CPSS Community Navigation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When helping a peer navigate the SNAP (food assistance) application process in North Carolina, which agency administers this benefit?
- NC Division of Mental Health
- NC Division of Social Services / county DSS offices (Correct answer)
- NC Division of Employment Security
- NC Department of Agriculture
Correct answer: NC Division of Social Services / county DSS offices
SNAP in North Carolina is administered by county Department of Social Services (DSS) offices under NC DHHS Division of Social Services.
Question 2: A peer specialist wants to connect a peer to peer-run support services in their community. Which type of organization is BEST aligned with this goal?
- A for-profit hospital system
- A Recovery Community Organization (RCO) or peer-run drop-in center (Correct answer)
- A correctional facility reentry program
- A licensed clinical private practice
Correct answer: A Recovery Community Organization (RCO) or peer-run drop-in center
Recovery Community Organizations and peer-run drop-in centers are operated by and for people with lived experience, embodying the peer support model.
Question 3: Which North Carolina initiative provides community-based crisis response teams that include peer support specialists to divert individuals from emergency departments?
- NC FAST (Families Accessing Services through Technology)
- NC FIRST (First In Responders Statewide Teams) or mobile crisis teams (Correct answer)
- NC WORKS career centers
- NC Medicaid Direct (managed care enrollment)
Correct answer: NC FIRST (First In Responders Statewide Teams) or mobile crisis teams
Mobile crisis teams and programs like NC FIRST integrate peer support specialists to provide community-level crisis intervention that reduces ED overutilization.
Question 4: A peer specialist is helping someone understand their rights as a Medicaid recipient when a service is denied. What is this process called?
- Mediation
- Fair Hearing / Appeals process (Correct answer)
- Grievance waiver
- Voluntary disenrollment
Correct answer: Fair Hearing / Appeals process
Medicaid recipients have the right to request a fair hearing to appeal denied, reduced, or terminated services.
Question 5: When a peer specialist helps someone identify local self-help groups such as AA or NAMI Connection, what is the peer specialist's appropriate boundary?
- Attend every meeting with the peer indefinitely to provide support
- Share information and accompany the peer initially if helpful, but foster independence in attendance (Correct answer)
- Require the peer to attend a specific group the specialist prefers
- Avoid mentioning mutual aid groups as they are not evidence-based
Correct answer: Share information and accompany the peer initially if helpful, but foster independence in attendance
Peer specialists can help introduce people to self-help groups and provide initial support, but the goal is to build the peer's independent community connections.
Question 6: A peer specialist is helping a peer navigate supported employment services. Which evidence-based model is most commonly referenced in NC behavioral health settings?
- Sheltered workshop employment
- Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment (Correct answer)
- Vocational Rehabilitation only programs
- Social enterprise co-ops exclusively
Correct answer: Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment
IPS Supported Employment is an evidence-based model that integrates employment support with mental health treatment and focuses on competitive, integrated employment.
Question 7: When documenting community navigation activities in the peer's record, what principle should guide what is written?
- Include all personal details shared by the peer to create a complete picture
- Document only what is relevant, accurate, and needed to support services while respecting confidentiality (Correct answer)
- Write detailed clinical assessments and diagnoses observed
- Record personal opinions about the peer's motivation level
Correct answer: Document only what is relevant, accurate, and needed to support services while respecting confidentiality
Documentation should be factual, relevant, and minimal in personal detail to protect confidentiality and support continuity of care.
CPSS Community Navigation 3
When helping a peer navigate the SNAP (food assistance) application process in North Carolina, which agency administers this benefit?