No. Submission of the CE Submission Form is by DocuSign only. Paper submissions will not be accepted.

No. Each activity must have the appropriate CE certificate with all required information to receive credit.

At the top of the DocuSign document, there is an "Other Actions" drop-down menu. Select "Finish Later" to save your DocuSign document in between sessions of working on your document.

All CE activities must be “completed” in the year for which the CE is submitted and must have the date indicated on the certificate. An activity is not considered “complete” until the evaluation has been submitted. It then becomes eligible for credit and a certificate can be printed. The date the evaluation is submitted is the completion date that is on the certificate. The certificate must have a date that is in the same year as the submission year to receive credit for the submission. All certificates must show the date and number of credits earned for points to be awarded. In addition, if the certificate shows zero credits, no points will be awarded.

The CE certificate must indicate the name of the certificant, the name of the activity, the date of completion, and the number of hours/credits.

No. Please be thorough when preparing your submission. Submissions received by the ABFT Administrative Office are final and addendums will not be accepted.

Yes. Do not enter more points than are allowable in each section.

You will not see the attachment icon until you have entered activity information in the first field of each line of the text boxes. Once text is entered in the first box, text can be entered in the remaining boxes in that line and the attachment icon will appear.

To encourage the accumulation of points over the entire 5-year period, diplomates and fellows should submit a minimum of 10 points per year. Analysts should submit a minimum of 5 points per year.

All certificants are required to submit forensic toxicology related activities with a minimum total of 5 accurately calculated points per year. Submissions of less than 5 points shall result in immediate revocation of certification and certificants shall be required to surrender their certificate. The reinstatement option does not apply. If the individual would like to be certified by the ABFT, they must reapply and successfully pass the current relevant written certification examination.

After March 15 to April 30 - $100 late fee; After April 30 to June 30 - $200 late fee; After June 30 - Shall result in immediate revocation of certification. A certificant whose certification has been revoked due to failure to submit CE may apply for reinstatement in accordance with the ABFT's policy for reinstatement.

Diplomates and fellows must submit a minimum of 50 continuing education points during each 5-year recertification period. Analysts must submit a minimum of 25 continuing education points during each 5-year recertification period. Certificants that fail to accumulate the required minimum CE points during a 5-year recertification period shall not recertify. If an individual would like to remain certified by the ABFT, they can choose to exercise the exam option in lieu of sufficient cumulative points to recertify or they may reapply and successfully pass the current relevant written certification examination. Accumulated points greater than what is required to recertify do not carry-over into the next recertification period.

Contact Rachel Begonia, Credentialing and Continuing Education Coordinator, at rbegonia@abft.org.

You do not have to submit CE for the year you become a certificant unless you are already a certificant and have upgraded your certification. 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 became a certificant. (e.g., You became a certificant in 2019, your Code of Ethics form and Code of Professional Conduct form are due by May 15, 2020.)

All virtual or online activities including JAT articles are calculated at 0.25 points/contact hour. Hour and credit are synonymous with each other and are calculated the same way. Details regarding the number of points awarded in each category are designated on the CE submission form.

Certificants need to log in to the AAFS website. The certificates are located in the membership portal. Certificates are also emailed to each participant.

There is a payment gateway embedded in the DocuSign document. You will be prompted to make your payment when the document is complete and ready for submission.

Employers will not be sent an invoice. Certificants must pay the CE fee with a personal credit card at the time of submission. The credit card can also be an employer/company credit card if the card is set up to allow these types of charges. If the charge is denied, ask your employer to contact the credit card company.

No. Your CE will only be processed once payment has been received.

Once the payment has been made within DocuSign and the document is submitted, an email will be sent from DocuSign that states, "Completed Documents". DO NOT DELETE THIS EMAIL. This email is your receipt and is your link to your completed documents. No additional receipts will be sent. Also, certificants can set up a free account with DocuSign and all documents signed will be accessible through that account.