Renew a Prevention Practitioner or Prevention Specialist Credential (CPP/CPS)

In order to ensure continued competence and maintenance of skills, the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) requires that your CPP or CPS certificate be renewed every three years.

Approximately 120 days prior to the expiration date of your credential, the OASAS Credentialing Unit will mail a notice of expiration and a Renewal Application to your address currently on file. Please make sure to notify the Credentialing Unit, in writing, if you have had a change of address. If you have changed addresses without notifying the Credentialing unit, you may request a Renewal Application Packet be resent to a new address by emailing the Credentialing Unit at [email protected].

Submission of the completed Renewal Application Packet is required at least 60 days prior to the expiration date of your credential to allow enough time for the review to be completed. Applications not submitted in time, or incomplete applications could result in your credential expiring before it can be renewed. A credential can be renewed up to one year after expiration, but late fees will be added and you may not use the credential professionally during that time, which may impact your employment status.  

Your application will be reviewed within 60 days of receipt by the OASAS Credentialing Unit. If your application is determined to be incomplete, you will be mailed a Renewal Application Review Summary. Identified deficiencies must be satisfactorily addressed prior to the expiration date of your credential or you will be subject to a late fee. When your application is approved, you will be issued a new CPP/CPS certificate which will expire on the last day of the three-year period.

Please email the Credentialing Unit at [email protected], to inquire about the late renewal process.

You must document completion of continuing professional education consisting of a minimum of 60 clock hours (40 clock hours must be related to substance use disorder prevention).

• If you hold a Gambling Specialty Designation, an additional 10 hours of gambling-related education and/or training must be completed and submitted.
• All continuing professional education claimed must have been completed during your current credentialed period must be non-repetitive (i.e., the same course cannot be claimed more than one time during each credentialed period).
• Continuing professional education consists of any training session, seminar, workshop, college course or in-service training that is relevant to the maintenance and enhancement of your competency in the provision of alcohol and substance abuse prevention services. Trainings must be from an OASAS-approved education and training provider and documented on a standardized certificate. Training announcements, agendas, e-mails, handwritten certificates, sign-in sheets, etc. are not appropriate forms of documentation of completion of training. Conferences held in New York State, independent of an academic institution, must be pre-approved by the OASAS Learning and Development Unit.
• There is no limit on the number of clock hours completed through distance learning.

Professional Development

A maximum of 20 clock hours in the area of Professional Development may be claimed toward satisfying the continuing professional education. The content may be in any area that enhances your professional development as a prevention services provider. Coursework claimed must be supported by submission of copies of all training certificates. Coursework claimed in this area must be approved/developed by a recognized authority including:

• Accredited colleges and universities;
• State, Federal or local government; or
• Organizations nationally recognized for continuing educational credits by other professional organizations (including their local chapters/affiliates.)

Professional Activity

A maximum of 28 clock hours of professional activities related to SUD prevention may be claimed toward the requirement of education and training. All professional activities being claimed must be supported by a completed Professional Activities Verification Record Form. Professional activities may include conducting presentations, teaching, authoring articles published in professional journals, supervising interns and/or participating in substance use-related volunteer activities. If you are claiming clock hours for authoring an article, a copy of the published article must be submitted.

Professional education for renewal application is based on clock hours, but some training providers may use a different measurement system:

Clock Hours = the actual number of hours for the training, minus any breaks.  (Example:  9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. with a 30 minute lunch and two 15 minute breaks = 7 clock hours).

Credit Hours = Used by most Colleges or Universities. One college credit (graduate or undergraduate) equals 15 clock hours.  (Example:  3 credits = 45 clock hours).

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) = Used by some national behavioral health associations. One CEU equals 10 clock hours.  (Example:  .7 CEUs = 7 clock hours).

Professional Activities Preparation Time = one-half hour for every one hour of actual presentation.

You must arrange to have your current supervisor or program director complete an Evaluation of Competency and Ethical Conduct on your behalf which should be submitted as part of your application.

If you are not currently employed, but were employed during your credentialed period, then your most recent supervisor or program director must complete the evaluation of competency and ethical conduct on your behalf.

If you were not employed at any time during your current credentialed period, or you were self-employed, you may identify a Qualified Prevention Supervisor who has known you during the past two years to serve as your evaluator, provided that they is not a relative or a subordinate.

A Qualified Prevention Supervisor is an individual who is:

• A CPP;
• A CASAC or non-credentialed but meets the CPP work experience and education requirements (prior to July 1, 2010); or
• Licensed, certified or credentialed in a related discipline and has two years of qualifying prevention work experience and has completed 60 hours of prevention specific education and training.

If your credential is not expired, and you are unable or do not wish to recredential prior to your credential expiration date, you may request to be placed on inactive status for the duration of your next renewal period. You may extend the indicative period for a maximum of three renewal periods. The Inactivation request can be found here: https://www.oasas.ny.gov/pds-54

You may reactivate your credential at any time during an inactive period by requesting the reactivation application from [email protected]. You must complete and submit the application and all requirements, including the $350 reactivation fee at least 90-days prior to the end of the inactivation period to ensure that reactivation can be completed in time.  

Failure to renew or inactivate your credential at the end of the three-year inactivation period will result in the deactivation of your credential. If your credential is deactivated, in order to become credentialed in the future, you would need to complete the initial credentialing application process again meeting all the requirements of the Part 853 regulation in effect at that time. This could include additional educational hours, additional work hours, and/or taking and passing the exam.

NOTE: During the three-year inactivation period, you may not identify yourself by the inactive credential and may not perform the functions of that credential.

All fees for renewal must be made in the form of a certified check, money order, personal check, bank check from an OASAS funded and/or certified provider or an OASAS approved training provider. All fees are non-refundable and must be made payable to "NYS OASAS". Please note that personal checks are only acceptable for renewal of a credential.