Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation and Education Professionals

The Appeal Process

APPEALS PROCESS POLICY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND RECERTIFICATION

Introduction

Eligibility and recertification criteria for certification/recertification is established by the ACVREP Board of Directors, based upon the recommendations of the Certification Committees (Low Vision Therapy, Orientation and Mobility, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapy).

Unsuccessful candidates will receive written denial of eligibility and/or certification. A process of appeal upon written submission is available to any candidate who feels that the eligibility criteria have been inaccurately, inconsistently, or unfairly applied.

The process of appeal does NOT permit:

An appeal of certification examination results.
Additional time to acquire education, employment experience or supervision required for certification.
Additional time to submit the documentation required for certification.
Presentation of additional documentation.

Levels of Appeal

The appeal process provides for two levels of appeal. The first is to the respective Certification Committee (CC) and the second is to the ACVREP Board of Directors. This structure assures:

A review of the relevant facts.
A second, independent evaluation of the materials presented.
The fair and consistent application of eligibility criteria.

The Appeal Process

1. First Level of Appeal

The appellant must submit a written request for appeal to the President of ACVREP. This request must be sent by certified mail, postmarked within 30 days of official receipt of the letter of denial. The request for appeal must include in a single packet a signed statement of the grounds for appeal (what decision is being appealed and why it is being appealed) and all relevant documentation in support thereof.

Only documentation included with the first appeal request will be considered at either level of appeal. The only exception to this would be if the ACVREP Board of Directors requests additional materials for review following the first level of appeal. Therefore, it is important for the appellant to submit any information and/or documents that s/he feels might be helpful in presenting and winning his/her appeal.

The President will forward the request for appeal to the Chair and members of the appropriate Certification Committee. The decision will be made by a majority vote of the CC, and the Chair of the CC will forward written notice of the decision to the ACVREP President. The President will inform the ACVREP Board of Directors of the CC’s decision and the specific reasons therefore and will inform the appellant to the same effect by certified mail within 30 days of receipt by the President of the request for appeal.

If the CC upholds the denial of eligibility or certification, the appellant has the right to petition for a second level of appeal.

2. The Second Level of Appeal

The appellant must submit a written request for a second level of appeal to the President of ACVREP. This request must be sent by certified mail, postmarked within 30 days of receipt of the decision on first appeal. The request for a second level of appeal must set forth specific objections to the determinations made by the CC in rendering its decision in the first appeal. No additional documentation may be included, unless the ACVREP Board of Directors requests additional materials for review.

The President will forward the appellant's written request and all documentation accompanying the request for the first level of appeal to the Chair of the ACVREP Board of Directors. The Chair of the board will appoint an Ad-hoc Committee comprised of at least three members of the board to review the second level of appeal request and all documentation accompanying the first level of appeal. None of the Ad-hoc Committee members may have been part of the CC that rendered the decision on the first appeal.

The Ad-hoc Committee will report its decision to the board, and the Chair of the board will inform the President in writing of the decision. The Ad-hoc Committee’s decision is final and no further appeals will be heard. The Chair of the board will inform the appellant of the decision by certified mail within 60 days of the official receipt by the President of the request for a second level of appeal.

Related Items

ACVREP is not responsible for any costs incurred by the appellant throughout the appeal process.

If the appeal concerns an examination related issue, the appellant is precluded from retesting until the appeal is heard and a final decision has been rendered.

ACVREP will permanently retain all records and reports related to each appeal.