Certification

General Provisions

Applicants must be actively engaged and employed in the practice of forensic toxicology at the time of application and at the time of sitting for the qualifying examination.
The right to deny certification is reserved.
A Certificate of Qualification in forensic toxicology is valid for five years and is renewable according to standards and under conditions established by the board, including continuing education requirements.
Persons holding a valid Certificate of Qualification issued by the board are entitled to use the applicable designation and initials.
Certificates may be suspended or revoked for appropriate cause under an elaborate system of safeguards for the individual concerned.
Qualifications, requirements, and application procedures for certification are subject to revision by the board.

Continuing Education and Annual Fees
Once certified, all certificants are required to provide annual documentation of continuing education in the field of forensic toxicology. Current documentation requirements are available on the ABFT website. An annual maintenance fee of $120 is collected at the time continuing education documentation is submitted by the certificant. The documentation and fee must be submitted every year, regardless of the amount or lack of continuing education activity that a certificant has participated in for a given year.

FAQs

Once certified, what is required for me to maintain my certification with ABFT?

Every certificant must keep the ABFT up to date regarding contact information e.g. any name changes, degree additions, current home and work addresses, current email addresses including an alternate email address.
Every five years a certificant must complete a recertification application reflecting continued work in the field of forensic toxicology and include a current and updated CV with the application. If filed by the deadline, no fee is required. This application is in addition to the CE (Continuing Education) submission for the year.
Annually, every certificant must submit a report documenting the CE earned for the previous year. An average of 10 points per year is encouraged to obtain the required 50 points for the 5-year recertification period. There is an annual fee of $120 when submitting CE. You do not have to submit CE for the year you become a certificant. Your points for the first recertification period are prorated to 40 points instead of the normal 50 points (analyst is 20 points instead of the normal 25 points). The only requirement for the first year is that you must sign the Code of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct that must be completed and returned no later than March 15th.
Certificants are required to submit a minimum of 5 points per year. Submissions of less than 5 points shall result in revocation of certification and certificants shall be required to surrender their certificate. Reinstatement option does not apply for any designation. If an individual would like to again be certified by the ABFT, they must reapply and successfully pass the current relevant written certification examination.
In the case of an extended illness, a medical waiver may be granted by the board no more than once per 5-year recertification period. However, the CE submission form must be submitted with the appropriate submission fee and waiver request and is subject to ABFT Board approval.

Do I need to submit CE for the year I become a certificant?

You do not have to submit CE for the year you become a certificant. Your points for the first recertification period are prorated to 40 points instead of the normal 50 points. Analysts are prorated to 20 points instead of the normal 25 points. The only requirement for the first year is that you must sign a Code of Ethics form and a Code of Professional Conduct form. These two documents are sent out via DocuSign in January and must be completed and returned no later than March 15th of the year after you become a certificant. (e.g., You become a certificant in 2021, your Code of Ethics form and Code of Professional Conduct form are due by March 15, 2022.)

When does my certificate expire?

Is my information published?

When can my certificate and/or my designation not be used?

Each certificate shall remain the property of the board. Each certificant shall be entitled to its possession, unless expired or revoked or if the certificant has retired or is no longer in the field of forensic toxicology. Every certificant of the ABFT shall discontinue use of all claims to certification that contain any reference to ABFT or certification upon suspension or withdrawal of certification and will return any certificates issued by the ABFT. Certificants shall not present themselves as certified during a suspension period and continued use of the certification designation shall result in immediate revocation of certification. Certificants shall not present themselves as certified upon revocation.

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Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Phone: (352) 258-6125

The ABFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization incorporated in the District of Columbia.

The ABFT has been accredited by the Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board (FSAB) since March 1, 2006.

Information found in ABFT documents or website, including advertising, is intended to be accurate and not misleading at the time of publication.

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ABFT is a certification and accreditation organization and cannot provide consultative or referral services. Therefore, ABFT will not reply to any inquiries of this nature.