The Autism Commission on Quality’s (ACQ) Accreditation Committee is an independent decision-making body responsible for determining the status of organizations seeking to achieve and maintain accreditation. The Accreditation Committee makes its determinations as follows:

Full Accreditation. A pass determination issued when an applicant appears to meet 100% of applicable standards while the service line(s) under review were active and continuous throughout the entire application process.

Conditional Accreditation. An interim determination made when an applicant appears to meet less than 100% but at least 90% of applicable standards and at minimum, provides evidence that operational updates have been introduced that are reasonably expected to address all areas of nonconformance identified within 6 months following a Corrective Action Period. A Corrective Action Period is a one-time 60-day application extension granted to organizations meeting at least 90%, but not 100%, of applicable standards to allow applicants close to passing their accreditation review additional time to address areas of nonconformance before a final determination is issued. Conditional Accreditation determinations may also be made when new areas of nonconformance are identified during the Corrective Action Period that the applicant was not notified of previously if the applicant appears to be meeting the other eligibility requirements to qualify for this determination (e.g., meeting at least 90% of applicable standards, evidence of operational updates). Organizations holding a Conditional Accreditation are not eligible for another Corrective Action Period during their supplemental review. A Conditional Accreditation determination is converted by the Accreditation Committee into a:

• • Full Accreditation determination when it appears the Organization is in conformance with 100% of applicable standards within six (6) months of being notified of its Conditional Accreditation determination; or
  • Denied Accreditation when it appears the Organization is meeting less than 100% of applicable standards within six (6) months of being notified of its Conditional Accreditation determination; when the Organization fails to respond to requests for updates on their progress; or when the updates provided indicate a significant lack of progress in addressing the identified areas of nonconformance during the accreditation cycle.

Denied Accreditation. A fail determination issued when an applicant appears to meet less than 90% of applicable standards or does not meet the criteria for a Full or Conditional Accreditation determination.