Terms of Use

Acceptance, authority and eligibility to use the services

By accessing or using a CHSPS online service, creating an account, submitting a form, placing an order, or otherwise accepting these Terms where presented, you agree to these Terms. If you act for an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind or act for that organization to the extent required for the transaction or submission. If you do not have that authority, you may not represent that you do.

You must be legally capable of entering the applicable transaction. A parent, guardian or other authorized adult must act where applicable law requires one. You may not use a CHSPS service where the use itself would violate applicable law.

What CHSPS provides, and what it does not

CHSPS is an independent nonprofit standards and accreditation organization. CHSPS develops and publishes standards, administers accreditation and related assurance processes, maintains public records, provides education and resources, and operates related services. CHSPS is not a government agency, does not issue professional licenses, and does not certify individual practitioners.

Website content is general institutional information unless identified as a controlling standard, policy, agreement, decision, invoice, public record or other formal instrument. A website summary, chatbot response, search result, example, checklist, webinar, readiness resource, staff conversation or informal email does not amend a standard, waive a requirement, bind a decision body, or guarantee eligibility or accreditation.

Accreditation and assurance are independent outcome processes

Eligibility review, application intake, payment, education, membership, consulting by a third party, sponsorship, vendor status, participation in standards work, or any other commercial or institutional relationship does not guarantee accreditation, renewal, reinstatement, scope approval, a finding, an interpretation, a decision, a timeline, recognition by a third party, or any other favorable result.

Accreditation decisions depend on the applicable standards, defined scope, evidence, review record and authorized decision process. CHSPS may request clarification, supplemental evidence, corrective action or scope changes; identify nonconformity; defer or deny a decision; suspend or withdraw status; or take another action authorized by controlling requirements. Separate reconsideration, complaint or appeal rights apply only as provided by the governing CHSPS process.

Standards, editions, scope and official records control

You are responsible for using the current applicable standard, edition, fee schedule, written scope and controlled policy. The Standards Registry, applicable controlled documents, executed agreements and official CHSPS records control over cached pages, search snippets, third-party summaries, archived screenshots or informal statements.

Public accreditation status is only what the CHSPS verification record states for the identified organization, program, scope and period. An active CHSPS pathway does not mean an applicant is accredited. A person is not CHSPS-accredited merely because the person works for, attends, completes or holds a credential from an accredited organization or program.

Accounts, credentials and authorized access

You must provide accurate account information, keep credentials and authentication factors confidential, use only accounts you are authorized to use, and promptly notify CHSPS of suspected unauthorized access. You are responsible for activity performed through your account to the extent permitted by law, including activity by persons to whom you improperly provide access.

CHSPS may require identity, organization, role or authority verification; revoke or expire sessions; reset credentials; restrict access; or require additional authentication when reasonably necessary to protect accounts, records, users or the integrity of a CHSPS process. You may not bypass access controls, impersonate another person, or attempt to obtain information outside your authorized scope.

Your submissions, evidence and representations

You remain responsible for material you submit to CHSPS. You represent that your submission is accurate to the best of your knowledge, is not materially misleading, and that you have the rights, permissions and authority necessary to provide it for the intended CHSPS purpose.

You retain ownership of your pre-existing materials. You grant CHSPS and its authorized personnel and service providers a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, copy, transmit, review, annotate, reproduce internally, transform for technical processing, archive and otherwise use submitted material as reasonably necessary to provide the requested service, administer standards/accreditation functions, maintain records, comply with law, protect legal rights and exercise rights expressly granted by the governing process. This operational license survives termination to the extent reasonably necessary for retained records, legal obligations and dispute resolution.

You must not submit malware, unlawfully obtained data, content that infringes another party's rights, or unnecessary sensitive personal information. CHSPS may require redaction, replacement, reformatting or removal of material that creates an unnecessary security, privacy, rights or operational risk.

Confidentiality, privacy and third-party information

CHSPS handles personal information under the Privacy Policy & Cookie Notice and handles accreditation materials under applicable confidentiality and records rules. No Internet transmission or information system can be guaranteed absolutely secure.

If you submit confidential, proprietary, employee, candidate, learner, patient, customer or other third-party information, you are responsible for lawful collection and disclosure, necessary notices and permissions, data minimization and appropriate redaction. CHSPS's acceptance of a file is not a representation that the submitter had a lawful right to provide every item in the file.

Publication and public records

Certain CHSPS functions are intentionally public. Depending on the governing process, CHSPS may publish standards, interpretations, public-comment records or dispositions, accreditation status, scope, effective dates, formal actions, decisions required to be public, governance information, funding disclosures and other institutional records.

By participating in a process identified as public or by accepting terms that provide for publication, you authorize the publication described by that process. CHSPS may preserve historical public records where necessary for integrity, transparency or legal purposes even after an underlying relationship ends, subject to applicable law and correction procedures.

Acceptable use and prohibited conduct

You may use CHSPS services only for lawful purposes and in a manner consistent with these Terms. You may not:

• interfere with, probe, scan, overload, disrupt or circumvent security, authentication, rate limits, access restrictions or technical controls;
• use automated means to scrape, harvest, enumerate, copy or extract non-public information, personal data, account data or substantial portions of CHSPS content without written authorization;
• reverse engineer or attempt to obtain source code, credentials, tokens, confidential prompts, security logic or non-public system information except where applicable law expressly permits the activity notwithstanding this restriction;
• upload malware, malicious code, deceptive content or content that violates law or third-party rights;
• impersonate CHSPS, a reviewer, decision body, accredited organization or another person; create false records; alter verification results; or misrepresent accreditation status or scope;
• use CHSPS marks, seals, accreditation numbers, reports, standards or content in a way that implies an endorsement, status, scope, relationship or permission that does not exist; or
• use a CHSPS service to violate sanctions, export-control, anti-bribery, anti-fraud, intellectual-property, privacy or other applicable law.

Reasonable public search-engine indexing and ordinary linking to public pages are not prohibited by this section.

Intellectual property, standards and CHSPS marks

Except for material expressly identified otherwise, CHSPS owns or licenses CHSPS.org, its design, text, graphics, databases, software, standards, publications, trademarks, service marks, logos, seals and other CHSPS materials. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.

CHSPS grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and use public website materials for lawful internal reference and the purpose for which they are provided. Free public access to a standard does not transfer copyright or trademark rights and does not authorize republication, resale, creation of a competing derivative product, or removal of notices except as allowed by law or an express license.

Use of the CHSPS name, accreditation seal, marks and accreditation claims is additionally governed by the Mark & Claims Policy and any award-specific terms. Unauthorized use may be suspended or required to be corrected immediately.

Feedback, comments and ideas

If you voluntarily send non-confidential feedback, suggestions or ideas about CHSPS services outside a controlled standards-comment process, you grant CHSPS a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free right to use, reproduce, modify and incorporate that feedback without compensation or attribution, unless CHSPS expressly agrees otherwise in writing.

Formal public comments on standards remain governed by the applicable standards-development process and any publication rules stated there; this feedback clause does not convert a confidential accreditation submission into public feedback.

Prices, payments, taxes, refunds and disputes

Prices, currencies, billing terms and taxes are those presented in the applicable order, invoice, catalog or written agreement. You authorize CHSPS and its payment processors to process the selected payment method for authorized charges. You are responsible for accurate billing information and legally applicable taxes that are not collected by CHSPS, except taxes imposed on CHSPS itself.

The Refund Policy is incorporated into these Terms. Except for the narrow exceptions stated there, an express written term for a specific purchase, or rights that applicable law makes non-waivable, CHSPS payments are final and non-refundable after the applicable delivery, access or work threshold. A payment dispute or chargeback does not create a refund right that otherwise does not exist.

CHSPS may suspend unpaid or fraud-affected services, reverse an erroneous credit, correct a billing error, or provide evidence of authorization, delivery and acceptance to a payment provider. Nothing here prevents a cardholder from exercising a right that card-network rules or applicable law makes non-waivable.

Third-party services, links and integrations

CHSPS services may use or link to third-party hosting, communications, authentication, security, payment, document or other technology. A third party's terms and privacy practices may apply when you use its service. CHSPS does not control third-party websites merely because CHSPS links to them and is not responsible for their independent content, availability or conduct.

CHSPS may change service providers or technical integrations. Unless an express written agreement states otherwise, a third-party outage, policy change or discontinuation does not create a right to a particular vendor or technical implementation.

AI-assisted help and automated tools

CHSPS may provide AI-assisted website help or use automation for administrative support. AI-generated or automated output may be incomplete, inaccurate or out of date. It is provided for convenience and is not legal, medical, financial or professional advice, an official standards interpretation, a reviewer finding, an eligibility determination or an accreditation decision.

Do not place confidential evidence, patient information, passwords, authentication secrets or unnecessary sensitive information into a public AI help tool. Where human review is required by a governing accreditation process, an AI tool does not replace the authorized human role.

Electronic records and communications

You consent to receive records and communications electronically when you use an online CHSPS transaction or account, to the extent permitted by law. Electronic communications may include receipts, invoices, account notices, security notices, service notices, application communications and records made available in My CHSPS. You are responsible for maintaining a current email address and reasonable access to the account or delivery method you selected.

Optional Standards Bulletin or marketing messages may be unsubscribed separately. An unsubscribe from optional messages does not prevent legally permitted transactional, account, accreditation, security, billing or other required service communications.

Suspension, restriction and termination

CHSPS may restrict, suspend or terminate access when reasonably necessary to address nonpayment, security risk, unauthorized access, material breach, abusive conduct, fraud, legal requirements, service discontinuation or protection of CHSPS processes and records. Where appropriate and legally required, CHSPS may provide notice or an opportunity to cure.

Termination of website or account access does not automatically erase records, cancel earned fees, reverse public accreditation history, waive existing obligations or eliminate rights and provisions that by their nature should survive.

Disclaimers

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CHSPS.ORG, DIGITAL MATERIALS AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” CHSPS DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT AND ANY WARRANTY ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT AN EXPRESS WRITTEN WARRANTY APPLIES OR A WARRANTY CANNOT LAWFULLY BE DISCLAIMED.

CHSPS does not warrant that every service will be uninterrupted, error-free, compatible with every device, immune from unauthorized access, or that website content will always be complete or current. CHSPS does not warrant third-party recognition, licensure acceptance, reimbursement, employment, regulatory treatment, commercial success or any other external consequence of accreditation, education, membership or use of CHSPS materials.

Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CHSPS AND ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, REVIEWERS, VOLUNTEERS, CONTRACTORS AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES; LOST PROFITS, REVENUE, GOODWILL, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY OR DATA; OR COSTS OF SUBSTITUTE SERVICES ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE SERVICES OR THESE TERMS, EVEN IF ADVISED THAT SUCH DAMAGES WERE POSSIBLE.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF CHSPS FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM A SPECIFIC PAID SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT THE CLAIMANT ACTUALLY PAID TO CHSPS FOR THAT SPECIFIC SERVICE DURING THE TWELVE MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM OR (B) US $100. FOR A FREE SERVICE OR GENERAL WEBSITE USE, THE AGGREGATE CAP IS US $100.

These exclusions and caps apply regardless of theory of liability and are intended to allocate risk reflected in CHSPS pricing and the availability of services. They do not exclude or limit liability, remedies or statutory rights to the extent applicable law prohibits that exclusion or limitation, including any liability that cannot lawfully be limited for fraud, willful misconduct, gross negligence, death or personal injury where the governing law so provides.

Indemnification for organizational and business users

To the maximum extent permitted by law, an organization or person using CHSPS services for business or institutional purposes will defend, indemnify and hold harmless CHSPS and its directors, officers, employees, reviewers, volunteers, contractors and agents from third-party claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, penalties, costs and reasonable attorneys' fees arising from that user's: unlawful or unauthorized submission of content or personal data; infringement or misappropriation of third-party rights; material misrepresentation; unauthorized accreditation or mark claim; violation of law; or material breach of these Terms.

This section does not require indemnification for a claim to the extent caused by CHSPS's own conduct for which indemnification cannot lawfully be required, and it does not impose a consumer indemnity where applicable consumer law prohibits it. CHSPS may control the defense of an indemnified claim with reasonable cooperation from the indemnifying party.

Events beyond reasonable control

CHSPS is not liable for delay or failure caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, fire, epidemic, war, terrorism, civil disorder, labor disruption, utility or telecommunications failure, Internet or cloud outage, cyberattack despite reasonable safeguards, payment-network failure, government action, sanctions, legal or regulatory change, or failure of a critical third-party service. CHSPS will use commercially reasonable efforts appropriate to the circumstances to resume affected services.

This section does not excuse payment obligations already due for delivered services and does not eliminate remedies that applicable law makes non-waivable.

Legal claims, equitable relief and preservation of process remedies

Accreditation reconsideration, complaint and appeal procedures are administrative/institutional remedies governed by their controlling documents. They are not replaced by these Terms, and using or not using a CHSPS process has the legal effect, if any, provided by applicable law and the governing process.

Unauthorized access, misuse of confidential information, infringement of intellectual property, false accreditation claims or misuse of CHSPS marks may cause harm not adequately remedied by money damages. To the extent permitted by law, CHSPS may seek injunctive or equitable relief in addition to other available remedies without waiving other rights.

Governing law and forum

Except to the extent a different governing law is required by an express written agreement or by non-waivable applicable law, these Terms and disputes arising from them are governed by the laws of the District of Columbia, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

To the extent legally permitted, the state or federal courts located in the District of Columbia will have exclusive jurisdiction over litigation arising from these Terms, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction there. This forum provision does not deprive a consumer or other protected person of a venue, jurisdiction, remedy or mandatory protection that applicable law does not permit the parties to waive.

International users and mandatory local law

CHSPS operates from the United States and may make services available internationally. You are responsible for compliance with laws that apply to your use, organization and submissions. Availability of a website or service in a country does not represent that CHSPS accreditation is recognized, approved or legally sufficient there.

If applicable consumer, privacy, data-protection or other mandatory law gives you rights that these Terms cannot lawfully exclude, restrict or waive, that mandatory law controls to the extent of the conflict. No clause in these Terms should be interpreted to require an unlawful waiver.

General contract terms

• Severability: if a provision is unenforceable, it will be enforced to the maximum lawful extent or severed, and the remainder will continue in effect.
• No waiver: a failure or delay in enforcing a right does not waive that right.
• Assignment: you may not assign these Terms or an account without CHSPS's prior written consent where consent is legally permitted to be required. CHSPS may assign these Terms in connection with a lawful reorganization, merger, transfer of operations or successor transaction.
• No agency: these Terms do not create a partnership, joint venture, employment, fiduciary, franchise or agency relationship between CHSPS and the user.
• Headings: headings are for convenience and do not limit the text.
• Entire agreement: these Terms, the incorporated policies and any applicable specific written agreement constitute the agreement for the matters they govern and supersede prior informal statements about those matters.
• Survival: provisions concerning payment, records, intellectual property, confidentiality, disclaimers, liability, indemnity, governing law and provisions that by their nature should survive continue after termination.

Changes to these Terms

CHSPS may revise these Terms to reflect changes in services, law, risk, technology or institutional operations. The current version will be posted at chsps.org/terms with a revision date. When applicable law or an existing contract requires additional notice or affirmative agreement before a material change binds an existing user, CHSPS will provide that notice or obtain that agreement.

Continued use after an effective revision constitutes acceptance only to the extent such acceptance is valid under applicable law. A material change will not retroactively eliminate a right or impose a new liability where applicable law prohibits retroactive effect.

Legal notices and contact

Questions about these Terms may be sent to info@chsps.org. Unless a controlling agreement provides another required notice address, formal written notices to CHSPS may be mailed to Commission for Health, Safety & Professional Standards, Inc., 818 18th St NW 1373, Suite 810, Washington, DC 20006, United States.

Terms of Use 2026.1, revised August 30, 2026.