The ABC Board of Directors revised policies relating to leave of absence, retiring a credential, emeritus status and annual fees. All policies are effective December 1, 2021 and are highlighted below. 

*Standards regarding emeritus status have been updated since the date of this publication. Please refer to the Guide to Maintaining Your Certification for the most up to date information

Leave of Absence 

All leave of absence requests will be approved according to the following criteria: 

• You cannot request a leave of absence if you are currently on suspension or otherwise not in good standing. 
• A leave of absence will only be granted for up to one year and can only be requested for one of the following reasons: personal illness of a sustained duration; family leave; or military deployment. Documentation will be requested (e.g., physician statement, military deployment orders, etc.). 
• During a leave of absence, you cannot use your credential for the purpose of direct patient care or for eligibility for facility accreditation. 
• You must continue to pay annual renewal fees. 
• Your five-year CE cycle will be extended by the equivalent length of time that you are on leave of absence.

Relinquishing your Credential

Voluntary Relinquishment 
If you are no longer providing patient care but are not eligible for emeritus status or if you wish to inactivate a credential you are no longer using, you can voluntarily relinquish your credential. 

• Once you relinquish your credential you cannot use it for the purpose of direct patient care or for eligibility for facility accreditation, even on a volunteer basis. 
• You are no longer required to submit annual fees. 

Emeritus Status*
Emeritus is an inactive status reserved for individuals who are: 

• Officially retired from patient care and not engaged in any paid employment arrangement using the ABC credential 
• Credentialed by ABC/BCP for at least 25 years 
• In good standing at the time of the request 

You may use your credential with an (E) designation following your credential if you are providing patient care for humanitarian or charitable purposes.

*Standards regarding emeritus status have been updated since the date of this publication. Please refer to the Guide to Maintaining Your Certification for the most up to date information.

Reinstating Voluntarily Relinquished or Emeritus Credentials 
If you have relinquished your credential or have become emeritus and you wish to reinstate your credential, you may do so within one year. You will be subject to the following  reinstatement policies: 

• If you relinquished your credential or became emeritus when you were in good standing and had completed all of your CE credits as well as paid your fees, your reinstated cycle will start the day you reinstate and will be extended by the time that it was in an inactive status. 
• If you were on suspension (for either non-payment or lack of CE credits) when you relinquished your credential or became emeritus, you may only reinstate your credential if you retake the necessary exam(s). 
• If you relinquished or became emeritus in the final year of your CE cycle and had not completed your credits, you will be assessed penalty credits which must be completed along with outstanding balance of your CE credits. 

To return to active practice after one year, you must pass your discipline specific certification exam(s) as well as pay the current year’s annual fee. 

Past-Due with your Annual Fee

Failure to pay your annual fee will automatically result in suspension of your credential(s). To be removed from suspension, you will need to pay the past due fee(s) plus a $75 reinstatementfee for each suspended credential.