MEDI-CALPEER SUPPORT SPECIALIST TEST PAPER
ALL SET QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Grandparenting Process - ✔✔the process by which an individual who is employed
as a Peer on January 1, 2022, or prior to that date, is eligible to seek certification as a
Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist so long as they meet the eligibility criteria and
successfully pass the state-approved exam (ended 6/30/2023).
✔✔Initial Certification - ✔✔the process for an applicant to become certified as a Medi-
Cal Peer Support Specialist for the first time so long as they meet the eligibility criteria
and successfully pass the state-approved exam.
✔✔Lived Experience - ✔✔an individual's first-hand experience with a mental health
and/or substance use challenges, including the process of recovery and engagement of
resiliency within that experience.
✔✔Medi-Cal - ✔✔California's Medicaid health care program that includes a variety of
medical services for children and adults with a qualifying income or medical condition.
✔✔Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist - ✔✔an individual who is 18 years of age or older,
who has self-identified as having lived experience with the process of recovery from
mental illness, substance use disorder, or both, either as a consumer of these services
, or as a parent or family member of the consumer, and who has been granted
certification under a county Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist certification program.
✔✔Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Services - ✔✔culturally appropriate services that
promote engagement, socialization, recovery, self-sufficiency, self-advocacy,
development of natural supports and identification of strengths. Medi-Cal Peer Support
Specialist services include, but are not limited to, prevention services, support,
coaching, facilitation or education that is individualized and is conducted by a certified
Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist.
✔✔Natural Supports - ✔✔the personal connections to an individual's community that
enhances the quality of their life.
✔✔Out-of-State Reciprocity - ✔✔the recognition that an individual has received
certification for peer support from another state and they meet the qualifications
specified under the policies in this document.
✔✔Peer - ✔✔persons who share similar understanding of experiences with mental
health and/or substance use challenges.
✔✔Peer Support Specialist - ✔✔this term is used interchangeably with Medi-Cal Peer
Support Specialist within the context of
this document.
✔✔Prevalent Languages - ✔✔a non-English language identified by the California
Department of Health Care Services as a threshold language under the state's Medi-Cal
programs.
✔✔Renewal - ✔✔meeting the requirements set forth in this policy for renewal of one's
Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist certification. The recertification occurs in two-year
intervals.
✔✔Recovery - ✔✔process of change through which individuals improve their health and
wellness, live a self-directed life and strive to reach their full potential. This process of
change recognizes cultural diversity and inclusion and honors the different routes to
resilience and recovery based on the individual and their cultural community.
✔✔Resiliency - ✔✔an individual's capacity to successfully meet life's challenges,
nurtured to have a sense of self- determination, mastery, and hope.
S
✔✔Self-advocacy - ✔✔the ability of an individual to effectively communicate, convey,
negotiate or assert his or her own interests, desires, needs and rights; it involves
making informed decisions and taking responsibility for those decisions.
ALL SET QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Grandparenting Process - ✔✔the process by which an individual who is employed
as a Peer on January 1, 2022, or prior to that date, is eligible to seek certification as a
Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist so long as they meet the eligibility criteria and
successfully pass the state-approved exam (ended 6/30/2023).
✔✔Initial Certification - ✔✔the process for an applicant to become certified as a Medi-
Cal Peer Support Specialist for the first time so long as they meet the eligibility criteria
and successfully pass the state-approved exam.
✔✔Lived Experience - ✔✔an individual's first-hand experience with a mental health
and/or substance use challenges, including the process of recovery and engagement of
resiliency within that experience.
✔✔Medi-Cal - ✔✔California's Medicaid health care program that includes a variety of
medical services for children and adults with a qualifying income or medical condition.
✔✔Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist - ✔✔an individual who is 18 years of age or older,
who has self-identified as having lived experience with the process of recovery from
mental illness, substance use disorder, or both, either as a consumer of these services
, or as a parent or family member of the consumer, and who has been granted
certification under a county Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist certification program.
✔✔Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist Services - ✔✔culturally appropriate services that
promote engagement, socialization, recovery, self-sufficiency, self-advocacy,
development of natural supports and identification of strengths. Medi-Cal Peer Support
Specialist services include, but are not limited to, prevention services, support,
coaching, facilitation or education that is individualized and is conducted by a certified
Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist.
✔✔Natural Supports - ✔✔the personal connections to an individual's community that
enhances the quality of their life.
✔✔Out-of-State Reciprocity - ✔✔the recognition that an individual has received
certification for peer support from another state and they meet the qualifications
specified under the policies in this document.
✔✔Peer - ✔✔persons who share similar understanding of experiences with mental
health and/or substance use challenges.
✔✔Peer Support Specialist - ✔✔this term is used interchangeably with Medi-Cal Peer
Support Specialist within the context of
this document.
✔✔Prevalent Languages - ✔✔a non-English language identified by the California
Department of Health Care Services as a threshold language under the state's Medi-Cal
programs.
✔✔Renewal - ✔✔meeting the requirements set forth in this policy for renewal of one's
Medi-Cal Peer Support Specialist certification. The recertification occurs in two-year
intervals.
✔✔Recovery - ✔✔process of change through which individuals improve their health and
wellness, live a self-directed life and strive to reach their full potential. This process of
change recognizes cultural diversity and inclusion and honors the different routes to
resilience and recovery based on the individual and their cultural community.
✔✔Resiliency - ✔✔an individual's capacity to successfully meet life's challenges,
nurtured to have a sense of self- determination, mastery, and hope.
S
✔✔Self-advocacy - ✔✔the ability of an individual to effectively communicate, convey,
negotiate or assert his or her own interests, desires, needs and rights; it involves
making informed decisions and taking responsibility for those decisions.
