California posts voluntary CHW/Promotor training framework: 80 hours minimum, no GED or English prerequisite

HCAI, with DHCS, published a Best Practices Framework for Community Health Worker/Promotores/Representative (CHW/P/R) training programs on July 2, 2026, developed with California Health Care Foundation funding and input from nearly 40 stakeholders, most of them working CHW/P/Rs. It defines 12 voluntary best-practice categories, a minimum of 80 training hours for a certificate of completion, and at least six hours of continuing professional development a year.

The framework is explicitly NOT a certification or accreditation scheme, and it deliberately keeps entry barriers low: no GED, English-proficiency, or digital-literacy prerequisites. For health centers already employing CHWs and promotores, this is a reference standard for designing or auditing a training program, not a new mandate.

The framework sets no payment rate and changes none: CHW reimbursement remains governed separately by the DHCS CHW benefit provider rules, and nothing in this document addresses what a health center may bill.