May 17, 2008 

The purpose of continuing education is to promote ongoing professional development. It benefits the individual, group, organization and community to whom services are provided. Continuing education is a means of accumulating the training necessary to transition to another certification classification. CAAPs will build upon their previously demonstrated competencies and demonstrate their professional development through pursuit of continuing education.

CAAPs are required to pay a biennial certification fee and submit continuing education units (CEUs). They will be notified that their certification is about to expire no fewer than 30 days prior to the expiration date. They will submit their biennial certification fee and CEUs to IAODAPCA by their expiration date. Forms for the documentation of CEUs will accompany the notification and must be completed, signed and submitted with proof of attendance. CEUs should not be submitted until notification of expiration.
CEUs will not be accepted by fax.

Forty (40) continuing education units (CEUs) are required to maintain certification and must be earned within the two-year certification period. An average of 20 CEUs should be obtained each year. CEUs are not transferable to any other certification period. CEUs obtained prior to the CAAP's initial date of certification are not eligible for maintaining certification. A CAAP may receive CEU credit only once for a training event, even if it is repeated during different certification periods. A CEU is equivalent to one clock hour. (Excluded is non-program time such as breaks, social hours, registration time, meal times). One college semester hour of credit is equivalent to 15 CEUs, one college trimester hour of credit is equivalent to 12 CEUs, and one college quarter hour of credit is equivalent to 10 CEUs.

All 40 CEUs required to maintain certification must be recognized or petitioned for IAODAPCA CEUs. Continuing education is broken down into two categories. Some continuing education may be recognized by IAODAPCA for both categories.

CATEGORY I: Minimum 28 CEUs of education specific to alcohol and other drug abuse/dependence as related to the following CAAP performance domains.

Performance Domains - Clinical Evaluation/Screening, Referral, Service coordination/Orientation to Treatment, Ongoing Clinical Support, Clinical and Family Education, Documentation

CATEGORY II: Minimum 12 CEUs of education specific to ethics and professional boundaries.

Performance Domain - Professional and Ethical Responsibility

Recognized programs are training/education programs IAODAPCA has identified as fulfilling the criteria for CEU credit and have been awarded CEUs by IAODAPCA or are pre-recognized sources. The certificate of completion will contain the program number assigned by IAODAPCA, the number of CEUs and the category.

Structured individual continuing education, such as the IAODAPCA Bibliocredit Reading Program and other self-study programs, is available to CAAPs with a maximum of 10 CEUs every two (2) years.

CAAPs may receive up to 10 Category II CEUs every two years for volunteer time serving as a member of the Board of Directors, a member of a Board committee, or a member of another IAODAPCA committee.

Additional sources of CEUs include any IAODAPCA pre-approved program in the seven performance domains and any continuing education in the performance of the CAAP domains provided by the CAAP's employer.

Agency in-service training programs may be counted for all the required CEUs needed for recertification.

• The training must be in the seven performance domains to include ethics and professional boundaries.
• The training must be documented on agency letterhead with a qualified supervisor's signature.
• In-services not awarded CEU recognition by IAODAPCA may be petitioned for CEUs.

CAAPs must document they have obtained CEUs and submit the appropriate validation for each educational experience.

• Certificates or other proof of completion for IAODAPCA recognized or petitioned trainings
• Transcripts or other official grade reports for college or university courses

Not all educational experiences available to the CAAP will have been awarded CEUs by IAODAPCA, requiring the CAAP to petition such education/training for CEU credit. Requests are to be submitted to IAODAPCA on the petition form with the following information:

• Documentation of attendance
• Goals and objectives of the program
• Date/length of program in clock hours
• Brochure describing program content
• Sponsor, location, instructor and target population
• Definition of the training type (publication, workshop, seminar)
• Identification of the AODA specific content and/or performance domains
• Non-refundable petition fee

Requests will be reviewed within 30 days, and the CAAP will be notified of the results. If recognized, the CAAP will be informed of the number of CEUs awarded.

A CAAP unable to meet the continuing education requirements for recertification may request an extension, in writing. Extensions are $10.00 per month for up to six months from the CAAP's expiration date. A CAAP not meeting the CEU requirement after the six-month extension shall not be permitted to place his or her certificate on inactive status and shall be terminated. Reinstatement shall be through completion of the full certification requirement.

NOTE: The CAAP should remember that this process leaves only 18 months to obtain CEU credit for the current recertification period.