While peer support and mutual aid have been available to people with substance use and mental health disorders for many years, the formalization of peer support services did not occur until 2007 when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) authorized reimbursement for peer support services. This authorization required states to enact training and certification processes prior to authorizing state billing codes for peer support services. While each state has a separate training and certification process, commonalities exist across states. In 2023, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the National Model Standards for Peer Support Certification that were developed in partnership with federal, state, tribal, and local partners. These standards are not meant to replace state certifications, but are designed to provide guidance, support reciprocity, and align with the national substance use and mental health strategy.

This three-part forum series, co-sponsored by the JEAP Initiative and the Consortium on Addiction Recovery Science (CoARS) Peer Recovery Support Services Workgroup, will explore: (1) the newly released SAMHSA National Model Standards for Peer Support Certification as compared to the state-by-state directory of peer training and certification processes, (2) the perspectives from peer recovery support specialists and administrators of state and national level certification boards, and (3) the influence of these standards on research focused on peer recovery support services.