Certification and renewal of certification are very important to the NACC and its members. But they are long processes with many steps, and it is natural that questions will arise about the requirements.
“Certification Update” will address some of the most frequently asked questions about the processes, as well as provide new information and clarification as the NACC moves to implement its revised standards.

Questions about Certification? Check the FAQs or send email to Certification@nacc.org

Status of Spring-2009 Certification Applications & Supportive Materials

November 2008 -- At this time we are completing the preliminary review of materials. We ask that you please do not make any hotel/travel reservations until you are notified that you qualify for an interview on May 2-3, 2009.

2008-Renewal of Certification Applications

Renewal Reminder Letters were mailed to those members due to renew their certification by 12/31/2008.

Thank you to members who submitted 2008 Renewal of Certification Applications early. These renewal materials were reviewed at our recent Certification Commission meeting, which was held in October 2008 (Milwaukee, WI). Notification Letters and new Certificates will be mailed, via U.S. Postal Service, by December 2, 2008.

Renewal of Certification Applications received after October 10, 2008 will be reviewed at the January 30, 2009 meeting (Orlando, FL) with notification mailed out by March 3, 2009.

2008 Renewal of Certification Materials Please be sure to visit www.nacc.org/certification/renewal.asp to print your renewal of certification materials:
• Standards,
• Renewal Process Guide,
• Renewal Application,
• Education Report Forms
• 2008 Peer Review Form
The old-outdated blue-cards, “Recertification Process Report” are no longer acceptable. To avoid having materials refused/returned-to-sender, please be sure you are using the updated/required forms (listed above).

Logging your Continuing Education Hours When logging your Continuing Education Hours (CEHs), please be sure to use a separate Education Report Form for each year. So, you will have a total of five (5) Education Report Forms to submit with your application/materials. If you have an abundance of CEHs to record, then please use the Education Report Form (longer version), which will allow more entries.

How do I Find a Peer Reviewer? To select a Peer Reviewer (an active certified NACC member) to complete your one (1) hour peer review session, please click here or follow these steps: visit www.nacc.org, click on Membership button, then on "Members-only Pages", then "On-line Member Directory." Enter your Username (your Member number) / Enter your Password (your last name in lowercase letters) / Click on “Click here to see this list sorted by US state” / View a list of Members in your area. (Must also see the “Peer Review Process” located in your Renewal Process Guide.)

2008 Renewal of Certification Fee The 2008 Fee for Renewal of Certification is $135.00, made payable to the NACC.

Renewal Contact Person If you have any questions or concerns regarding the renewal process, please contact Rose Mary Blanco-Alvarado, Certification Specialist, at the NACC National Office, (414) 483-4898.

Certification Applications for Fall 2009 Interviews

February 16, 2009 is the postmark deadline for supportive materials for the October 3-4, 2009 certification interviews.

Please note that a NEW “Checklist for Supportive Materials Required for Certification Interview” has been approved at our recent July 2008 Commission meeting. For those members who already received their Certification Application Packet, please contact Rose Mary Blanco-Alvarado, Certification Specialist, at rmalvarado@nacc.org to request the NEW checklist (dated July 2008).

To best prepare for the certification process, please familiarize yourself with the current Standards and Procedures, which were recently approved/posted to our website in July 2008 and are located at www.nacc.org/certification/standards-and-procedures.asp. Please print out these three documents that pertain to you:

1. Standards: You will write your Narrative Statement citing each of the Standards listed in Section 300 Standards for Certification of Chaplains. You will do this for each Standard STARTING with 302.1 and ENDING with 305.6.
2. Certification Procedures Manual: Chaplain Certification Procedures Part One pertains to you.
3. Ethics Procedures Manual: See Ethics Accountability Statement Procedures. Read thoroughly and sign the “Ethics Accountability Statement for Initial Certification,” which is located within the manual; this is also available at the NACC website's Standards and Procedures page. If you wish to remain a member of the NACC, but are unable to sign the Ethics Accountability Statement because of a recent or a pending complaint, please see Part One for the required process.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the certification process, please contact Rose Mary Blanco-Alvarado, Certification Specialist, at the NACC National Office, (414) 483-4898.

Status of Fall-2008 Certification Applications & Supportive Materials

June 2008 -- At this time we are completing the preliminary review of materials. We ask that you please do not make any hotel/travel reservations until you are notified that you qualify for an interview in October 4-5, 2008.

Fall-2008 Interview Sites

June 2008 -- We have been diligently working to secure interview sites throughout the country to facilitate the certification interviews scheduled for Saturday/Sunday, October 4-5, 2008, for 83-candidates.

For all candidates who submitted a Certification Application with the postmark deadline of February 15, 2008, please email Rose Mary Blanco-Alvarado at rmalvarado@nacc.org to indicate your first and second preference from the following interview sites*:

1. St. Joseph Hospital (Orange, CA)
2. Caritas St. Elizabeth Medical Center (Brighton, MA)
3. NACC National Office (Milwaukee, WI)
4. Providence St. Vincent's Medical Center (Portland, OR)
5. St. Joseph Medical Center (Towson, MD)
6. De Paul Hospital (Bridgeton, MO)

*There is a chance that you may not receive your first preference for an interview site. The number of interviews scheduled at any one site will be determined by the number of available interview team members living in, or close to, the interview site.

Delay in Renewal notification is part of the revised process

April 2008 -- Question: I was required to renew my certification during 2007 and submitted my application and material in November. I didn’t receive notification that my certification had been renewed until April, 2008. Why the delay in notification?

Answer: The Certification Commission reviews applications and material for renewal of certification at each of its three yearly meetings -- at the annual conference, mid July, and late October. Applications and material arriving after the October meeting are not acted upon until the next scheduled meeting at the annual conference (e.g. materials that arrived after October 20, 2007 were reviewed at the April 2008 meeting; and materials that are received after October 20, 2008 will be reviewed at the February, 2009 meeting.)

The deadline for receipt of renewal of certification applications remains December 31st of the year you are required to renew - this has not changed. We offer our members a choice for receiving a response based on the initiative of the person submitting renewal materials. The earlier in the year the Certification Commission receives the application materials the sooner we will be able to render a decision.

For those renewing in 2008 there are two more meetings of the Certification Commission in this calendar year -- July 10-13 and October 29-31. Submitting your completed renewal of certification application and material prior to October 20 will ensure notification before the end of the year.

We hope this information assists you in planning your time to prepare your renewal of certification application and material in addition to clarifying the internal timelines associated with the renewal process. For more information on renewal of certification go to www.nacc.org/certification/renewal.asp

Renewal of Certification Application now available on NACC website

January 2008 -- Previously, the application for Renewal of Certification was available only by making a request to the National Office. The application has now been added to the list of documents available for download in the Renewal of Certification section. Click here to go to the Renewal section.

Interview Deadlines, Dates to Change in 2008

July 2007 -- NACC members seeking chaplain certification in 2008 will have only one opportunity to do so.

Completed chaplain certification applications and supportive materials must be sent to the national office and postmarked no later than February 15, 2008 in order to participate in an October 2008 chaplain certification interview.

This schedule change will not affect the previously announced fall certification interviews in 2007. Members who wish to interview in October 2007 may still submit their applications and supportive materials by July 1, 2007.

In 2009 and beyond, we will return to two rounds of chaplain certification interviews each year. Candidates submitting application and supportive materials by February 15 will be scheduled for an October same-year certification interview. Candidates submitting application and supportive materials by September 15 will be scheduled for a certification interview in May of the following year.

Renewal of Certification processing fee

June 2008 -- The Board of Directors of the National Association has approved the establishment of a Renewal of Certification Extension Processing Fee. The fee will be calculated annually at 20% of the Renewal of Certification Fee. This is a policy that will support the level of work generated by requests for extensions at the national office. As the current Renewal of Certification Fee is $135, the Extension Processing Fee that must accompany requests for a one-year extension for Renewal of Certification this year is $27. This fee structure is effective immediately.