 Need to Get
Certified in Compliance?
You've Come To
the Right Place!!
What Does It
Mean To Be Compliance Certified
How Do I Achieve It
Article
Explaining the Difference Between All of the Industry's Tax Credit
Certifications (NCP, HCCP, C3P, SHCM, TaCCs, TCS)
(This link will take you to a PDF of
the article which you can print.)
Also... check out our
Site Level Certifications
Supervisor Level
Certifications
More and more State Agencies, investors and
management companies are requiring people who work on or with Tax
Credit Properties to become "certified in compliance".
Its the new push today in the Housing Credit industry and, quite
frankly, it makes sense. You are running an important aspect of this
affordable housing program and the industry is stating... no
demanding... you be certified in what you do.
Many people jump to the immediate conclusion that
when your State, investor or employer tells you to get certified, it
means you must earn a full-blown designation.
BUT STOP!! This may NOT be
what they actually mean. Despite the fact the word "certified" is
used, often what they are really looking for is proof you have been
EDUCATED or have earned CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS by taking
professionally instructed courses. Other times, they are truly
mandating an actual Certification Designation be earned. So, do
yourself a favor and determine exactly what they are looking for --
Education only or an actual Certification Designation.
If an actual Certification Designation is what you
are after, you need to understand there are multiple designation
opportunities available to you. To decide which designation level is
right for you, look to your current responsibilities as these
designations really fall into 2 simple categories... SITE LEVEL
certifications and SUPERVISOR LEVEL certifications.
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Site Level Certifications
Site level certifications are for professionals that:
- work day in and day out with applicants & residents;
- make decisions at the property level including those
regarding unit transfers, increases to income, and
vacancies;
- work with the residents that live at these properties;
- process verifications and calculate income eligibility;
and
- deal with their eligibility at move-in as well as at
recertification.
The Site Level Designations focus on the skills and
knowledge in these areas testing you to determine if you have
mastered these requirements and, if you have, rewarding you
accordingly.
At Elizabeth Moreland Consulting, Inc., our site level
designation is called the...
 Site Compliance
Specialist
A
certification for those on the front-lines!
Who should consider earning this
certification?
- site managers
- leasing agents
- compliance specialists
- supervisors of site &
compliance staff
Plus...
- anyone responsible for
approving or auditing compliance paperwork
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Supervisor Level
Certifications Supervisor level certifications are
for professionals that:
- supervise site and compliance staff;
- communicate with investors, State Monitoring Agencies,
and owners;
- provide assistance and expertise to the development
team;
- coordinate rent-up on new properties or rehabs;
- oversee the implementation of compliance software; and
- answer the difficult compliance & management questions
and/or troubleshoot or problem solve difficult scenarios
The Supervisor Certifications moves beyond site level
knowledge and focuses on the bigger Tax Credit Program picture
including development, allocation, financing, syndication, and
property management.
At Elizabeth Moreland Consulting, Inc., our site level
designation is called the...
National Compliance Professional
Advanced
certification for those desiring "expert" status!
Who should
consider earning this certification?
- managers
- supervisors
- compliance directors
- asset managers
Plus...
- Anyone looking to move into one of the above positions
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| Note: The designations above
are administered by Elizabeth Moreland Consulting, Inc. There
are other designations in the industry administered by other
organizations. For example, NAHMA also has a site level
designation known as SHCM and the National Association of Home
Builders has a supervisor designation known as the HCCP. A
complete list of these and the requirements for obtaining them
can be found by
clicking
here. This listing was compiled for your convenience but
will not be maintained or updated. Please contact the
administrator of the designation directly for the most current
information. |
Depending
on how your State Monitoring Agency defines "certified in
compliance", your current position, and your career goals, pick a
certification and then read how to obtain it below. IF YOU ARE NEW
TO THE INDUSTRY... it is best if you start with a site level
certification. Once you have mastered site compliance, then move on
to the advanced or supervisory certification. PLUS, don't forget
about future career goals and consider earning multiple designations
as the adage... "more is better"... truly fits here!
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If you need education to get started or a refresher course
to keep current, the easiest, fastest, and most convenient way
to do this is by taking a
course online! Yep... today incredible Tax Credit
compliance and management courses are available right from the
convenience of your own computer... 24 hours a day... 7 days a
week... which means no traveling and minimal, if any, time out
of the office!! Visit the
Housing Credit Online Training Center and view the
Course Catalog to select the course or courses that fit
your needs best!
You can take individual courses or a group of courses
through the
Course Package Plan. Make this decision based on the
number of credits or course hours needed to meet your goals
and to satisfy your State Agency, investor and/or employer.
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Now quite frankly, you should be
rewarded for showing dedication to your compliance
education because without education, Tax Credit
compliance and properties are at risk.
That is why, if you obtain your
education through us and earn enough credits, you will
be awarded your Compliance Diploma! The
Compliance Diploma is nationally recognized and shows
the industry that you are a dedicated professional
committed to your compliance education!
 To earn your Compliance
Diploma, you must accrue 22 credits via any
of our public workshops, private seminars or online
courses at the
Housing Credit Online Training Center.
Courses taken through other vendors are not eligible.
Once you have earned enough credits, you
can order your official diploma through us by completing
our
order form and indicating the courses you took to
earn these credits. We will then review our records to
verify all credits were indeed earned. Once approved, we
will mail out your official Compliance Diploma suitable
for framing. There is no charge for original Diplomas.
Expedited shipping charges may apply if you need or want
rush delivery. Be sure to indicate such on the order
form. There is a nominal charge for replacements or
additional copies. |
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The Site Compliance Specialist certification is for
professionals that work on and with site compliance including
certifying applicants and recertifying residents; processing
verifications and calculating income eligibility, applying the
special rules such as the full-time student rule and unit
transfers, and handling increases to income and vacancies.
 To
become a Site Compliance Specialist, you must pass the Site
Compliance Exam...
- This Exam is comprised of 50 questions divided into
5 Testable Areas.
- To pass this Exam you must answer 40 of the 50 questions
correctly.
- The Exam is graded as Pass or Fail
- When you pass, you immediately earn your Site Compliance
Specialist (SCS) certification and all of the respect and
accolades that come with it.
To prepare for the Exam...
-
IF YOU ARE NEW OR
INEXPERIENCED.... Enroll in the
Course Package Plan at the Housing Credit Online
Training Center as it will walk you through all of the site
compliance requirements you must master to pass the Exam and
become an SCS
-
IF YOU HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE BUT
WANT A GOOD OVERALL REFRESHER... Enroll in
Housing Credits 245: Site Compliance Specialist
at the Housing Credit Online Training Center as it will
focus on the 5 Testable Areas that make up the Exam and
fully prepare you to take it.
-
IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHERE YOU
KNOWLEDGE IS AT... Enroll in the
Compliance Assessment at the Housing Credit
Online Training Center as it is an impartial assessment of
your current knowledge and will let you know if you are
ready to take the Exam now or if you need to bolster your
education a bit. If the latter, the Assessment will indicate
which courses you should take before taking the Exam.
To take the Exam...
-
The Site Compliance Exam is
available online at the
Housing Credit
Online Training Center Exam Room!
-
The cost to take the Exam is
$199 and retakes are $49.
-
You may register and pay online
or offline.
-
Once you are register for the
Exam, you will have access to it for 14 days.
-
Once you start the Exam, you
will have 2.5 hours to complete it so you will want to be
sure to have uninterrupted time during the 14 day access
period to take it.
-
After you complete the Exam,
you will receive your results IMMEDIATELY!
-
If you pass the Exam, you will
be able to print out your temporary SCS designation
certificate and can order your official certificate and pin
by completing our
order form. Official certificates and pins are FREE
however their is a charge for rush deliveries, duplicates
and/or replacements.
-
If you fail the Exam, you may
retake it at anytime. Retakes are $49 and must be ordered
offline. Just complete the
Exam Order Form and submit our office. Allow 2-3 weeks
for processing. You will be notified via email when your
Exam Retake is ready for you.
|
 To become a
National Compliance Professional, you must complete 3 steps...
- Meet an Education Requirement... we give you 2 different
ways;
- Meet an Experience Requirement... its simple; and
- Complete a 1 page certification application... includes
membership into the NCP Membership Group!
Step #1: Meet the Education Requirement in 1 of 2 ways.
OR
| IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you meet BOTH of the educational requirements --
pass one of the advanced compliance tests and
earn your Compliance Diploma -- you are eligible to
become a National Compliance Professional-Executive
(NCP-E) after you meet the experience requirement
discussed next. |
Step #2: Meet the Experience
Requirement.
Step #3: Complete NCP Membership Application.
- Complete a 1 page certification application.
- PLEASE UNDERSTAND: In order to become a
National Compliance Professional, you must fully complete
this last step as you are not an NCP simply by
passing the National Compliance Exam.
- Pay annual fee which includes your annual certification
and membership into the NCP Membership Group.
- There are 3 different membership fee levels...
Regular,
Silver or
Gold.
- Regular
memberships are $99.
- Silver
and Gold
membership levels change every year and include special
tools you can pick up along with your NCP membership.
- May apply as an NCP-Candidate if you have not yet
fulfilled your Education and Experience Requirements and
upgrade to NCP or NCP-E once fulfilled at no additional
charge.
| Please Note:
You must renew your NCP certification each year which
includes earning continuing education credits. If you
are an NCP-Candidate or NCP, you must earn 4 CEUs
annually and if you are an NCP-Executive, you must earn
6 CEUs annually. |
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