Wisconsin Community Health Worker Guide

Wisconsin is developing CHW workforce training, rural program capacity and a future Medicaid payment pathway. Current DHS materials distinguish those plans from an established universal CHW benefit. Program leaders should use the state’s integration toolkit and their actual grant or service agreement to define staffing, documentation and reporting needs. Wisconsin DHS CHW resources Current DHS grant status Wisconsin RHTP application

Wisconsin CHW quick facts

What does a CHW do in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin DHS describes CHWs connecting people with care and resources through trusted community relationships. The workforce includes a variety of titles and settings. Define the actual role and duties instead of assuming that every navigator, doula or peer educator has the same qualifications or funding rules. Wisconsin DHS CHW resources

A clinical team and a community organization may support similar participant goals while using different processes. Both need clear responsibilities for outreach, education, referrals, documentation and escalation.

Certification, training and program readiness

DHS’s RHTP application describes Wisconsin as lacking a formal CHW certification while discussing training standards and future reimbursement development. A course completion certificate should be identified by its actual issuer and purpose. Do not relabel it as a state professional license. Wisconsin RHTP application

Employers and funders can still require particular training and experience. Keep those expectations in the role description and the workforce record. A person’s readiness for an assignment includes local onboarding and support as well as any completed class.

Where to find Wisconsin CHW training

The DHS workforce hub links core-competency training resources, including in-person and virtual options. Contact the provider to confirm current courses, costs, assessments and completion evidence. A listed resource is not evidence of an available scholarship or open seat. Wisconsin DHS CHW resources

Ask how the training maps to the worker’s actual responsibilities and how practical skills are assessed. Plan protected learning time and opportunities to practice referral conversations, documentation and escalation with a supervisor.

Use the Wisconsin CHW Integration Toolkit

DHS’s August 2025 toolkit supports organizations planning, implementing and evaluating CHW programs. It includes an organizational assessment and guidance on staffing, supervision, onboarding and sustainability. It is an implementation resource, not a credential or a guarantee of payment. DHS integration toolkit

Use the assessment with CHWs and managers together. Identify what the organization already supports, what needs a policy or resource and who owns each next step. Keep the worker’s perspective central when deciding caseload, tools and training.

How an employer can use the state toolkit

Start on the staffing side. Name the community the program serves, the worker’s tasks, the supervisor who can respond to concerns and the organizations that will accept referrals. DHS’s integration toolkit is a planning resource for those decisions. The state’s grant application separately describes supervisor training and evaluation for its funded projects. DHS integration toolkit Wisconsin RHTP application

Then choose a measure the team can verify. A rural practice could count participants who accepted a referral, participants who actually reached the provider, and people who could not get there. Keep those as distinct counts and write down who checks the outcome. A grant report should use the terms in the executed award. DHS integration toolkit Wisconsin RHTP application

What happened with the 2026 rural workforce grants?

DHS’s July 2026 advisory presentation says the community health worker grants launched June 15 and applications were due August 7. The current agency hub marks the round closed. The page describes a planned $20 million in first-year funding for the initiative, including training, technical assistance and stronger connections between providers and communities. A planned total is not proof that a specific organization received a grant. July DHS grant presentation Current DHS grant status

If a clinic says it participates, ask for the current award contact, funded work, reporting dates and whether it can accept a new referral. An employer seeking a future award should use the live DHS program hub before preparing an application. Current DHS grant status

Who pays for CHW and supervisor training?

The state’s RHTP application distinguishes two workforce tasks. Rural organizations would expand CHW services and partner with training programs. Supervisors would receive training to integrate workers into the care team. For an awarded organization, confirm the approved training provider, participant eligibility, tuition and any equipment or travel costs with the grant administrator. Wisconsin RHTP application Current DHS grant status

An invitation to a class, a seat funded by a grant and employment by a grantee are different decisions. Before a worker enrolls, get the name of the program paying for the seat and find out what documentation the employer will need afterward.

Training and reporting under an RHTP award

The rural workforce opportunity describes core and supervisor training, technical assistance, data collection and participation in evaluation. These are conditions tied to the applicable award, not a statewide CE requirement for every CHW. Use the executed agreement for the actual obligations. Current DHS grant status

For program management, assign responsibility for staff participation, evidence, reports and any corrective follow-up. Keep the grant’s reporting period and definitions visible. Avoid assuming that a general monthly activity report automatically satisfies the award’s evaluation requirements.

What does Wisconsin’s Medicaid payment proposal establish?

The state’s RHTP application said Wisconsin Medicaid did not then have authority to reimburse CHW services directly. It proposed asking CMS for authority through a state plan amendment before 2028, then defining eligible services, rates and billing policy. The application’s timetable is a plan. The grant’s current program page confirms the workforce funding round and its purpose. It does not announce a statewide CHW billing start. Wisconsin RHTP application Current DHS grant status

For a service today, ask the organization what arrangement funds this worker and whether a Medicaid provider is actually authorized to bill this activity. A sustainable budget should keep confirmed grant funding, employer operating funds and a proposed Medicaid payment stream on separate lines until the payer issues current service-specific terms. Wisconsin RHTP application

Budget for sustainability beyond a grant

List the work required from outreach through follow-up: participant contact, resource research, travel, documentation, supervision, training and reporting. Then identify how each cost is supported under the actual agreement.

Use realistic caseload assumptions. A participant facing several access barriers may need repeated contacts before a service is available. A budget based only on completed referrals can understate the staff time required to produce those outcomes.

Before a Wisconsin clinic counts a grant-funded CHW service

1. Confirm the organization has an executed award covering this period. The statewide competition’s closure and planned funding total do not identify individual recipients. Current DHS grant status July DHS grant presentation

2. Check which CHWs and supervisors will receive applicable training, who verifies it and which activities the award funds. Wisconsin RHTP application

3. Ask how the grantee is expected to participate in evaluation and which participant outcome belongs in the report. Wisconsin RHTP application DHS integration toolkit

4. For a Medicaid claim, obtain a current, service-specific source and the enrolled billing entity. A proposed state plan amendment is not sufficient authority. Wisconsin RHTP application

Document participant goals and referral results

A useful record connects the participant’s need with the contact, assistance, response and next step. Identify who performed the work and when. Keep referral history together so another staff member can continue without repeating the intake.

For example, a CHW may identify a resource for food access and agree on follow-up. If the participant cannot use it because of scheduling or transportation, retain that result and the alternative considered. A referral sent should not automatically be labeled a resolved need.

A Wisconsin rural program prepares a renewal budget

A clinic received funding for a CHW to help residents navigate appointments. Before promising another year, the program director checks the executed award, the months of salary and supervision it covers, any required training and the final reporting date. The word “Medicaid” in the rural transformation application identifies a proposed sustainability strategy. It does not establish an approved payment for this clinic’s November visit. Wisconsin RHTP application Current DHS grant status

For one fictional referral, a participant accepts help arranging transportation and later confirms they attended. The worker records both events and which barrier was resolved. If a second participant cannot get a ride, document the continuing need and next owner. The clinic can show the grant administrator what the program accomplished without treating both referrals as completed visits.

A community health program walkthrough can use those two referrals to compare source records, participant outcomes and the organization’s reporting definitions.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Wisconsin course completion certificate a state CHW license?

DHS’s rural transformation application describes no formal statewide CHW certification. Identify the training provider and the actual credential it issues. Wisconsin RHTP application

Can a clinic still apply to the 2026 rural CHW workforce competition?

The current DHS program hub marks the round closed. The July presentation gave August 7, 2026 as its full-application deadline. Consult DHS for any separately announced round. Current DHS grant status July DHS grant presentation

Does the 2028 goal establish current Medicaid payment?

The state proposed seeking federal authority before 2028. Actual coverage requires effective authority and published provider instructions for the service. Wisconsin RHTP application

Does the closed workforce competition establish that my clinic won funding?

DHS lists an application deadline, an initiative-wide funding plan and a closed round. Confirm the individual decision and allowed expenses in your organization’s award documents. Current DHS grant status July DHS grant presentation

Sources

• Wisconsin DHS CHW resources
• Current DHS grant status
• Wisconsin RHTP application
• DHS integration toolkit
• July DHS grant presentation