PETITION: Kentucky Is Destroying Its Peer Support Workforce — Fix These Laws Before 2028

 

Kentucky’s peer support system is being crushed under HB 470, HB 505, and HB 580.  

These laws didn’t “raise standards.”  

They didn’t “protect clients.”  

They didn’t “strengthen the workforce.”

 

They blocked people in recovery from entering the field, overloaded agencies with impossible requirements, and set a 2028 deadline that will wipe out an entire generation of peer supporters if nothing changes.

 

This petition is for the people who lived through addiction, trauma, homelessness, incarceration, and mental health crises — and then turned around and used that pain to help someone else survive.  

Those are the people these laws are shutting out.

 

And we’re not staying quiet about it.

 

 

THE HUMAN TRUTH

 

Peer support works because it comes from lived experience.  

Not degrees.  

Not credentials.  

Not clinical authority.

 

It comes from people who have been through hell and made it out alive.

 

But these laws are telling those same people:

 

“You’re not allowed in unless you jump through hoops we know you can’t afford, can’t access, and can’t complete in time.”

 

People in recovery who finally found purpose are being told they’re not good enough.  

People who want to work are being locked out.  

People who could save lives are being pushed aside.

 

This isn’t “raising standards.”  

It’s shutting the door on the very people peer support was built for.

 

THE EVIDENCE

 

1. HB 470 eliminated temporary peer support positions.

No more supervised entry‑level pathway.  

No more “learn while you work.”  

No more chance for people rebuilding their lives to get a foot in the door.

 

This hits the recovery community the hardest.

 

2. HB 505 dumped clinical‑style documentation and supervision requirements onto agencies.

Agencies now have to:

- write clinical‑level notes  

- provide more supervision  

- take on more liability  

- meet higher administrative standards  

 

But Medicaid reimbursement stayed the same.

 

Agencies are drowning.  

So they hire fewer peer supporters.

 

3. HB 580 created a hard cutoff: January 1, 2028.

After that date:

- only fully registered peer support specialists can be hired  

- no temporary workers  

- no “old rule” workers  

- no exceptions  

 

Anyone who can’t finish every requirement in time is out of the field permanently.

 

This is a workforce collapse waiting to happen.

 

4. Demand is rising while the workforce is shrinking.

Kentucky is facing:

- a substance use crisis  

- a mental health crisis  

- a housing crisis  

- a workforce shortage  

 

Peer support is one of the most effective tools we have — and these laws are making it harder to provide.

 

5. Agencies cannot keep up.

Because of these laws:

- hiring has slowed  

- onboarding is harder  

- documentation takes longer  

- liability is higher  

- billing is riskier  

 

This is not sustainable.  

Not for agencies.  

Not for workers.  

Not for clients.

 

WHAT WE ARE DEMANDING

 

We call on Kentucky legislators to:

 

1. Reevaluate the impact of HB 470, HB 505, and HB 580  

2. Restore a supervised pathway for in‑progress peer support workers  

3. Align documentation requirements with the actual peer support role  

4. Adjust Medicaid reimbursement to match the increased administrative burden  

5. Protect access to peer support services before the 2028 deadline shuts people out  

 

This is not about politics.  

This is about survival.  

This is about recovery.  

This is about protecting the people who keep others alive.

 

SIGN THIS PETITION

To protect Kentucky’s peer support workforce.  

To protect the people who depend on us.  

To stop these laws from destroying the future of peer support in 2028.

 

You don't have to live in Kentucky to sign this, every signature counts! Please help us push for a change!