports should Maryland programs prioritize?
Create separate measures for certified workers, upcoming renewals, people served, contacts, referral outcomes and unmet needs. For professional development, report documented completion rather than courses merely planned.
Before accepting a dashboard, trace a total to its source records and test an expired credential and a corrected note. Define who can export the report, how participant information is protected and how previously submitted results can be reproduced.
Frequently asked questions
Is training completion the same as Maryland certification?
No. Accredited training completion supports an application; MDH separately issues the individual certificate. [1,3]
Does Maryland require a practicum?
The accredited training-program regulation requires an additional supervised 40-hour practicum alongside at least 100 instructional hours. [4]
How many professional development hours are needed?
MDH requires 20 hours for renewal, with activity details and an explanation of acquired knowledge or skill application. [2]
Can a CHW renew after expiration?
The current process permits a renewal or reinstatement application up to two years after expiration. A lapse should be treated separately from active certification. [5,9]
What should a Maryland CHW software demonstration include?
Ask for a worker renewal example and a participant referral example, then verify the underlying evidence and report rather than relying on a dashboard screenshot.
Connect Maryland workforce readiness with participant follow-up
Bring your renewal tracker, encounter form and one required report to Smores Health. Book a program walkthrough to evaluate a practical workflow for your Maryland team. Request pricing with setup, staff access, training and support clearly included.
Sources
[1] MDH, CHW certification through accredited training. https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Community-Health-Workers/pages/certification-based-on-the-completion-of-an-accredited-chw-training-program.aspx
[2] MDH, CHW certificate renewal. https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Community-Health-Workers/Pages/CCHW-Certificate-Renewal.aspx
[3] MDH, training-program accreditation. https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Community-Health-Workers/Pages/Training-Program-Accreditation.aspx
[4] Maryland regulations, COMAR 10.68.02.03 training requirements. https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/10.68.02.03
[5] Maryland OneStop, CCHW renewal application. https://onestop.md.gov/forms/certified-community-health-worker-cchw-certificate-renewal-application-5e53f5292bd9090100de5698
[6] MDH, verify a certificate. https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Community-Health-Workers/pages/verify-a-certificate.aspx
[7] MDH, CHW program and core competencies. https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Community-Health-Workers/Pages/Home.aspx
[8] Maryland Labor, Rural Health Transformation workforce programs. https://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/wdrhtp.shtml
[9] MDH, certification and renewal manual, revised September 26, 2025. https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Community-Health-Workers/Documents/Maryland%20Community%20Health%20Worker%20%28CHW%29%20Certification%20and%20Certificate%20Renewal%20Manual.pdf
[10] MDH, CHW resources. https://health.maryland.gov/pophealth/Community-Health-Workers/pages/resources.aspx