ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS - Behavior Analyst Certification Board

Overview

The BACB will review certain appeals of application denials and examination irregularities. An independent team of individuals not part of the initial determination reviews all appeals to the BACB. Appeals committees include three current or former members of the BACB Board of Directors. Appeals decisions are final and may not be further appealed.

Application Appeals

Any adverse eligibility, certification, or recertification decision including, but not limited to, a denial of a certification application, renewal application, recertification application, or other application submitted to the BACB may be appealed. Supervision deviations that result in certification termination may only be appealed if the basis of the appeal is to correct miscalculated hours. These policies and procedures apply to appeals by trainees, certificants, and Authorized Continuing Education Providers.

BACB requirements, deadlines, procedures, and fees may not be appealed, including the 2023 certification application restrictions outlined on the International Development & Support web page. All certification application appeals requested by applicants residing outside of the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK must be submitted by December 31, 2022. Exceptions to test outside of approved countries will not be granted at any time.

Do not submit an appeal in order to request information about a denied application; you will receive detailed information (i.e., reasons for the denial, steps that need to be taken to correct any deficiencies) at the time of the denial.

How to appeal: You must file a written request for appeal within thirty (30) days of the determination by completing the following Administrative Appeal Request Form.

Examination Appeals

If you experience examination condition irregularities (e.g., poor lighting, disruptive noises, long screen-load times) during your examination, you may file an appeal with the BACB. Note: Pearson VUE sites deliver BACB examinations via a web browser, so some minor Internet bandwidth variances are to be expected. Examination scores, content, questions, answers, procedures, deadlines, fees, and requirements may not be appealed.

How to appeal: You must file a written request for appeal within seven (7) days of your examination appointment by completing the following Administrative Appeal Request Form.

Compassionate Appeals

If you are a current applicant or certificant who has experienced an unforeseen life event or extenuating circumstance that warrants relief (e.g., hospitalization, act of nature) within one year of the determination that you wish to appeal (e.g., the day that your certification expires), you may use the following form to submit this information to the BACB. This form may be used to appeal a denial or likely future denial (e.g., you are undergoing a prolonged medical treatment that will prevent you from submitting a renewal application on time) from the BACB.

This appeal requires documentation that verifies the event or circumstance in question. BACB staff will evaluate the appeal based on the date of the event, its potential impact on your ability to obtain or maintain BACB certification, the amount of time you had to meet the applicable requirements (e.g., whether you are using the two years between recertification to accrue continuing education), and whether you could have taken preventative actions (e.g., applied for voluntary inactive status).

How to appeal: You must file a written request within 6 months of the determination that you wish to appeal (e.g., the day that your certification expires) by completing the following Administrative Appeal Request Form.

Administrative Appeal Request Form

You (the applicant or certificant) may submit the Administrative Appeal Request Form to file an Application Appeal, Examination Appeal, or Compassionate Appeal. Note: An appeal request is not required if you plan on submitting additional/corrected application documentation for further processing (see feedback email for instructions on submitting additional documentation for processing).

Before submitting an administrative appeal request, you should be able to answer “yes” to the following questions:
I reviewed the criteria for administrative appeals above to confirm that my appeal meets the requirements (e.g., it is within the appeal deadline, it meets the criteria for what may be appealed).
- Yes
- No
I have gathered evidence/documentation to support my claim (e.g., email correspondence, screen shots, date and time of phone call).
- Yes
- No
You cannot proceed with an administrative appeal request unless you can answer yes to both of the above questions. Please review the administrative appeals criteria and gather any necessary evidence to support your claim in order to proceed.
Submitter Information
Name:*
BACB ID:*
Email:*
Please use the email address associated with your BACB account
My appeal is related to (drop down):*
Administrative Appeal Information
RBT eligibility requirement I am appealing:*
BCaBA eligibility requirement I am appealing:*
BCBA eligibility requirement I am appealing:*
BCBA-D eligibility requirement I am appealing:*
ACE provider requirement I am appealing:*
RBT maintenance requirement I am appealing:*
BCaBA maintenance requirement I am appealing:*
BCBA maintenance requirement I am appealing:*
What is your basis for an appeal?*
Note: Events that do not qualify include, but are not limited to:
• Business endeavors
• Email changes/spam folder issues
• Failure to notify the BACB of email changes
• Third-party (employer or supervisor) failure to file your application
What is your basis for a BCBA-D eligibility appeal?*
Note: Events that do not qualify include, but are not limited to:
• Business endeavors
• Email changes/spam folder issues
• Failure to notify the BACB of email changes
• Third-party (employer or supervisor) failure to file your application
What is your basis for an ACE Provider requirement appeal?*
Note: Events that do not qualify include, but are not limited to:
• Business endeavors
• Email changes/spam folder issues
• Failure to notify the BACB of email changes
• Third-party (employer or supervisor) failure to file your application
Did the determination occur within 30 days of today?*
Date of determination:*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Did the examination occur within 7 days of today?*
Date of examination:*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Determination date:*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Your appeal request falls outside of the appeal deadline. Please see the Administrative Appeals Policy above for appeal deadlines.
Did one of these unforeseen life events apply to you?*
Note: Events that do not qualify include, but are not limited to:
• Marriage/domestic partnership separation
• Divorce
• Moving or job relocation (unless based on a military deployment)
If none of the listed qualifying life events apply, please (a) review the Compassionate Appeals Policy above and/or (b) select a new basis that qualifies you for an appeal.
Did the event occur within one year of the determination that you wish to appeal?*
Date of event:*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
To be eligible for a Compassionate Appeal, an unforeseen life event or extenuating circumstance must have occurred within one year of the determination that you wish to appeal. The date of your life event falls outside of this appeal deadline
Feedback:*
Please provide a brief description of your appeal and upload any documentation that supports the basis for your appeal (e.g., email, screen shot).
Life Event Feedback:*
Please provide a brief description of how this event impacted your ability to obtain or maintain BACB certification and why you were unable to take preventative actions (e.g., applying for voluntary inactive status).
Evidence or Further Information:*
Please upload up to 3 supporting documents for your appeal. Each file can be no larger than 2MB.
Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, jpg, png, doc, docx, Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 3.
Accuracy Attestation*

I affirm that all information provided is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.*
BACB Policies Attestation*

I agree to hold the BACB harmless and to waive, release, and exonerate the BACB, its officers, directors, employees, committee members, panel members, and agents from any claims that I may have against the BACB arising out of the BACB's review of this appeal relating to eligibility for certification; renewal; recertification or reinstatement; issuance of a disciplinary (professional conduct) sanction or decision; and/or publication or third-party disclosure in accordance with BACB policies. Subject to your acceptance of these terms, the BACB agrees to review your appeal request.*
CAPTCHA

Overview

Application Appeals

Examination Appeals

Compassionate Appeals

Administrative Appeal Request Form

Submitter Information

Administrative Appeal Information