Ohio’s CDCA Education Grid Is Gone: What the July 1, 2026 Changes Mean
- by Everett Wolf
In this article
- What changed on July 1, 2026
- The Ohio CDCA credential, in two stages
- CDCA Preliminary requirements (40 hours)
- CDCA (Renewable) requirements (30 hours)
- From grid to bundle: the shift that matters
- What this means if you’re applying now
- CEU Matrix’s OCDP-approved Ohio CDCA bundles
- Frequently asked questions
As of July 1, 2026, Ohio no longer uses the CDCA Preliminary or CDCA education grid for new applications. The Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board (OCDP) now requires applicants to complete a Board-approved CDCA Bundle from an approved provider. Individual continuing education certificates and course-by-course education reviews are no longer accepted for these applications. The number of hours has not changed — the CDCA Preliminary is still 40 hours and the CDCA (Renewable) is still 30 — but how you complete and document those hours has.
What changed on July 1, 2026
The change comes directly from the OCDP Board. On its CDCA Forms & Resources page, the Board states:
“Effective July 1, 2026, the CDCA Preliminary and CDCA education grids will no longer be used for new applications. Applicants seeking a CDCA Preliminary or CDCA must complete a Board-approved CDCA Bundle through an approved provider. Individual CEU certificates and course-by-course education reviews will no longer be accepted for these applications.”
In practice, three things are different for anyone applying on or after July 1, 2026:
| Before July 1, 2026 | On or after July 1, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Fill out and submit an education grid mapping each course to a content area | No grid — the approved bundle documents your education |
| Complete a separate one-hour OCDP ethics course on OhioLearn | No separate ethics-course step — the bundle covers the requirement |
| Assemble individual CEUs from any approved source | Complete a single Board-approved bundle from an approved provider |
This applies only to the initial certification pathway (CDCA Preliminary and CDCA). It does not change continuing education for existing credential holders renewing their certification.
The Ohio CDCA credential, in two stages
Ohio’s entry-level addiction credential, the Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant (CDCA), is issued in two stages: the CDCA Preliminary and the CDCA (Renewable). The Preliminary is a temporary credential that lets you begin supervised work; the CDCA (Renewable) is the ongoing version you move up to. Both are issued by the OCDP Board under Ohio Administrative Code 4758-5.
CDCA Preliminary requirements (40 hours)
The CDCA Preliminary requires 40 hours of substance use disorder (SUD) education, a high school diploma or GED, a completed application in eLicense, and a BCI background check. There is no exam, no work experience, and no supervised hours required. The credential is temporary: it expires 13 months after it is issued and cannot be renewed. You apply for the CDCA (Renewable) after holding the Preliminary for at least 10 months.
The 40 hours cover the substance use disorder content areas the Board requires for the CDCA:
- SUD & Recovery Knowledge
- Counseling Procedures & Strategies
- Group Process & Techniques
- Assessment & Diagnosis of SUD
- Treatment Planning
- Legal & Ethical Issues
A Board-approved bundle is built to cover all of these areas, so you no longer track hours per area yourself — the approved bundle handles that.
CDCA (Renewable) requirements (30 hours)
The CDCA (Renewable) requires an additional 30 hours of SUD education, completed with different courses than those used for the Preliminary. Once earned, it renews every two years. These 30 hours cover the same substance use disorder content areas as the Preliminary, completed through different courses.
From grid to bundle: the shift that matters
The content areas did not go away — the paperwork did. Before July 1, 2026, applicants proved their own content-area coverage by filling out an education grid, assigning each course’s hours to the correct content area, and submitting it with certificates. Now that responsibility moves to the provider: a Board-approved bundle is already built to the Board’s content-area specification, so the coverage is guaranteed by the bundle itself.
The short version: you used to prove content-area coverage yourself on a grid; now you complete an approved bundle that is already built to the Board’s content-area spec. The 40 and 30 hours still have to cover the required content areas — the bundle handles that for you.
What this means if you’re applying now
If you are applying for the CDCA Preliminary or CDCA on or after July 1, 2026, the safest path is a single Board-approved bundle from an approved provider. A loose stack of individual CEU certificates will not be accepted, and there is no grid to submit. Choosing an approved bundle removes the guesswork about whether your hours land in the right content areas.
Existing CDCA holders renewing their credential are not affected by this change. Renewal continuing education continues to follow the Board’s renewal rules and is documented through CE Broker, not an education grid.
CEU Matrix’s OCDP-approved Ohio CDCA bundles
CEU Matrix is an OCDP-approved provider (Provider #50-19236) offering Board-approved CDCA Preliminary and CDCA (Renewable) bundles that cover all required hours and content areas. Each bundle is fully online and self-paced, with certificates delivered on completion — and because each is a single approved bundle, it meets the July 1, 2026 requirement without a grid or a separate ethics-course step.
Ohio CDCA Preliminary — 40 Hours ($259)Ohio CDCA Renewable — 30 Hours ($185)
For the full step-by-step certification path, see our guide to CDCA certification in Ohio: requirements and application timeline, or read more about what CDCA Preliminary status means and how to complete the right training.
Frequently asked questions
Did Ohio’s CDCA requirements change in 2026?
Yes. Effective July 1, 2026, the OCDP Board discontinued the CDCA Preliminary and CDCA education grids for new applications. Applicants now complete a Board-approved bundle from an approved provider. The hour totals — 40 for the Preliminary, 30 for the CDCA — did not change.
Do I still need an education grid for the Ohio CDCA?
No. As of July 1, 2026, the OCDP Board no longer uses CDCA Preliminary or CDCA education grids for new applications. Instead of mapping courses to content areas on a grid, you complete a Board-approved bundle that already covers the required content areas.
What is a Board-approved CDCA bundle?
A Board-approved CDCA bundle is a package of courses reviewed and approved by the OCDP Board that covers all required hours and content areas for the CDCA Preliminary or CDCA. Under the July 1, 2026 rule, an approved bundle from an approved provider is the required education pathway for new applicants.
What are the CDCA Preliminary requirements in Ohio?
The CDCA Preliminary requires 40 hours of SUD education across the Board’s content areas, a high school diploma or GED, a BCI background check, and a completed eLicense application. There is no exam and no supervised experience. The credential is temporary and expires 13 months after issuance.
How is the CDCA (Renewable) different from the Preliminary?
The CDCA (Renewable) requires an additional 30 hours of SUD education, using different courses than the Preliminary. You apply after holding the Preliminary for at least 10 months, and the CDCA (Renewable) then renews every two years. The Preliminary itself cannot be renewed.
Does this change affect current CDCA holders?
No. The July 1, 2026 change applies to the initial certification pathway — new CDCA Preliminary and CDCA applications. Continuing education for existing credential holders renewing their certification follows the Board’s renewal rules and is documented through CE Broker.