Learn About NAPIA > Continuing Education
Continuing Education Program
- Information and Registration Booklet for Earning CPPA and SPPA Designations
- Statement of Policy With Regard to Continuing Education Units
- Guidelines for Programs That Qualify for NAPIA Continuing Education Credit
- Programs and Activities Which Do Not Qualify for Credit
- Reporting and Recording of Credit Hours
- Exceptions
- Excesses and Shortages in Hours
- Approved Continuing Education Programs
Statement of Policy With Regard to Continuing Education Units
Section 6 of the Official Regulations of the Certification Program states:
- "Requirements...shall be 15 CEU's (Continuing Education Units) subject to approval by the Professional Certification Committee and subject to adoption by the Education Committee. Actual attendance at seminars will be required and recorded by the NAPIA Executive Secretary under the direction of the Professional Certification Committee.
- CEU's will be accepted from programs approved by State Insurance Commissioners plus AICPA, ASA, MAI, RIMS, or ABA.
- Other CEU programs can be qualified and accepted by the Professional Certification Committee.
- Published articles and other literary contributions to the public adjusting profession may be given continuing education credit subject to review and judgement of the Profession Certification Committee.
- Failure to accumulate required CEU's will make a designation subject to revocation by the Professional Certification Committee.
- Any retired person or a person who for other reasons can't accumulate CEU's shall apply to Certification Committee for relief"
Guidelines for Programs That Qualify for NAPIA Continuing Education Credit
The prime consideration in determining if a specific program qualifies as acceptable continuing education is that it be a program of learning which contributes directly to the professional competence of a public adjuster.
The following guidelines provide a description of most areas where continuing education credit may be earned.
Anything not specifically covered by this list may be submitted to the Professional Certification Committee Chairperson for evaluation. The committee reserves the right for final determination of units of credit to be granted. The committee will not approve any program of learning that does not offer sufficient evidence that the work has actually been accomplished.
Formal Education Programs
Formal education programs must meet the following criteria:
- An outline of the program is prepared in advance and preserved.
- The program is at least one (1) hour, consisting of at least a fifty (50) minute period in length for instruction.
- The program is conducted by a qualified instructor, discussion leader, or lecturer.
- A record of attendance or a certificate showing attendance is maintained for a period of three (3) years by the attendee.
Credit will be granted on the basis of actual hours attended, where a fully fifty (50) minute period is equivalent to one (1) hour. A full six (6) hour program in one (1) day is deemed equivalent to eight (8) hours of credit.
The following is a list of some formal education programs which qualify for credit, with restrictions as noted.
- Professional development programs of recognized national, state and local insurance organizations.
- Professional development and technical sessions at meetings of recognized national state and local insurance organizations and their chapters. Educational sessions at chapter meetings shall qualify for one (1) hour credit for actual educational hour attended.
- Programs in other recognized professional organizations such as bar associations, CPA societies.
- University of college courses.
- For courses where credit is granted by the sponsoring institution, each semester hour of credit shall be equivalent to fifteen (15) hours of NAPIA continuing education.
- In the case of non-credit short courses, each classroom hour will be the equivalent of one (1) hour of continuing education credit.
Other Educational Programs Pursued on an Individual Basis
The following is a list of some educational programs pursued on an individual
basis which qualify for credit, with restrictions as noted.
- Educational tapes. Credit will based on hours as stated by certificate of completion.
- Formal correspondence of other individual study programs which require registration and provide evidence of satisfactory completion. Amount of credit will be determined by the Professional Certification Committee.
- Instructor or discussion leader. Speakers will be awarded double credit for actual hours of presentation, in recognition of the corresponding time necessary for competent preparation. Subsequent presentations of the same material will not qualify.
- Published articles or books. Amount of credit will be determined by the Professional Certification Committee.
Programs and Activities Which Do Not Qualify for Credit
Programs and activities which do not earn NAPIA continuing education credit
include, but are not limited to:
- Subscriptions to insurance publications.
- Portions of NAPIA meetings that are not specifically educational and technical sessions, as previously defined.
Reporting and Recording of Credit Hours
It is the responsibility of each NAPIA member to submit a record of credit hours
to the Professional Certification Committee. Evidence in support of hours reported
must be maintained by the member for a period of three (3) years.
Credits reported for educational programs pursued on an individual basis (as noted in Section II of qualifying programs) must be documented. Such documentation must be submitted to the committee within sufficient time for a determination to be made on the amount of credit to be granted. As this process must be completed before the credits may be reported by the member, it is imperative that such documentation be submitted for review directly after the completion of the program.
In those cases where the period of time in which the program or activity is undertaken does not allow sufficient turn-around time, the committee will consider waiving time restrictions.
Credit hours are recorded on a calendar year basis.
Exceptions
The Professional Certification Committee shall have the authority to make
exception for the number of credit hours required. Reasons for exceptions may be:
- Ill health (certified by a doctor)
- Military Service
- Foreign Residence
- Retirement from active professional service
Excesses and Shortages in Hours
Members may earn fewer or more hours than the required fifteen (15) credit hours
bi-annually in continuing education. In such cases, members may "carry forward"
or "carry back" a maximum of eight (8) hours per year, as follows:
Carrying forward credit hours
Members who accumulate more than fifteen (15) hours bi-annually may designate a
maximum of eight (8) of the excess hours (those over the required fifteen) to be
carried forward to the next two year period. In this case the member would be
required to earn a reduced number of hours in the following two year period.
Carrying back credit hours
It is conceivable that a member would be unable to complete the required fifteen
(15) hours of credit bi-annually. In such a case, the member is permitted to earn
the balance of hours required, not to exceed eight (8) hours, in the following year.
These hours, which will be "carried back" to the period where less than fifteen
(15) hours were earned, are required in addition to the fifteen (15) hours required
for the two years following the one with the shortage of hours. No member may
report a shortage in more than two (2) consecutive two year periods.
Approved Continuing Education Programs
Sponsors:AICPCU/IIA
720 Providence Road
P.O. Box 3016
Malvern, PA 19355-0716
(800) 644-2101
cserv@cpcuiia.org
www.aicpcu.org
Defense Research and Trial Lawyers Association
The Defense Research Institute, Inc.
750 North lake Shore Drive
Suite 500
Chicago, Illinois 60611
(312) 944-0575
Tort and Insurance Practice Section
American Bar Association
750 North lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Continuing Legal Education Satellite Network, Inc.
920 Spring Street
Springfield, Illinois 62704
(217) 525-0744
Prentice-Hall Law & Business
885 Valley Road
Clifton, New Jersey 07013
(800) 223-0231
Executive Enterprises, Inc.
22 West 21st Street
New York, New York 10010-6904
(212) 645-7880
State and Local Bar Associations, CPA Societies
Independent Agents' Associations,
Public Insurance Adjusters' Associations
Marshall & Swift
1617 Beverly Boulevard
P.O. Box 26307
Los Angeles, California 90026-0307
(213) 250-2222
R.S. Means Company, Inc.
100 Constitution Plaza
P.O. Box 800
Kingston, Massachusetts 02364-0800
(508) 747-1270