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Maintain Your Certification With Continuing Education

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CPE Requirements

What You Need to Stay Certified

In order to keep your certification in “active” status, you must be a National member of the AIG and also verify the completion of 40 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits every two years.

Certification Type	CPEs Required	Activities & Deadlines
Certified Inspector General, Counsel, Auditor, Investigator, Inspector/Evaluator	40 CPEs every 2 years	AIG webinars, IG conference sessions, teaching, publishing

How to Submit Your CPEs

Simple CPE Reporting Process

Tip: Keep documentation and certificates on file

Track your CPE activity throughout the reporting period. See below for more details

Submit CPE attestation when AIG sends the online attestation form, typically in January.

AIG reviews and confirms certification.

How to Submit Your CPEs

CPE Credit Requirement

To meet the AIG’s CPE requirement, certified members must obtain 40 relevant hours of CPE credit every 2 years. Twelve of these 40 hours must directly relate to the certified member’s job responsibilities (e.g., investigation, inspection, evaluation, reviews, audit, or legal counsel), the government environment, or the specific or unique environment in which the government entity that your office oversees operates.

So, what counts as “relevant” CPE hours?

In short, certified members can earn CPE credits by attending educational seminars and classes, passing certification examinations, authoring articles, giving oral presentations, serving as a board member for a professional organization, or participating in certain other relevant activities that meet the following basic criteria:

Be a formal program of learning that contributes directly to the professional competence of the certified member.

Clearly state program objectives, which specify the level of knowledge the participants should have attained, or the level of competence to be demonstrated upon completion of the program.

Clearly state education or experience prerequisites, if appropriate for the program.

Be developed by individuals who are qualified in the subject matter and instructional design.

Provide current program content.
Provide evidence of program completion or participation and the appropriate number of CPE hours earned (e.g., a certificate of completion).

The AIG’s Professional Certification Board recognizes the following activities as meeting these criteria for credit towards the 40-hour CPE requirement:

Seminars, conferences, and meetings provided by national, state, or local professional organizations such as AIG state chapters, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Association of Government Accountants, ISACA, state bar associations, and other relevant educational programs provided by other professional organizations or societies. CPE credits will be recognized by the AIG that may additionally be recognized by these professional organizations (i.e. “double counted” credits are acceptable).

Formal in-house training programs that meet the above educational program requirements.

Passing certification examinations offered by other professional organizations with aligned missions such as the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Association of Government Accountants, ISACA, state bar associations, and other relevant educational programs provided by professional organizations or societies. Generally, passing such certification examinations will support the award of 10 CPE during a two-year period.

Authoring or contributing to publications, including books, research papers, and professional periodicals, so long as the contribution pertains to relevant subject areas. Members can earn up to 10 CPE credits per year at a rate of 1 CPE per 200 published words during a two-year reporting period.

Delivering oral presentations (e.g., at institutes, seminars, conferences, university or other academic settings, or in-house training) so long as their contributions pertain to relevant subject areas.

Certified members may earn one CPE hour for each 50 minutes of presentation time, plus credit for preparation time equivalent to three times the presentation time. For example, for delivering a 50-minute presentation, a certified individual would earn 4 CPE hours (1 CPE hour for the presentation and 3 CPE hours for preparation). Subsequent presentations of the same material may be reported as presentation time only. Maximum CPE reportable in this category annually is 10 during a two-year period.

Participating as a board member in a professional organization such as the AIG or a chapter of the AIG, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Association of Government Accountants, ISACA, and other relevant industry-specific professional organizations. Maximum CPE reportable in this category annually is 10 during a two-year period.

Participating in internal office meetings when a structured educational programs with learning objectives are presented (e.g. that portion of a meeting when a structured educational program is used to teach certified members how professional standards apply to their work). Maximum CPE reportable in this category annually is 5 during a two-year period.

Serving on AIG Peer Reviews. Maximum CPE reportable in this category annually is 10 during a two-year period.

Please note that the AIG does not issue CPE certificates itself for these qualifying activities. Rather, certified members should retain proof of their participation in activities (e.g., formal in-house training syllabus, copy of published article, agenda for participation as an instructor at an AIG institute, certificates of completion issued by the program/course host, etc.), keep track of their CPE hours as they earn them, and then claim the number of allowable CPE hours they’ve earned when it is time to certify their CPE credits with the AIG.

Reporting your CPE Credits

Each year, usually in January, certified members will receive an email link to an online attestation form where they can self-certify that they’ve satisfied the 40-hour CPE requirement for the preceding two-year period. Certified members do not need to submit proof of their CPE hours, but the AIG does audit up to 10% of certified memberships each year to ensure that the required CPE credits have been earned.

Please note that members must self-certify every year, even though the 40-hour requirement is for a two-year period. For example, to be able to affirmatively attest that you have satisfied this requirement, you will have had to have earned a total of 40 CPEs within your two-year reporting period. The AIG’s Professional Certification Board and Peer Review Teams will accept whatever annual training policy an OIG utilizes (e.g. calendar years, fiscal year). If the certified member’s office does not have a training policy or the member is not in an OIG, the two-year reporting period will be from July 1 through June 30. Thus, as a matter of planning, you should make sure that you earn 40 CPE credits every two years.

Lourdes Howell-Thomas

Inspector General, Florida Department of Law Enforcement

The information provided prior to the institute was very much on point. It allowed me to feel at ease about what to expect on the first day and throughout the institute. The registration process was very easy to follow, and AIG staff was very attentive throughout the week

Bradford Machado

AIG Member

All contact and processes leading up to the event were EXCELLENT! AIG was very responsive and understanding, super kind and professional! The event was extremely beneficial for me, especially getting to see and understand what IG work looks like outside of my agency.

Mike Honaker

Inspector General, West Virginia Department of Homeland Security

Before attending this AIG course, I thought it might be just another conference. But I’m leaving it knowing I’m better equipped, more empowered, and truly prepared to fulfill my duties and responsibilities as an Inspector General.

Maintain Your Certification With Continuing Education

What You Need to Stay Certified

Simple CPE Reporting Process

CPE Credit Requirement

So, what counts as “relevant” CPE hours?

Reporting your CPE Credits

Lourdes Howell-Thomas

Bradford Machado

Mike Honaker

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