Renewal FAQs
When are renewals due?
Answer: January 1st of every year.
Is there a grace period for renewals after January 1st of each year?
Answer: Only until February 28th or only as approved by the TMCA Board for that renewal year. In order to ensure the publication of your Credential in TMCA’s promotional material, TMCA must receive and approve your application no later than February 15th of that credentialing year.
What if I don’t renew within the allotted renewal time?
Answer: Your Credential will expire and your name will be removed from the list of TMCA Credential holders and from the website. You may no longer “hold out” in any way that you are associated with TMCA.
What if, during the past year, I were sick, disabled, outside the state of Texas, or otherwise unable to meet the renewal requirements and still wish to renew my Credential?
Answer: You will not be able to renew your Credential if you do not meet TMCA’s renewal requirements. Your only option is to sit out a year and then submit a new application which includes certifying the Terms and Conditions for Credentialing in order to become re-credentialed at whatever Credential designation for which you qualify at the time.
How do I know if my continuing education qualifies for renewal?
Answer: For Continuing Education Criteria, click here.
If I completed my 40-Hour Basic Mediation Training during my first year as a Credential holder, do I still need to complete an additional 15 hours of continuing education in order to renew my Credential for the year immediately following?
Answer: No. If an applicant has completed the 40-Hour Basic Mediation Training in the year of the applicant’s first approved application for a Credential, then the applicant is not required to take any additional continuing education for the applicant’s renewal for the year immediately following completion of the Basic Mediation Training. For example, if Jane takes her 40-Hour Basic Mediation Training in 2018, becomes Credentialed for the first time and then applies to renew her Credential for 2019, she will not need to have taken an additional 15 hours of continuing education in 2018. Jane must still meet all other criteria for the Credential designation for which she is renewing (for example, if Jane had been a Credentialed Mediator in 2018, she must have completed in 2018 three mediations or 15 hours of mediation in order to renew for 2019 at that designation).
May I change my Credential designation after my application or renewal has been approved?
Answer: Yes. You may apply to change your Credential designation at any time. To apply to change your Credential designation, click here.
If you apply to change your Credential designation at the same time you renew, you will be charged the application fee for the new designation. If you apply to change your Credential designation after your application or renewal has been approved, then you will be charged only the difference between the renewal fee for your former designation and the application fee for the new designation.
Note that if you were initially Credentialed after January 1, 2008, a copy of your training certificate or affidavit is not required with your application.
What if I don’t meet the renewal requirements for my existing Credential?
Answer: You may change to another designation that requires fewer mediations for the previous calendar year only if the renewal applicant has met the continuing education criteria for the previous calendar year and the mediation requirements for the other designation for the previous calendar year. To apply to change your Credential designation, click here.
If you apply to change your Credential designation at the same time your renew, you will be charged the application fee for the new designation. If you apply to change your Credential designation after you have renewed though before the end of the standard renewal period, which is 2/28, then you will be charged only the difference between the renewal fee for your former designation and the application fee for the new designation. If you apply to change your Credential designation after 2/28, then you will be charged the full fee for the new designation (in addition to the renewal fee paid at the time you renewed).
Note that if you were initially Credentialed after January 1, 2008, a copy of your training certificate or affidavit is not required with your application.
Can I send in my continuing education documentation in place of filling out the second page of the renewal form?
Answer: No. Do not send continuing education documentation to TMCA. You must personally fill out the continuing education record (second page of the renewal form). Though this documentation will not be submitted, it should be retained in your files.
If I have four (4) hours of self-study and five (5) hours in a training role both related to mediation training, can I count these hours for continuing education?
Answer: Yes.
Will attendance at conferences such as the ADR Section of the State Bar continuing education conference and the Texas Association of Mediators conference qualify for continuing education hours?
Answer: Yes.
Does auditing a college course count as continuing education?
Answer: Yes, as long as the audited course meets TMCA’s continuing education criteria. For Continuing Education Criteria, click here.
What if it takes me longer than four years to move from the “Candidate” to “Credentialed” designation?
Answer: You will need to drop the “Candidate” designation until you can meet the criteria for the “Credentialed” designation. Then you can apply for the “Credentialed” designation. EXCEPTION FOR 2021 RENEWALS ONLY: For any Candidate for Credentialed Mediator whose fourth such year occurred in 2020, that candidate may continue as a Candidate for Credentialed Mediator for one additional year.
What if I take a course that only has a few hours on mediation?
Answer: You can definitely count the hours that relate to mediation. You can also count up to five (5) hours of substantive course material as continuing education each year. So, if the course contains substantive material, you can count up to five (5) such hours, as well.
What if the title of the course does not indicate its relevance to mediation?
Answer: Include a note about how it relates to mediation.