Appeals Policy

Appeals Policy

An appeal procedure is available to any applicant or CHES®/MCHES® to contest any adverse decision affecting his/her CHES®/MCHES® examination eligibility or CHES®/MCHES® status. Any individual who does not file a request for an appeal within the required time limit shall waive the right to appeal.

Applicants/CHES®/MCHES® may appeal:

Applicants/CHES®/MCHES® cannot appeal:

1. actions taken by NCHEC in setting a passing score
2. established eligibility requirements
3. individual test items
4. test content validity

Definitions

An "adverse decision" shall mean any unfavorable decision made by NCHEC regarding one's exam eligibility, CHES®/MCHES® renewal/recertification, or CHES®/MCHES® status.

Procedure for Appeals

Filing the Appeal

1. An appeal will only be considered if postmarked, emailed or faxed within thirty (30) calendar days following the email date in which the Appellant was notified of the adverse decision.
2. NCHEC strongly suggests appeals be sent by certified mail or overnight courier service (such as FedEx) with a return receipt requested. Appeals by facsimile or email are accepted.
3. A fee of twenty-five dollars ($25) must be paid and is not refundable if the appeal is denied.
4. An appeal must be submitted in writing (preferably typewritten) to the NCHEC Executive Director who will, in turn, submit it to the appropriate NCHEC decision-making body. The appeal must contain the original notification from NCHEC showing the date of the adverse decision.
5. The appeal should identify the adverse decision being appealed and explicitly state the reasons for the appeal. The appeal shall set forth any new or additional information to be considered. To expedite the appeal process, applicants are encouraged to include course descriptions, syllabi, and any other pertinent information about specific courses in which the major emphasis was health education. Support documents provided by applicants will become the property of NCHEC and not be returned to appellants.
6. The only additional information that may be submitted after the initial filing is that which is requested by the appropriate NCHEC decision-making body.

Review and Consideration

1. The appropriate NCHEC decision-making body shall review and consider a properly filed appeal during its next regularly scheduled monthly meeting.
2. Where it deems necessary, a division board has the authority to request from the Board of Commissioners (BOC) an opinion regarding any aspect of the applicant’s appeal.
3. The appropriate NCHEC decision-making body shall make a determination as to whether it will uphold the adverse decision or not, or order other action that it deems necessary.
4. The NCHEC Executive Director shall notify the applicant of the appropriate NCHEC decision-making body’s decision, and the reasons therefore, within fifteen business days following the date of the appropriate NCHEC decision-making body’s decision.
5. The appropriate NCHEC decision-making body’s decision is final.