In order to facilitate an open and impartial certification program, Logical Operations (LO) has established policies and procedures for applicants, candidates, and certificants to appeal adverse decisions related to LO certification programs. Further, LO has established policies and procedures to enable all stakeholders to file complaints against Logical Operations’ certification programs or individuals who may be in violation of LO certification policies—such as through misrepresenting certification status or cheating on an exam. The policies and procedures in this document shall be publicly available without request to all individuals on the Logical Operations website.
Logical Operations shall consider all requests for appeals from any applicant, candidate, or certificant and shall, if it has been determined that the request for appeal is legitimate, assign an ad hoc certification exam appeals committee to review the request.
An appeal is a formal request for reconsideration of an adverse decision made by Logical Operations related to an individual’s achievement of a certification or compliance with Logical Operations policies.
Purpose
The purpose of an appeal request review is to make determinations on appeal requests submitted by Logical Operations certification applicants, candidates, and certificants. Specific responsibilities of the certification exam appeals committee include:
- Acknowledging all appeal requests
- Ensuring all appeals are processed and reviewed in an impartial manner, specifically avoiding real or perceived conflicts of interest
- Giving all appeals due consideration
- Making determinations regarding the validity of appeals
- Notifying appeal requestors and Logical Operations of appeal outcomes
- Maintaining a record of all appeals and the related decisions
Appeal Submission and Acknowledgement
An appeal must be made in writing to Logical Operations within thirty (30) calendar days of receiving the adverse determination. The written request must include a statement indicating the grounds for appeal, an explanation as to why the appeal should be granted, and all supporting documentation or evidence to support the request. Requests shall also contain the appellant's email address, postal address, and a phone number at which the appellant can be reached.
Appeal request submissions can be made to credentialing@logicaloperations.com. Logical Operations will acknowledge receipt of the appeal within five (5) business days of receipt. The acknowledgement shall include a description of the appeals process.
Appeal Review and Determination
Appeals shall be reviewed by the certification exam appeals committee within forty-five (45) calendar days of the appeal request submission. The function of the certification exam appeals committee in a given case is to review the decision being appealed based on the records available at the time of the determination and any additional information relevant to the appeal. Members of the certification exam appeals committee shall recuse themselves from the appeal consideration if there is any reason for which impartiality might reasonably be questioned, or there is an actual or apparent conflict of interests.
The certification exam appeals committee shall notify the Director, Certification Programs (DCP); the Manager, Partner Product Development (MPPD); and the appellant of its decision within fourteen (14) calendar days of determination.
Appellant Non-Discrimination
Under no circumstances shall any agent of Logical Operations discriminate in any way against an applicant, a candidate, or a certificant who files an appeal request.
Certification Exam Appeals Committee Appointments
Decisions regarding appointments to certification exam appeals committees shall be made by the DCP or MPPD with the guidance of the appropriate scheme committee members. Members of certification exam appeals committees shall be chosen from among the scheme committee members for the related certification program. The DCP and/or MMPD shall make appointments in a manner that ensures fair and impartial representation of the target industry with no interest predominating.
Meetings
There are no formal requirements for the frequency of certification exam appeals committee meetings. These ad hoc committees shall meet, whether in person or remotely, as often as necessary to accomplish their responsibilities. The MPPD shall issue an agenda, whether formal or informal, for each meeting. When meeting remotely, as in the case of a conference call or a web-conferencing session, all persons participating in the meeting shall be considered present for the meeting.
Quorum and Voting
For voting at a meeting, the participation of a simple majority of the current voting membership of the certification exam appeals committee shall constitute a quorum and a simple majority of voters shall constitute an actionable decision. The voting results shall be recorded and kept on file.
Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of a certification exam appeals committee may be taken through electronic means, such as via email or submission of acceptance forms through other electronic means.
A dispute is an informal request for resolution of an issue related to the Logical Operations certification program. A complaint is a formal request, other than an appeal, for resolution of an issue related to the Logical Operations certification program or the professional behavior of a certificant.
Program Disputes
Individuals with disputes regarding the assessments, personnel, certificants, or other elements of the certification program are encouraged to discuss these with the individuals involved to try to resolve the matter informally. In some cases, however, informal resolution is not possible, and individuals may wish to file a formal complaint.
Submission and Acknowledgement of Formal Complaints
A complaint shall be submitted in writing to Logical Operations within ninety (90) days of the incident's occurrence. Complaints must be submitted to credentialing@logicaloperations.com. The submission shall include sufficient objective evidence to substantiate the claims and allow for a decision to be made and the appropriate action to be taken. Submissions shall also contain the complainant’s email address, postal address, and a phone number at which the complainant can be reached. Dissatisfaction based on hearsay shall not be considered a complaint.
Complaints shall be acknowledged within ten (10) days of receipt. The acknowledgement shall include a description of the complaint process, and shall advise the complainant that he or she will receive status reports regarding the complaint.
Determination of Involvement
The DCP shall review all submitted complaints to determine if they can be addressed by Logical Operations staff or if it warrants the involvement of a complaint review committee. The DCP shall be responsible for sending status reports to the complainant as material changes in the status of the complaint occur.
Staff Review
In cases where the DCP determines that a complaint can be addressed by Logical Operations staff, the DCP will refer the complaint to a suitable staff member considering matters of confidentiality, conflicts of interest, and impartiality. The assigned staff member shall take action to resolve the issue and communicate the resolution to the complainant within thirty (30) calendar days of reviewing the complaint. Should the assigned staff member fail to resolve the issue or should the complainant deem the resolution to be unsatisfactory, the complaint will be assigned for review to a complaint review committee.
Complaint Review Committee Review
If a complaint is found to warrant escalation, the DCP or the MPPD shall form a complaint review committee to consider the complaint. The complaint review committee’s decision shall be communicated to the complainant within a period of no longer than thirty (30) calendar days from reviewing the complaint. All decisions by the complaint review committee are final.
A complaint review committee assigned to any complaint shall be comprised of at least one Logical Operations staff member and at least one non-Logical Operations staff member. Any stakeholder in the Logical Operations certification program may be assigned as a member of a complaint review committee. These stakeholders can include, but are not limited to, Logical Operations certification staff and non-certification staff, members of the senior management team, and scheme committee members. The DCP or the MPPD shall consider issues of confidentiality, impartiality, and conflicts of interest when assigning members to complaint review committees.
An appeal must be made in writing to Logical Operations within thirty (30) calendar days of receiving the adverse determination. The written request must include a statement indicating the grounds for appeal, an explanation as to why the appeal should be granted, and all supporting documentation or evidence to support the request. Requests shall also contain the appellant's email address, postal address, and a phone number at which the appellant can be reached.
Appeal request submissions can be made to credentialing@logicaloperations.com. Logical Operations will acknowledge receipt of the appeal within five (5) business days of receipt. The acknowledgement shall include a description of the appeals process.