Membership Reinstatement

This reinstatement policy applies only to those applying to reinstate Practicing or Non-practicing membership.

Academic members are not subject to continuing professional development standards and can re-initiate their membership by contacting the BCAK office and providing the required support documentation

Professional Membership Reinstatement Policy

1) Reinstatement Period - Available within 3 years (36 months) of last being a Practicing or Non-practicing members in good standing with the BCAK. The 3 year period is based on the date of receipt of a written request by the previous member and excludes all other inquiries, questions, or requests. Required documents for reinstatement must be submitted within two weeks of the initial written request.

2) Continuing Professional Development Requirements

A total of 20 credits for each year membership has been not in good standing (and if you did not complete the required 20 CE credits in your last year of membership those CE credits will also need to be included).

The requirements reflect that membership renewal begins in mid November of the previous year. If you are looking to reinstate from November 15 to December 31, you will be required to have completed the current year's credits to qualify. An additional 20 credits will be required should you wish to renew for the subsequent year if you are reinstated between January and November 14th.

Year 1 - 20 credits
Year 2 - 40 credits
Year 3 - 60 credits
Year 3+ - 80 credits (applies to reinstatements effective 35 to 36 months, since last being a member in good standing - reinstatement is not available after 36 months have passed)

Example-1: Membership expired in December 2021, reinstatement applied for and approved in July 2022 - 6 months after last being a member in good standing.

2021: 20 credits owed
To renew for 2023 an additional 20 credits will be required and you cannot reuse credits used for reinstatement.

Total Credits Required = 20 credits.

Example-2: Membership expired December 2021, reinstatement applied for and approved December 5th, 11 months later.

2021: 20 credits owed
2022: 20 credits owed (as the 2023 membership purchase period has begun and your membership will run until the end of 2023 and not end in December 2022)
To renew for 2024, an additional 20 credits will be required and you cannot reuse credits used for reinstatement.

Total Credits Required = 40 credits.

Professional Development activities must:

Fall within the categories and criteria indicated in the Continuing Professional Development Categories Table for Reinstatement.
Be within the Professional scope of Practice as defined by the BCAK.
Be relevant to your area of intended practice upon becoming a member. (Note: A letter of intent with a declaration of intended practice area is required as part of your application for reinstatement) and,
Be verifiable by the BCAK - BCAK must be able to authenticate any support documentation provided. BCAK reserves the right to request additional verification of support documentation or reject a submission, should it not be able to authenticate any documentation provided. Mentoring, self-directed education, including no registered webinars/seminars do not qualify.

Who Does Not Qualify for Reinstatement?

Previous Practicing or Non-practicing members who:

Have not been a member in good standing for 3 or more years.
Owe monies to the association (including accrued interest), until such time as the outstanding amounts are paid in full.
Have not fulfilled the continuing education requirements for reinstatement.
Have been expelled from the BCAK, regardless of when they were last a member in good standing.
Members who are currently suspended.

Previous members who do not qualify for reinstatement and are not excluded under items 2 to 5 above can submit a new application and must meet the current admission requirements.

Procedures

Application for reinstatement must be initiated by email request to the BCAK office. BCAK will review your membership history and determine whether you are eligible for reinstatement. If you are determined to be eligible based on the information available you will be provided additional instructions. If you are not eligible, you will be informed on how to initiate a new membership application.

In brief:

Contact the office via email to determine your reinstatement eligibility.
If eligible, you must submit the documentation outlined in the response email prior to entering the review phase.
Allow up to 10 business days for the office to review and verify the documentation submitted.
If approved, follow instructions and relevant links received by email from the BCAK office, including payment of any outstanding amounts owing to the society, the reinstatement fee, and applicable membership dues.
Once this process is complete, your membership will be reinstated, and your membership will be “in good standing” upon completion.

Tips to expedite the process

Contacting us by email

Include “Reinstatement” in the email subject line.
Email from the address associated with your previous BCAK member account.
Keep emails brief and to the point. Do not provide a reason for membership lapse as this is not required. Declare your practice area in the body of your reinstatement email.
Submit all documents required at one time, including the required proof of continuing education.
Submit documents in PDF format.
Keep emails in the same thread (i.e. reply rather than sending a new email).

Contacting us by telephone

When calling the office, introduce yourself and let staff know that you are requesting professional membership reinstatement.

Criminal Record Check (CRC)

Criminal record checks on file with the BCAK expire after 5 years. If you require a new criminal record check See: How to Complete a Criminal Record Check

Proof of Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Only submit CPD activities that are unverifiable. Refer to this table for details.
Submit proof of CPD in a single consolidated PDF document.
Ask the office for recommendations on where/how to obtain/complete recognized CPD credits if you are unsure.

Follow up with the office on your reinstatement if you do not hear back within 10 days after document submission. Delays can occur if the BCAK is awaiting your CRC clearance letter or follow up verification of your CPD submission(s) as you may be able to assist in this process.

Verification Document Guidelines

Certificates of Completion

A typical certificate of attendance or course completions should include the following:

Title of the course/workshop/seminar/in-service.
Date of delivery.
Attendee’s name.
Expiration date (if applicable).
Seal of certifying organization.
CE equivalents and/or number of contact hours.

If any of the above information is not included on the certificate, it is the applicant’s responsibility to provide and explanation or find alternative proof.

Signed Letters

For a letter to be accepted, the author must:

Address the letter to the BCAK and send it directly to the office via email.
Include a brief explanation of their relationship to the applicant.
Summarize the activity performed by the applicant.
Estimate or provide an exact number of hours for the activity described in the letter.
Include the following contact information:
- Name.
- Title.
- Email or phone number.

Receipts

For a receipt to be accepted, it must:

Include the applicant’s name.
Product name.
Seller information (i.e. name of company).
Date of purchase.

Research

For research to be accepted, it must be published in a peer reviewed Academic Journal. Pre-print publications can be accepted if the paper has been peer reviewed and is simply pending publication. A link to the article must be provided and the applicant for reinstatement must be a listed author (other contributions may be accepted under volunteer work). Research will not be accepted if:

The applicant is a participant in the study.
The article was published on a blog or website (i.e. not published in a peer reviewed academic journal)
The applicant is a paid research assistant with no author credit.