Rule 24-3-5.3 - Certified Community Support Specialist Requirements - CCSSA. Individuals eligible to apply for the DMH Certified Community Support Specialist credential (CCSS) are as follows: 1. PCCSSs who have successfully completed all upgrade requirements listed above by the end of their two-year Provisional Certification Period may apply to upgrade to full certification (CCSS) on or before their prescribed deadline, as outlined in Chapter Fifteen (This is considered an upgrade application for CCSS.)2. Individuals initially meeting the requirements for CCSS, as outlined in this chapter, should apply directly for this level of credential, thereby skipping provisional certification (PCCSS). (This is considered an initial application for CCSS.) Otherwise, an individual applies for PCCSS and then later, once upgrade requirements are met, applies for CCSS. B. In order to be eligible to apply for the DMH Certified Community Support Specialist credential (CCSS), an individual must meet ALL of the requirements listed below: 1. Employment Requirement; 2. Education Requirement; 4. Criminal Background Checks Requirement; 5. Experience Requirement; AND, 6. Exam/Training Requirement. C. The Employment, Education, Ethics, Criminal Background Checks, Experience and Exam/Training requirements are outlined in the "DMH Community Support Specialist Certification Requirements - Categories and Descriptions" section of this chapter. Section 41-4-7 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated