recertification procedure and forms

ABFO Recertification Forms

Diplomates of the ABFO are required to recertify every five years in order to maintain their status as “board certified.” Shortly after the ABFO Annual Meeting in February, the group of Diplomates who are eligible to recertify in a particular year will be contacted and notified of the details of the recertification procedure by the Certification & Examination Committee Recertification Chair. The recertification procedure is a two-part process:

1. A completed application form must be submitted to the C&E Committee showing the Candidate has met the current requirements for recertification (see the most recent ABFO Diplomates Reference Manual for specific requirements)
2. As part of the application procedure the candidate must review a presentation on current ABFO standards and guidelines and attest by their signature that the presentation has been reviewed.

The C&E Committee requires the application for recertification and any needed supporting documentation to be submitted in electronic form. The required recertification application form will be provided to the Candidates by the Recertification Chair, and the form is also available from the ABFO website in both Microsoft Word and PDF formats (below). Preferred is the MS Word format form, which is a “live” editable form that can easily be filled out using a word processor. The MS Word form may then be electronically signed if the Candidate has obtained the appropriate digital signature certificate. Alternatively, either the Word or PDF format form can be downloaded and printed, and then filled out by hand. The hard-copy form can be physically signed, but then must be scanned in order to be submitted electronically. The completed application form must be submitted to the Certification & Examination Committee via the Recertification Chair at the e-mail address provided below. (Please note: if the recertification application is not timely received by the Recertification Chair, the ABFO policy noted in the ABFO Diplomates Reference Manual provides the Diplomate’s certification will automatically lapse.)

The Certification & Examination Committee Recertification Chairperson or the ABFO Treasurer will contact the Candidates regarding the recertification fee. (Currently $150.00)

Recertification Timeline

1. The C&E Committee will solicit a list of the year’s recertification candidates from the ABFO Secretary prior to the ABFO Annual Meeting each year.
2. The C&E Committee will notify Diplomate recertification candidates by March 1st each year of their need to recertify and of the process involved.
3. The due date of the completed application and fees for ABFO recertification is August 15th.

Recertification Chairperson

ABFO C&E Committee

ABFO-Recertification -Documentation-Form-Revised-2023 (PDF Version)

ABFO-Recertification -Documentation-Form-Revised-2023 (Word Version)