What to include
The more precisely a program is identified, the less likely it is to route into manual research — which is the difference between an administrative approval and a wait for the next Committee meeting.
- Provider
- The organization that ran the program, spelled as they spell it.
- Program title
- As published. If the session was part of a conference, name the conference too.
- Completion date
- The date you completed it. This determines the cycle.
- Hours
- As published by the provider.
- Evidence
- Agenda, certificate, registration confirmation, or a link to the program listing.
What happens next
- Matching. Your submission is matched against providers already on file, including known misspellings and abbreviations.
- Routing. If the provider is already tiered, the standing decision applies and your item is processed administratively. If not, it goes to research.
- Recommendation. The Director prepares a recommendation with the supporting evidence attached.
- Ratification. The batch goes to the full Committee. Five business days to object; no objection ratifies it.
- Recording. Ratified approvals are transmitted to the CE application system in bulk.
Submissions are ratified at standing meetings held at least quarterly. Time-sensitive items can be ratified between meetings by the same negative-consent process.
If something is denied
A denial carries a reason, and most reasons are recoverable.
- Not verifiable — ATFA could not independently confirm the program. Send documentation and resubmit.
- Duplicate — the same program was reported twice. The original stands; the hours are counted once. Nothing is lost.
- Outside the cycle — the completion date falls in a different cycle. It counts toward that one.
- Held pending a ruling — a policy question affecting your item is before the Committee. It is not denied; it is waiting.
Send it
Submissions go to submissions@atfacertification.com.
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