South Dakota’s CHW and CHR certification is administered by the Community Health Worker Collaborative of South Dakota. Certification is voluntary generally but required for workers in agencies seeking Medicaid payment. Medicaid enrolls the agency rather than individual CHWs, and agency readiness includes workforce verification, policies, orientation and service documentation. CHWSD certification CHWSD eligibility FAQ DSS Medicaid CHW manual
South Dakota CHW quick facts
| Topic | South Dakota guidance |
|---|---|
| Credential administrator | Community Health Worker Collaborative of South Dakota (CHWSD). CHWSD certification |
| Training minimum | CHWSD’s FAQ identifies 200 training hours and 40 shadowing hours. CHWSD eligibility FAQ |
| Initial certification fee | $50 through the certification platform, separate from screening or training costs. CHWSD application steps |
| Renewal education | 12 CE hours within the previous two-year certification period. CHWSD continuing education |
| Medicaid structure | Enrolled CHW agency. Individual CHWs do not enroll separately. DSS Medicaid CHW manual |
| Agency training | Orientation before unsupervised home entry and at least six staff-training hours annually under the agency addendum. DSS agency addendum |
| Last reviewed | November 6, 2026 |
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What is a CHW or CHR in South Dakota?
South Dakota’s certification framework includes community health workers and Community Health Representatives. CHWSD provides separate application routes for people who completed CHW training and those who completed Indian Health Service CHR training. Training completion and certification are separate milestones. CHWSD certification
Define the actual role and community served before selecting a course or funding model. A worker’s relationships and community knowledge are central to the role, while employer onboarding and payer qualifications add their own requirements.
Is South Dakota CHW certification voluntary?
CHWSD describes certification as voluntary generally and required when the employing organization seeks South Dakota Medicaid reimbursement for the worker’s services. This distinction should be visible in hiring and service assignments. CHWSD certification CHWSD eligibility FAQ
For each position, identify the qualifications required by the employer, credential administrator and funding arrangement. Do not infer that a voluntary credential is irrelevant to Medicaid, or that certification by itself completes agency enrollment.
Training and shadowing
CHWSD’s FAQ identifies 200 hours of training and 40 hours of shadowing as the minimum for reviewed CHW training. Out-of-state training is evaluated case by case against the state requirements. The FAQ does not offer a general grandparenting route that replaces approved training solely with experience. CHWSD eligibility FAQ
Before selecting a provider, confirm approval, course format, attendance, assessments, shadowing arrangements and completion evidence. Ask who finds the placement and what happens if the worker cannot complete it on the original schedule.
How to apply for CHW or CHR certification
- Review the current CHWSD eligibility and application instructions.
- Choose the CHW or CHR route appropriate to the completed training.
- Create or use the certification-platform account.
- Upload the required training evidence and arrange the supervisor reference.
- Complete both background and fingerprint-check requirements.
- Pay the fee and respond to any outstanding items.
- Verify approval and the issued credential dates.
The current steps page lists a $50 certification fee. Screening and course costs should be confirmed separately. Published processing estimates are planning information, not a guarantee of a particular employment start date. CHWSD application steps
Renewal and continuing education
CHWSD requires 12 continuing-education hours within the previous two-year certification period for renewal. Its current CE page permits all contact hours to be obtained online and directs workers to upload evidence in Certemy. Individual requests for CE approval have their own advance-submission instructions. CHWSD continuing education
Keep activity dates, topics, hours and completion evidence. Do not assume every employer meeting or routine work hour qualifies. Track renewal submitted and renewed active status separately so an unresolved application is not mistaken for approval.
How South Dakota Medicaid enrollment works
The current Medicaid manual enrolls CHW agencies, not individual CHWs. It requires agency enrollment and the supplemental addendum. Its agency-NPI instructions allow a new Type 2 billing NPI or a Type 2 NPI not already enrolled with Medicaid. Confirm the current enrollment instructions before using older secondary checklists that insist on a new number in every case. DSS Medicaid CHW manual
Maintain the enrollment approval and effective arrangement with the organization’s records. A worker’s certification does not establish that the agency is approved for payment.
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Agency policies and staff training
The agency addendum requires written policies covering staffing, scope, training, confidentiality, documentation and other specified topics. It requires orientation before a new worker enters a participant’s home unsupervised, at least six training hours annually and training records showing date, length and topic. Specified topics include annual education on mandatory reporting, rights and responsibilities, and scope. DSS agency addendum
Use the actual addendum to build the policy checklist. A certification course should not be treated as evidence that an employee has learned the agency’s procedures. Document who completed onboarding and when any remaining item was resolved.
Contracted workers need agency-specific onboarding
The current manual allows an agency to contract with a worker employed by another enrolled agency, with current certification verification and training on the contracting agency’s policies before services. A worker’s readiness at one organization should not automatically become readiness at another. DSS Medicaid CHW manual
For practical onboarding, give the worker the local escalation contacts, resource information, documentation process and review expectations. Keep the applicable agreement and completion evidence together so responsibility remains clear.
Orders, plans and current Medicaid changes
A physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife or dentist can order CHW services after a face-to-face or telemedicine visit with the recipient in the preceding 90 days. A dentist may also rely on a qualifying visit with a dental hygienist under their collaborative agreement. A substance use disorder agency may refer a person it treated within 90 days. The manual requires the HF modifier for that referral route. DSS Medicaid CHW manual
The ordering provider or a qualified healthcare professional under that provider’s supervision prepares the service plan before CHW services begin. It identifies the condition or barrier, duration, written objectives, other treating professionals, the services required and how often the CHW will provide them. An order can last no more than one year. The ordering provider reviews progress at least semiannually, first within six months of the plan’s effective date. DSS Medicaid CHW manual
Which South Dakota providers receive the plan?
| Situation | Required follow-through under the DSS manual |
|---|---|
| A different professional orders services for someone already in Care Management | The CHW agency sends the order, plan and documentation to the person’s Care Management provider within 30 days of service initiation. DSS Medicaid CHW manual |
| A person is outside a Care Management program | Include a written objective to establish or reestablish primary care for at least an annual wellness visit. DSS Medicaid CHW manual |
| A dentist orders the services | The manual exempts dentist-ordered plans from that primary-care objective because dental services fall outside the primary-care programs. DSS Medicaid CHW manual |
The record for a referral can therefore change with the ordering professional and the recipient’s existing care-management relationship. Ask both questions at intake and name the person responsible for sending the plan. DSS Medicaid CHW manual
Documentation should show the participant journey
A useful record makes the participant’s need, contact purpose, action, response and next step easy to understand. Keep worker attribution and dates clear. Where a service has an order or plan requirement, make the connection reviewable.
For example, a CHW may help a participant understand how to arrange an appointment. The record should preserve the barrier discussed, the assistance delivered, what the participant agreed to do and when follow-up will occur. Sending a resource link is not evidence that access was achieved.
Separate funded services from other community work
A program may perform valuable tasks that do not qualify under a particular benefit or agreement. Keep service categories understandable and confirm payment rules before including an activity in a claim calculation.
This distinction helps with budgeting as well as documentation. Outreach, travel, coordination and supervision can require substantial time even when a contract does not pay for each activity separately. Report that workload accurately without labeling every staff task as a payable service.
Before a South Dakota Medicaid agency opens a case
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Verify Medicaid eligibility and the enrolled CHW agency. Confirm that the worker is certified and the agency has documented its own orientation. DSS Medicaid CHW manual DSS agency addendum
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Identify the ordering professional, qualifying visit and date, or the SUD referral route. Link the intervention to the person’s health-related barrier. DSS Medicaid CHW manual
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Finalize the service plan before the CHW begins. Set the first review for no later than six months and calendar any applicable 30-day handoff. DSS Medicaid CHW manual
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Before an unsupervised home visit, confirm the new worker has completed the agency’s required orientation. Track annual agency training separately from CHWSD renewal education. DSS Medicaid CHW manual CHWSD continuing education DSS agency addendum
A long trip to a pharmacy in South Dakota
A participant’s prescription is ready, but distance has repeatedly kept them from collecting it. DSS lists geographic distance preventing prescription pickup or attendance at medical visits as a possible qualifying health barrier. A program should document the individual’s experience or risk assessment, verify eligibility, obtain the order, and write a measurable objective in a finalized plan before providing a covered intervention. The CHW might help the participant learn how to arrange an available pickup or delivery option. DSS Medicaid CHW manual
If the participant lacks the equipment for video, the October manual permits a two-way audio-only visit when a barrier to audio/video is documented. Record the specific limitation and review the applicable telemedicine instructions. After follow-up, distinguish a call placed, the participant arranging the service, and the participant confirming access. These are separate events. DSS Medicaid CHW manual
For an agency review, use a community health program example to test how the order, CHW credentials, agency orientation and plan-review dates fit together.
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Frequently asked questions
Is completing training the same as certification?
No. CHWSD explicitly distinguishes course completion from the additional certification process. CHWSD certification
Can out-of-state training count?
CHWSD reviews it case by case against its minimum requirements. Obtain the determination before assuming acceptance. CHWSD eligibility FAQ
How many CE hours are needed for renewal?
The current CE page specifies 12 hours within the previous two-year period. Retain the completion evidence. CHWSD continuing education
Is annual agency training the same as credential renewal?
They are separate obligations. The agency addendum addresses annual staff training, while CHWSD sets renewal education requirements. CHWSD continuing education DSS agency addendum
Can a CHW employed by another enrolled South Dakota agency start immediately?
The contracting agency verifies the worker’s current certification and good standing, and documents training in its own policies and procedures before services begin. Existing employment does not complete the second agency’s onboarding. DSS Medicaid CHW manual