Eligibility Appeals
Applicants who are denied eligibility may request reconsideration of the decision of denial by making an appeal to the Eligibility Committee. Requests for an appeal must be made no later than 30 days after the applicant is denied. Appeals are reviewed by the Director of Certification to determine if the appeal is a valid appeal. Should the appeal be found invalid, the Director of Certification shall notify the candidate of the reason(s) the appeal is not valid. The Director of Certification shall also notify the candidate if additional information is needed, or the appeal is being forwarded to the Appeals Committee for review. Within 60 days of the receipt of the written appeal, the Eligibility Committee must conclude its deliberations. Decisions of the Eligibility Committee can be appealed to the Appeals Committee. Requests for appeal to the Appeals Committee must be made no later than 30 days after the Eligibility Committee decision. Within 60 days of the receipt of the written appeal, the Appeals Committee must conclude its deliberations. All decisions of the Appeals Committee are final.
Certification Appeals
Appeals of the denial of initial certification may only be made for:
- The technical accuracy and grading of questions
- Fairness of the execution of the certification testing procedures
Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Director of Certification within 30 days of the instance in question. Appeal requests must include specific reasons for the appeal. Appeals are reviewed by the Director of Certification to determine if the appeal is a valid appeal. Should the appeal be found invalid, the Director of Certification shall notify the candidate of the reason(s) the appeal is not valid. Should the appeal be found valid, the Director of Certification will assign an appeals number to the case and gather all additional information relative to the specific appeal issue to be considered. The appeal case packet will then be forwarded to the Appeals Committee for review and a conference call meeting with the Appeals Committee will be established for deliberation of the case. After the Appeals Committee has concluded its deliberations and reached a decision, the Director of Certification or designated certification staff will notify the applicant in writing.
Renewal Appeals
Requests for an appeal in the case of a denied renewal must be made to the Certification Office no later than 30 days after the notification to the applicant of denied renewal. Appeals are reviewed by the Director of Certification to determine if the appeal is a valid appeal. Should the appeal be found invalid, the Director of Certification shall notify the candidate of the reason(s) the appeal is not valid. The Director of Certification shall also notify the candidate if additional information is needed, or if the appeal is being forwarded to the Renewal Committee for review. Within 60 days of the receipt of the written appeal, the Renewal Committee must conclude its deliberations.
Decisions of the Renewal Committee can be appealed to the Appeals Committee. Requests for appeal to the Appeals Committee must be made no later than 30 days after the Renewal Committee decision. Within 60 days of the receipt of the written appeal, the Appeals Committee must conclude its deliberations. All decisions of the Appeals Committee are final.
Administrative Complaints
Any individual applying for certification or recertification may file a complaint of an administrative nature. Administrative complaints include dissatisfaction with services including, but not limited to: not adhering to published deadlines; not providing information regarding fees, refunds, exam registration information, requirements for certification and recertification, Code of Ethics, etc.; failure to administer the examination; or general dissatisfaction with services related to certification.
Complaints related to examination content, examination administration irregularities, and alleged violations of the Code of Ethics are handled through separate complaints processes.
Complaints must be submitted in writing, utilizing the Administrative Complaint Form, to AVIXA Certification within 3 business days following the date on which the individual encountered the service leading to the complaint. Complaints received beyond the deadline will not be considered.
Upon receipt, AVIXA Certification shall review the complaint and acknowledge receipt of the complaint to the complainant. Complaints not falling under the categories established as “Administrative” shall be considered invalid and no further action shall occur. The complainant shall be informed of this within 5 business days following the date of receipt of the complaint.
AVIXA Certification has 5 business days following the date of receipt of the complaint, to investigate the complaint. Within 2 business days of completion of the investigation, the complainant will receive a response, and if the complaint is valid and actionable, the complainant shall be notified of the redress, if any. Redress shall be proportionate to the nature of the complaint and shall be granted on a case-by-case basis. All decisions of AVIXA Certification are final.
Code of Ethics and Conduct Complaint Process
Every candidate and audiovisual professional certified through the Certification Committee must adhere to the Certification Committee CTS Code of Ethics and Conduct.
When it is believed that a CTS®, CTS®-D or CTS®-I has violated this code, the first step is to complete the Professional Discipline Complaint Form in its entirety, sign it, and submit with any documentation to the AVIXA Certification Office.
Upon receipt, the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee will determine whether an inquiry can be initiated under its authority. This committee will consider matters regarding possible violations of the CTS Code of Ethics and Conduct including falsification of applications.
The ethics and disciplinary process used will be governed by the Rules and Procedures of the Ethics and Disciplinary Committee.
The Ethics and Disciplinary Committee shall have the power to, but shall not be obligated to, investigate all allegations of unprofessional and unethical conduct that may be harmful to colleagues, the public, or that otherwise may be contrary to the objectives of the CTS Code of Ethics and Conduct, provided that such allegations are made in writing and are signed by the complainant.
If, during the course of its investigation, the committee determines that there may be additional violations of the code, the committee may investigate and reach appropriate findings regarding such additional violations within the Certified Technology Specialist™ Rules and Procedures Regarding Ethical and Professional Discipline Complaints.
The Ethics and Disciplinary Committee reports findings to the Certification Committee, publishes sanctions and shall also at least annually review the CTS Code of Ethics and Conduct and the Certified Technology Specialist Rules mentioned above to ensure that the integrity, professionalism and competency of those certified through the CTS program are suited to the needs of AVIXA and the audiovisual profession.
Matters involving fraudulent use of the credential and/or trademark or copyright violations will be investigated and aggressively pursued by the Certification Committee and AVIXA.