How to Get a Texas Community Health Worker Certification for Free
You can get a Texas Community Health Worker certification for free by using at least 1,000 hours of qualifying community health worker experience from the previous three years instead of paying for a training course. The Texas Department of State Health Services does not charge an application fee, but applicants without enough experience must complete a DSHS-certified 180-hour training program, which may require tuition unless they receive a scholarship or full tuition waiver.
I’m Nick Bryant, founder of Houston Healthcare Jobs and author of Understanding Healthcare Is Half the Battle. I have worked in Houston healthcare and community services for more than 15 years, helping people understand health insurance, medical care and community-resource systems.
Community health work is one of the best healthcare entry points for people who already know how to help families find housing, food, insurance, mental-health care, transportation, benefits and other services. The challenge is understanding whether your experience qualifies and which certification path will cost you the least.
Is the Texas Community Health Worker Certification Really Free?
The Texas CHW certification application is free, but the required training is not automatically free. Your total cost depends on whether you qualify through experience or need to enroll in a training program.
Texas DSHS confirms that there is no cost to apply for CHW certification. Applicants can qualify through either:
- A DSHS-certified 180-hour CHW training program, or
- At least 1,000 hours of qualifying CHW service completed during the previous three years.
The experience-based path is the most dependable way to receive the certification without paying tuition.
If you do not have enough qualifying experience, you may still complete training for free by finding:
- A full tuition waiver
- A workforce scholarship
- Grant-funded CHW training
- Employer-sponsored training
- A nonprofit-funded cohort
- A college program with financial assistance
Do not assume every course advertised as “community health worker training” qualifies. The course must come from a DSHS-certified training program and meet the current 180-hour requirement.
What Does a Community Health Worker Do?
A Community Health Worker, also called a Promotor or Promotora de Salud, connects people with healthcare and social services while helping them understand and navigate complicated systems.
Texas DSHS describes CHWs as trusted community members who may provide:
- Community outreach
- Patient navigation
- Health education
- Informal guidance
- Social support
- Referrals to health and social services
- Assistance with research
- Help overcoming barriers to care
CHWs often understand the language, culture and lived experiences of the people they serve. Texas requires DSHS certification when a person receives compensation for providing CHW services; certification is voluntary for someone providing the services without pay.
This career may fit you if you have helped people access:
- Medicaid, CHIP or Marketplace insurance
- Primary or specialty healthcare
- Mental-health services
- Housing and rental assistance
- Food programs
- Transportation
- Disability services
- Pregnancy and parenting resources
- Substance-use treatment
- Senior services
- School or family resources
What Are the Texas CHW Certification Requirements?
To become a certified Community Health Worker in Texas, you must be a Texas resident, be at least 16 years old, provide a recent color photo and qualify through approved training or verified experience.
Texas DSHS requires:
- Proof of Texas residency
- A minimum age of 16
- A recent color photograph
- Completion of an approved 180-hour CHW course or 1,000 hours of qualifying service during the past three years
- A completed application
- A training certificate or Experience Verification Form
Examples of acceptable residency documents include:
- Texas identification card
- Driver’s license
- Lease
- Utility bill
- Mortgage statement
- Voter-registration card
- Insurance card
Military service members, veterans and military spouses may have an alternative certification or exemption process.
Official requirements:
Texas DSHS: Becoming a Community Health Worker
How Can You Get Certified for Free Through Experience?
You can qualify for free through experience by documenting at least 1,000 hours of actual CHW service performed during the previous three years and having a supervisor verify that work.
One thousand hours equals approximately:
- 25 weeks at 40 hours per week
- 50 weeks at 20 hours per week
- About six months of full-time work
However, simply working for six months at a nonprofit, hospital or clinic does not automatically qualify you. The work itself must involve CHW-type services.
Your experience may be relevant if you regularly:
- Connected clients to healthcare or social services
- Conducted community outreach
- Helped clients find resources
- Provided health education
- Helped patients overcome barriers
- Followed up on referrals
- Assisted with benefits or insurance navigation
- Supported care coordination
- Worked with underserved communities
- Documented needs and service outcomes
Possible job titles include:
- Community Outreach Worker
- Patient Navigator
- Resource Navigator
- Care Navigator
- Benefits Specialist
- Outreach Specialist
- Promotora de Salud
- Family Navigator
- Health Educator
- Case Aide
- Peer Support Worker
- Social-Service Assistant
- Community Resource Specialist
Your title does not prove that your hours qualify. Focus on the services you provided and have a knowledgeable supervisor review and verify them.
When you are unsure, contact the DSHS CHW Program before submitting your application:
Email: chw@dshs.texas.gov
Telephone: 512-467-6200
How Should You Document Your 1,000 Hours?
Document your hours by listing your employer or organization, dates of service, weekly schedule, total estimated hours, CHW duties and supervisor contact information.
Before applying, create a simple record containing:
- Organization name
- Your job or volunteer title
- Start and end dates
- Average weekly hours
- Estimated total hours
- Population served
- Services provided
- Supervisor’s name
- Supervisor’s telephone number
- Supervisor’s email address
Your description should use specific duties.
Weak description:
Helped clients with resources.
Stronger description:
Assessed client needs, provided information about healthcare and social-service programs, completed referrals, followed up with clients and documented whether they connected with services.
Contact your former supervisor before submitting the application. Explain that DSHS may contact them to verify your experience.
The supervisor should be able to confirm:
- That you worked or volunteered there
- The approximate number of hours
- The dates of service
- The community health duties you performed
DSHS requires applicants using the experience route to submit an official Experience Verification Form. The form is available in English and Spanish on the certification page.
Can Volunteer Work Count Toward CHW Certification?
Volunteer experience may count when it involves legitimate CHW service, falls within the previous three years and can be verified by a supervisor. Do not assume that attending health fairs or performing occasional community service automatically satisfies the requirement.
DSHS defines a CHW as someone who may provide services with or without compensation. However, applicants must still document 1,000 hours of CHW service and provide supervisor information for verification.
Relevant volunteer work could include:
- Regular outreach for a community clinic
- Navigating families to health services
- Providing approved health education
- Following up with referred clients
- Helping an organization connect residents with benefits
- Supporting a structured public-health program
- Serving as a trained promotora
Keep written records of volunteer hours. Ask the organization for a letter or activity log rather than trying to reconstruct the hours several years later.
What If You Do Not Have 1,000 Hours of Experience?
If you do not have enough experience, you must complete a DSHS-certified 180-hour competency-based CHW course. The state application remains free, but the training provider may charge tuition.
The current initial-certification curriculum includes nine core competencies and must contain at least 180 hours. Applicants who complete training after February 1, 2026, must meet the 180-hour standard, including the Research and Evaluation module. Applicants must generally apply within three years of completing the certification course.
Use the official DSHS directory to find approved providers:
DSHS-certified CHW training programs
Approved providers may include:
- Community colleges
- Health-science centers
- Area Health Education Centers
- Federally Qualified Health Centers
- Regional CHW associations
- Community-based organizations
Contact several providers and ask:
- Is your initial CHW course currently approved for 180 hours?
- When does the next class begin?
- Is it online, in person or hybrid?
- Does the course have daytime or evening classes?
- What is the full tuition?
- Are full tuition waivers available?
- Are books or materials included?
- Does the course help graduates apply to DSHS?
- Is the course offered in Spanish?
- Will I receive a certificate accepted for initial DSHS certification?
Where Can You Find Free or Reduced-Cost CHW Training?
Free initial CHW training is usually offered through limited grants, scholarships or tuition waivers rather than as a permanent statewide program. Availability can change from one cohort to the next.
The University of Houston Community Health Workers Initiative has historically charged $750 but states that partial and full tuition waivers may be available to eligible UH students and community members from targeted communities when grant funding exists. UH paused its spring and summer 2026 CHW classes while updating the curriculum.
Important: The UH page still refers to the former 160-hour format. Before joining a future cohort, confirm that the updated course meets the current DSHS 180-hour requirement.
University of Houston information:
UH Community Health Worker Initiative Training Center
UTHealth Houston School of Public Health also operates a DSHS-certified Community Health Worker Training Program and provides certification training and continuing education. Contact the program directly for current initial-course dates, prices and funding opportunities.
UTHealth Houston information:
UTHealth Houston Community Health Worker Training Program
You can also ask:
- Workforce Solutions
- Your current employer
- A public-health department
- A federally qualified health center
- A Medicaid health plan
- A local nonprofit
- A hospital community-benefit department
- A workforce-development program
A provider may sponsor the course when it needs trained CHWs for a funded program.
How Do You Apply for the Texas CHW Certification?
Apply by completing the DSHS online application or downloading the English or Spanish application and submitting the required documentation.
Step 1: Select your qualification route
Choose:
- Training-based certification, or
- Experience-based certification
Step 2: Collect proof of Texas residency
Use one of the accepted residency documents.
Step 3: Take a recent color photograph
Follow the DSHS photo requirements.
Step 4: Obtain your supporting document
Submit either:
- Your certificate from a DSHS-certified 180-hour training course, or
- The completed Experience Verification Form
Step 5: Complete the application
The online application is currently available only in English. Downloadable paper applications are available in English and Spanish.
Official application page:
Apply for Texas CHW certification
Step 6: Review your application
Use the DSHS checklist to confirm that you included every required item.
Step 7: Watch for a response
DSHS says it will notify applicants within 90 days after receiving a complete application. The notice may state that the application was approved, denied or incomplete.
Respond quickly when DSHS requests additional documents.
How Long Does It Take to Get Certified?
The experience route can be faster because you do not need to complete a 180-hour course, but you still need time to collect records, obtain supervisor verification and complete the application. DSHS may take up to 90 days to notify you after receiving a complete application.
The training route takes longer because you must:
- Find an approved program
- Wait for the cohort to begin
- Complete 180 hours
- Receive your training certificate
- Submit the state application
- Wait for the DSHS decision
Do not wait until a job application deadline to begin the process.
Some employers may allow a new worker to obtain CHW certification after hiring. For example, a current Harris Health Community Health Worker I posting requires the Texas DSHS CHW certification within one year of employment rather than requiring it on the first day. That position lists pay of $21.49 to $27.40 per hour, but it also requires three years of relevant patient-navigation, care-management, outreach or direct-service experience.
What Jobs Can You Apply for After CHW Certification?
CHW certification can help you qualify for jobs in hospitals, clinics, health plans, public-health agencies, nonprofits and community programs.
Search these exact titles:
- Community Health Worker
- Community Health Worker I
- Patient Navigator
- Care Navigator
- Resource Navigator
- Family Navigator
- Community Outreach Specialist
- Outreach Worker
- Health Educator
- Community Health Resource Specialist
- Service Linkage Worker
- Peer Support Specialist
- Promotora de Salud
- Benefits Navigator
- Population Health Coordinator
Houston-area employers to check include:
- Harris Health System
- Memorial Hermann
- Texas Children’s Hospital
- UTHealth Houston
- The Harris Center
- Legacy Community Health
- Avenue 360 Health and Wellness
- Harris County Public Health
- Houston Health Department
- Community Health Choice
- Texas Medicaid health plans
- Federally qualified health centers
- Behavioral-health organizations
- Houston nonprofits
A current Harris Health listing shows how the certification can connect to a real career: its Community Health Worker I position pays $21.49 to $27.40 per hour and supports patients with health, economic and social needs.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a national median CHW salary of $51,030 in May 2024. Median pay was higher in local government and hospitals than in social-assistance settings. BLS projects CHW employment to grow 11% from 2024 through 2034.
Certification does not guarantee a job. Employers may also want:
- Direct-service experience
- Bilingual ability
- Reliable transportation
- Knowledge of local resources
- Documentation skills
- Electronic medical-record experience
- Outreach experience
- A high school diploma or GED
- Experience working with the population served
Does the Texas CHW Certification Expire?
The Texas Community Health Worker certification expires every two years. To renew it, you must submit a renewal application, proof of Texas residency, a recent photo and certificates showing at least 20 continuing-education hours.
DSHS allows different combinations of certified and qualifying non-certified CEUs. The department also points CHWs toward free continuing-education opportunities and sends notices about upcoming courses.
Renewal information:
Texas CHW certification renewal
Keep every CEU certificate. DSHS does not maintain your continuing-education records for you.
What Are the Most Common CHW Application Mistakes?
The most common mistakes include assuming any nonprofit experience qualifies, submitting an outdated training certificate, failing to document hours and applying without supervisor verification.
Avoid these problems:
- Do not count unrelated administrative hours as CHW service.
- Do not submit experience from outside the three-year window.
- Do not enroll in an unapproved training program.
- Do not assume an older 160-hour course meets the current requirement.
- Do not lose contact with former supervisors.
- Do not estimate hours without creating a reasonable record.
- Do not forget the recent color photo.
- Do not submit incomplete residency documentation.
- Do not wait until your desired job closes before applying.
Contact DSHS when your experience falls into a gray area. Getting clarification before applying can prevent delays.
Nick’s Tip: Review Your Existing Experience Before Paying for Training
Before you pay hundreds of dollars for a CHW course, review the work you have already performed during the past three years. You may already have 1,000 qualifying hours from outreach, patient navigation, case assistance, benefits education or helping families connect with healthcare and community resources.
Your job title may not have included the words “community health worker.”
Write down what you actually did.
If your work involved connecting people to care, explaining health or social-service programs, conducting outreach and following up on referrals, contact DSHS and ask whether the experience may support an experience-based application.
That call or email could save you the cost and time of a 180-hour training course.
Where Can You Find Free CHW Training and Houston Jobs?
Use the official state pages to verify certification requirements, then use Houston Healthcare Jobs to find training updates and openings.
Start here:
Summary: How Can You Get a Texas Community Health Worker Certification for Free?
You can get a Texas Community Health Worker certification for free by documenting 1,000 hours of qualifying CHW service from the previous three years and applying through the experience pathway. The state does not charge for certification, but applicants without enough experience must complete a DSHS-certified 180-hour course and may need a scholarship, employer sponsorship or full tuition waiver to make the training free.
Start by reviewing your recent work or volunteer duties.
If you already provide outreach, resource navigation, health education, referral follow-up or support connecting people with healthcare and social services, begin documenting your hours and contact your supervisor.
If you do not have enough experience, use the official DSHS training directory and ask every provider about full tuition waivers and grant-funded cohorts.
Do not pay for training until you confirm:
- You cannot qualify through experience.
- The provider currently holds DSHS approval.
- The course meets the new 180-hour requirement.
- You have asked about every available scholarship.
See free and low-cost Houston healthcare training