Who & How Does NACVSO accredit?

1.      Who will NACVSO Accredit?

Any voting member or non-voting member as described in Article II (2.1) category 1,2, 3, 4 and 7 of the NACVSO Bylaws, in good standing that has completed the Basic Benefits Course or equivalent (determined by the Education Chair) may apply for NACVSO accreditation.

• Is a member in good standing (category 1, 2, 3, or 7) and,
• A paid employee working not less than 1,000 hours annually for one of the following: county government or similar municipality (i.e. Parrish, Burrough, etc), city government, state government, Tribal government, or territory government and, 
• Attend and pass test of NACVSO Basic Benefits Training Course (BBTC) and,
• Is of good character and reputation and has demonstrated an ability to represent claimants before VA.

OR

• Is a member in good standing (category 1, 2, 3, 7 or 4) and,
• Is a paid employee of NACVSO working not less than 1,000 hours annually for the organization and,
• Attend and pass test of NACVSO Basic Benefits Training Course (BBTC) and, 
• Is of good character and reputation and has demonstrated an ability to represent claimants before VA.

NOTE: 

• NACVSO will not accredit claims agents. If you apply to be a claims agent while accredited NACVSO, NACVSO will revoke your accreditation.
• NACVSO will not accredit attorneys unless working in the capacity of a CVSO or other government entity and is willing to sign the NACVSO Attorney Agreement.  
• NACVSO is the primary accreditor for the majority of its members. If NACVSO revokes accreditation, in most circumstances, all other accreditations will be revoked. 

2.      How do members get accredited? 

Formal training is required for accreditation applicants from NACVSO. The NACVSO Basic Benefits Course consists of 30-hours of classroom/virtual training and is required for all applicants seeking accreditation by NACVSO. Accreditation packets will only be accepted through the NACVSO website, NSD page.

• NACVSO offers basic benefits training throughout the year online.
• Members who attend the required NACVSO Basic Benefits Course and pass the end of course exam may apply for accreditation by submitting the necessary documents (3 in total) to the office of the NACVSO National Service Director (NSD) through the NACVSO Website. (PDF only, please do not submit in TIFF, JPG, GIF, etc. formats).
• Attending training does not automatically qualify you for accreditation.
• Members DO NOT submit accreditation applications directly to OGC.

Follow the instructions and DO NOT send additional information that is not needed as this causes a delay in or return of your application.

** An accreditation application is considered incomplete if all 3 documents are not included and will not be processed. Before you submit, your accreditation documents, review the documents to ensure they are clearly readable (TYPED DOCUMENTS ARE BEST). If the file(s) is/are not readable or are incomplete, they will be emailed back to you. If you have questions or need assistance, email the NSD.

*** Once you are accredited with NACVSO, you may apply for cross-accreditation with other VSOs. NACVSO currently facilitates cross-accreditation with DAV.  Contact other VSOs (VFW, American Legion, etc) directly for more information regarding cross-accreditation.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of General Council (OGC) is the final approving authority for accreditation. After NACVSO has received and submitted your application, you can check the VAOGC webpage 30-90 days afterwards to see if you are now accredited.

Questions:

Specific inquires for the following issues should be directed to: 

National Service Director (NSD)

• NACVSO accreditation/Cross accreditation, questions and applications
• Testing, Recertification
• Change of address, name changes

Assistant National Service Director (ANSD)

• Cross accreditation applications
• CEU

Contact National Service Director (NSD), Mike Farmer by E-mail

Membership questions should be addressed to the Executive Director by E-mail