Direct Care Worker training
Principles of Caregiving Level I + DD module — 80% knowledge / 100% skills, within 90 days (AHCCCS ACOM 429)
Article 9 behavior training
Division-certified instructor; within 90 days or before working unsupervised; recert ≤ 3 years (AAC R6-6-906)
CPR & First Aid
Nationally recognized, in-person skills demo, within 90 days of hire (QVA §5.3.1)
Before working alone
All 90-day training complete; on-site supervision allowed during the window
Background check
Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card + APS/DCS registry checks (ARS 36-594.01)
Abuse reporting
Mandated reporter — APS 1-877-SOS-ADULT (ARS 46-454)
Arizona serves people with developmental disabilities through a structure found in no other state. AHCCCS is Arizona’s Medicaid agency, and the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) inside the Department of Economic Security acts as a managed-care program contractor under the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) — a capitated long-term-care program, not a slots-and-waitlist waiver. Your agency contracts with DDD as a Qualified Vendor, members have Support Coordinators, and services are driven by each member’s Person-Centered Service Plan (PCSP).
For attendant care, personal care, and homemaker services, Arizona standardizes competency through the AHCCCS Direct Care Worker (DCW) Training and Testing Program (ACOM Policy 429). Workers complete the Principles of Caregiving curriculum — Level I Fundamentals plus the Developmental Disabilities specialty module — and pass standardized tests at 80% on each knowledge test and 100% on skills tests, all within 90 calendar days of hire. Let the deadline lapse and the worker must stop providing care until it is done. RNs, LPNs, and CNAs are exempt, and results are portable between employers through the AHCCCS DCW online database.
Article 9 (AAC R6-6-901 through -910, “Managing Inappropriate Behaviors”) is the rule that defines Arizona DSP training. All direct support professionals, managers, and supervisors must complete Article 9 training within 90 calendar days of hire or before working unsupervised — whichever comes first. It is live, instructor-led training delivered only by a Division-approved certified Article 9 instructor, and the certificate is recertified as the Division directs but not to exceed three years. Article 9 also sets the prohibited techniques — seclusion, overcorrection, noxious stimuli, restraint used as a consequence, and PRN behavior medications — and requires Program Review Committee approval before any restrictive intervention. Staff supporting members with unsafe behaviors also complete Prevention and Support physical-intervention training with hands-on competency testing.
Every DDD direct service worker must obtain and maintain CPR and First Aid from a nationally recognized organization, completed within 90 days of hire and before working alone, with the skills portion demonstrated in person — web-only certification is not accepted. Before providing services, workers must hold a Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card (ARS 36-594.01 / 41-1758.07), which serves as the fingerprint-based criminal history check and is valid six years. Agencies also run Adult Protective Services and DCS Central Registry checks at hire and re-verify them annually through the Centralized Background Check portal.
Every developmental disabilities provider is a mandated reporter. Suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult → report immediately, by phone or online, to Adult Protective Services at 1-877-SOS-ADULT (1-877-767-2385) or a peace officer (ARS 46-454). Suspected abuse of a minor → the Department of Child Safety at 1-888-SOS-CHILD (1-888-767-2445) or law enforcement (ARS 13-3620). Failing to report is a crime. A DDD incident report is a separate, additional duty — it never replaces the APS or DCS call. See our guide to becoming a Qualified Vendor in Arizona.
DSPlife™ TrainingHub is built for Arizona DES/DDD, DSHS/DDA, DDS, IDHS/DDD, OPWDD, MDHHS, DDD, DBHDD, APD, DODD, DMH/DD/SUS, ODP, HHSC, and DBHDS providers. Its Arizona library ships with courses your staff can complete on their own schedule — the AHCCCS/ALTCS system and the PCSP, vulnerable-adult mandated reporting, DDD incident reporting, member rights, an Article 9 behavior-support orientation, the medication log, and a full orientation to the Direct Care Worker pathway — logs completion, tracks the 90-day, three-year Article 9, and annual renewal clocks with automatic alerts, and generates audit-ready records for Qualified Vendor monitoring. See the full compliance overview.
For direct care staff of a Qualified Vendor, the Qualified Vendor Agreement requires several items completed no later than 90 calendar days from hire — and staff may not work alone with members before completing them: the AHCCCS Direct Care Worker training and testing (for attendant care, personal care, and homemaker services), Article 9 behavior training by a Division-certified instructor, CPR and First Aid with an in-person skills demonstration, member-specific and program training, and any additional skills the member’s plan requires. A Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card and APS/DCS registry and criminal background checks round out the file.
Arizona standardizes direct-care competency through AHCCCS: workers complete the Principles of Caregiving curriculum — Level I Fundamentals plus the Developmental Disabilities specialty module — and pass standardized tests at 80% on each knowledge test and 100% on skills tests, within 90 calendar days of hire. If the deadline lapses, the worker must stop providing care until it is complete. RNs, LPNs, and CNAs are exempt, and passing results are portable between employers through the AHCCCS DCW online database.
Article 9 (AAC R6-6-901 through -910, “Managing Inappropriate Behaviors”) requires that all direct support professionals, managers, and supervisors complete Article 9 training within 90 calendar days of hire or before working unsupervised — whichever comes first. Training is live and instructor-led, delivered only by a Division-approved certified Article 9 instructor, and the certificate is recertified as the Division directs but not to exceed three years. Staff who support members with unsafe behaviors also complete Prevention and Support (physical intervention) training with hands-on competency testing.
Yes. Trained unlicensed direct care staff administer and supervise medications in DDD group homes, with training delivered by a physician, physician assistant, or registered nurse under Arizona Department of Health Services rules, and every dose recorded in the medication log required by DDD Provider Manual Chapter 54. Arizona has no separate state med-tech certificate for these settings — the training is provider-delivered and competency-based. Behavior-modifying medications carry extra Article 9 requirements, including a strict prohibition on PRN (as-needed) behavioral use.
Immediately, by telephone or online, to Adult Protective Services at 1-877-SOS-ADULT (1-877-767-2385) or to a peace officer — every developmental disabilities provider is a mandated reporter under ARS 46-454, and failing to report is a crime. Suspected abuse of a minor goes to the Department of Child Safety at 1-888-SOS-CHILD (1-888-767-2445) or law enforcement under ARS 13-3620. Filing a DDD incident report is a separate, additional duty — it never replaces the APS or DCS call.
General information, not legal advice. DSPlife™ TrainingHub is not affiliated with the Arizona Department of Economic Security, its Division of Developmental Disabilities, or AHCCCS. Confirm current requirements at des.az.gov, azahcccs.gov, and the ARS/AAC at azleg.gov.
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