Policies

The Hand Therapy Certification Commission (“HTCC”) has adopted this Eligibility Review and Appeal Policy to establish a fair process for addressing application and examination issues.

  1. Complete Application. Each applicant shall truthfully complete and sign an application in the form provided by HTCC, pay the required fees, and provide additional information as requested.
  2. Criminal Convictions. An individual convicted of a felony directly related to public health and safety, occupational therapy, physical therapy, or hand therapy is ineligible to apply for certification or recertification for a period of three (3) years from the exhaustion of appeals, final release from confinement (if any), or the end of probation, whichever is later. Convictions of this nature include (but are not limited to) felonies involving rape, sexual abuse of a patient or child, actual or threatened use of a weapon or violence, and prohibited sale, distribution, or possession of a controlled substance. An individual who is incarcerated, or for whom incarceration is pending, as of the application deadline date is ineligible for certification or recertification.
  3. Pending Disciplinary Action. HTCC may place an application for certification or recertification on hold while disciplinary allegations are pending.
  4. Reinstatement of Eligibility. Following a period of ineligibility based on this policy or noncompliance with the Disciplinary Policy, the individual may apply for reinstatement of eligibility by demonstrating that he/she has been rehabilitated. Proof is by preponderance of the evidence. Unless adequate evidence is submitted, the individual will remain ineligible.

  1. Appeal - Certificants who applied for Recertification are notified that they do not meet the Recertification criteria will have 21 days from the date the notice was mailed to submit an appeal. Appeals must be submitted in the following manner:
    1. All appeals must be sent to the HTCC Administrative Office by traceable mail or delivery service
    2. The appeal must include all the information that was requested by the Credentialing Committee.
    3. The appeal must specify a valid basis for the appeal. The basis may be one or both of the following:
      1. To submit additional information (examples might be course descriptions) to demonstrate compliance with HTCC's recertification requirements, or additional evidence of compliance.
      2. To contest the decision of the initial reviewers by providing information that will help the reviewers interpret the information contained in the application.
    4. Failure of the Hand Therapy Certification Examination may not be appealed.
    5. Failure to comply with any HTCC deadline may not be appealed.
    6. HTCC will forward the appeal to the chair of the Credentialing Committee who shall appoint two members of the committee to review the appeal. The two members appointed to the appeal may not be the same members who initially reviewed the application. If a member of the Credentialing Committee has a conflict of interest, an alternate will be appointed.
    7. HTCC will notify the certificant of the final decision. If the appeal is denied for failure to meet the continuing education requirements, the certificant may apply to recertify by examination at its next administration, or they may apply for Inactive Status.
    8. Following notification of failure to meet criteria, certificants who do not wish to pursue recertification by examination or Inactive Status should notify HTCC of their decision and request a refund of the fee, minus a $75.00 processing fee.
    9. If the CHT elects to apply for Inactive Status, they will receive a refund of their fee, minus $100 for Inactive Status and a $75 processing fee. (Late fees will not be refunded.)
  2. Suspension of Review - At any point in the review of a Recertification application, such application may be referred to the HTCC President if compliance with HTCC's Disciplinary Policy is questioned.

The Hand Therapy Certification Commission, Inc., has adopted its Disciplinary Policy to articulate standards of conduct required for eligibility for certification, continued certification, and recertification of Certified Hand Therapists.

  1. It is the responsibility of each candidate to be familiar with the Disciplinary Policy and to inform HTCC of any disciplinary actions that have taken place within ten years prior to the application deadline. These will be reviewed by the Disciplinary Review Committee prior to acceptance of the candidate’s application by HTCC.
  2. Candidates may request that the committee review the disciplinary action to make a determination prior to submitting an application. Contact the HTCC office for assistance.
  3. Any sanctions or disciplinary actions against the candidate must have been resolved prior to acceptance of the application by HTCC.

Click here to read about HTCC's disciplinary policy.

It is the responsibility of the CHT to promptly notify HTCC in writing of any changes in his/her name or address. Notification for admission to the test, notification of test results, changes in the certification program, and renewal of certification depend on accurate information.

HTCC will maintain a complete listing of CHTs. CHT status verification, but not examination scores, will be sent to employers, academic institutions, etc., upon request. CHT names will be displayed in the online CHT Directory with the name of employer, work address, city, state, zip code and work phone number. If this information is not displayed, it is missing from the database.

The Hand Therapy Certification Commission, Inc., and its testing company, Professional Examination Service, endorse the principles of equal opportunity. Eligibility criteria for examination and certification under the Hand Therapy Certification program are applied equally to all certificants regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, veteran status, age, or handicap.