Requirements for Maintaining and Reinstating AAEES Board Certification

To claim AAEES Board Certification as a professional designation, members must be in good standing. To maintain good standing, a BCEE, BCEEM, or BCES must:

1. pay annual specialty certification dues;
2. uphold AAEES professional and ethical standards; and
3. satisfy the continuing education requirements mandated by AAEES's specialty certification program.

A BCEE, BCEEM, or BCES who fails to satisfy the above requirements becomes a lapsed member.

• A lapsed AAEES member loses member and subscriber benefits, including access to 'members only' areas of the AAEES website and his or her specific online services, and must immediately cease to claim or use the AAEES credential.
• A lapsed AAEES member has a three-year window from his or her membership lapse date to reinstate board certification without being required to reapply and retake the AAEES certification exam.
• A lapsed AAEES member who does not reinstate AAEES board certification within three years of this date automatically loses his or her AAEES certificate, original AAEES start date, and all AAEES membership time accrued toward life membership status.

How to Remain Current:
Satisfying Dues and Certification Maintenance Requirements

Dues

BCEEs, BCEEMs, and BCESs must renew their AAEES specialty certification dues by the last date of their paid membership which is the end of the calendar year.

Certification

AAEES has a standing certification requirement mandating that BCEEs, BCEEMs, and BCESs satisfy continuing education requirements to maintain their AAEES credential.

• All BCEEs, BCEEMs, and BCESs are assigned a two-year reporting period. All reporting periods begin on January 1 and end on December 31 of the previous year (e.g. the 2020-2021 reporting period begins on January 1, 2020 and ends on December 31, 2021). At the end of each two-year reporting period, a new two-year reporting period begins.
• Unless granted a temporary or permanent exemption from certification requirements, all BCEEs, BCEEMs, and BCESs must complete and log 40 professional development credits for each assigned reporting period. Members complete this requirement statement on their specialty certification renewal every year.

Lapsed BCEEs, BCEEMs, and BCESs who have not renewed their specialty certification within three months of their previous expiration date or fail to log their required credits by the end of their grace period will receive written notice of the lapse in their membership by both electronic and physical mail with delivery verification.

Review the situations below to determine what requirements match your reinstatement circumstances.

Reinstating AAEES Board Certification:
What to Do If Your Membership Has Lapsed

The following applies to individuals whose membership has lapsed.

Reinstatement Before the Close of a Reporting Period

Any BCEE, BCEEM, or BCES whose membership lapses and applies for reinstatement within the same three-year certification reporting period will be expected to abide by the following, regardless of when in the reporting period reinstatement is requested:

1. Pay AAEES back dues owed; and
2. Certify all 40 professional development credits have been met.

For example, if a member on the 2019-2020 reporting cycle lapses on March 31, 2021, for failure to pay dues and subsequently applies for reinstatement on December 1, 2021, he or she must pay back dues owed since March 31, 2021, and complete all 40 professional development credits.

For any BCEE, BCEEM, or BCES whose specialty certification lapses due to nonpayment of dues, it is highly encouraged that the lapsed member applies for reinstatement before the close of the reporting period. He or she will be expected to complete 40 professional development credits and will avoid the reinstatement process detailed below.

Reinstatement

Where the former member is in arrears for three or more years in the payment of renewal fees, the individual shall submit a new application and be considered for certification in accordance with the applicable requirements set forth.

Procedure for Activating an Inactive Certification

Any member possessing an Inactive certification may restore it to Active status by one of two options of the member's choice.

Record Documentation and Review Method

An Inactive member seeking an Active certificate may submit documentation of his or her continuing professional development in the 24 month period preceding the request. Report forms and Standard Guidance regarding the Academy's Continuing Professional Development may be obtained from Academy headquarters or the Academy's website www.aaees.org. Besides completing the Continuing Professional Development Reporting Form, the member shall provide documentation confirming participation in each activity reported for which continuing professional development credit is claimed.

The documentation will be reviewed by the Recertification Committee. If the Committee approves restoring the member to Active status the member will receive notification in writing. The member will receive a new certification card and the members name and Active status will be published in the Environmental Engineer and Scientist Journal. If the Committee decides that the Continuing Professional Development is inadequate to reactivate the certification, the member will be offered the option of regaining Active status by the Peer Review method.

Peer Review Method

An Inactive member seeking an Active certificate may establish current competence by successfully completing the technical portion the of Academy's Peer Review examination in the specialty in which the member is certified. A letter requesting an examination for certification reactivation must be sent to the Executive Director. Arrangements will be made during the annual examination period.

If the Committee decides that the member's performance on the peer review is insufficient to restore to Active status, the member will be accorded another peer review. If the Committee approves restoring the member to Active status the member will receive notification in writing. The member will receive a new certification card and the members name and Active status will be published in the Environmental Engineer and Scientist Journal.