The full grievance policy is available publicly. Please feel free to look it over and contact us with any questions.
If you
have a grievance
Step 1
Reach out to the Certification Manager who will connect you to the organization.
To ensure that the process goes smoothly have the individual’s name that you would like to file a grievance about, and any facts that you would like the organization to know that can help them make their decision moving forward.
Step 2
The organization will proceed with their own investigation in accordance with their grievance policy. COPA will remain in contact with the organization throughout the process to ensure seamless transition to the Committee if warranted.
COPA supports organizations in determining if a Certified Professional requires additional action towards their certification.
Step 3
If the organization would like the Certification Committee to address the Certified Professional’s credential they may contact COPA’s Executive Director for further investigation.
The Executive Director will review each request and determine whether the request contains information likely to affect the CP eligibility and submit the request to the Committee for review at a specially designated meeting, within 10 business days.
If the Executive Director determines that a request contains no substantially new information or is unlikely to change the determination by the Committee, the Executive Director will notify the supervisor within 10 days of receiving the request that the request has been denied.
Step 4
There are several possible outcomes when the Committee reviews a grievance request:
- Revocation of Certificate: The Committee can revoke a Peer and Family Specialist certificate. Anyone who has had their certificate revoked will be ineligible to reapply indefinitely.
- Temporary Hold on Recertification: If the violation of the Code of Ethics is determined to be based on a lack of training or education, the Committee may place a temporary hold on recertification eligibility until deficits have been addressed.
- Denial of Request: If the Committee determines that the employing and/or supervising organization has done its due diligence and the grievance warrants no further action, they may deny the request. This does not affect the CP’s eligibility for recertification.
If you would
like to appeal
a committee decision
First Appeal
All applicants who wish to appeal a decision by the Committee may first submit a written notice of appeal to the Executive Director. The written notice of appeal will be submitted to the Executive Director by email at breeah@coprovidersassociation.org.
If the Executive Director determines that the appeal contains information likely to change the decision of the Committee, they will submit the applicant’s appeal and application to the Committee for review at a specially designated meeting, within 10 business days.
If the Executive Director determines that an appeal contains no substantially new information or is unlikely to change the determination by the Committee, the Executive Director will notify the applicant within 10 days of the receipt of the appeal that the appeal has been denied.
Second Appeal
If the applicant is not satisfied with the outcome of the Initial Review, they may appeal the decision to the COPA Executive Committee.
To file a second appeal the applicant will submit, in writing, the appeal to the Executive Director and the President of the Executive Committee. The appeal will clearly indicate it is the second notice of appeal and should clearly indicate the applicant’s reason for a second appeal.
The President of the Executive Committee will issue a written decision within 14 business days of the appeal. This decision will be the final decision of the agency.