Current Site Visitors

View the conflict of interest policy for a description and examples of potential conflicts of interest. If there is still question with regard to a specific relationship, please consult the OPCA. 

You can accept or decline as many site visit requests as you wish. 

You will be responsible for booking your transportation (i.e., flights) and lodging. Expenses for meals, lodging, and travel are reimbursed following the visit. Instructions for booking your transportation and lodging and submitting requests for reimbursement will be provided when the visit is formally confirmed by the OPCA. 

APA will reimburse you for an additional night if you can save substantially on airfare by staying over at a location. Please contact the OPCA to request approval for an additional night’s hotel stay so that you will be reimbursed for your hotel accommodations for that evening.

All other requests for the reimbursement of additional nights are only approved under extenuating circumstances and need to be approved by the OPCA prior to the visit.

The OPCA understands that hotel prices vary depending on geographic location, and tend to run very high in urban areas. While there is no set dollar amount, we ask that you seek additional suggestions from the program if the hotel cost seems particularly high for a certain area.

The schedule should be developed by the chair of the site visit team and the training director of the program at least two weeks prior to the site visit. Due to the many structural differences among programs, we do not provide a sample schedule.

Once all site visitors have accepted their roles for the site visit in the CoA Portal, the OPCA will send an email confirming the visit. In addition to important program-related information, this email will include information regarding lodging, travel, and expense reporting for the visit.  If you do not receive this confirmation six weeks prior to the site visit, please contact the OPCA 

Upon receipt of this email, all site visit team members will have access to the program’s self-study in the CoA Portal. 

The most recent versions of all accreditation materials are available on the accreditation website. 

Site visitors should structure their reports according to the appropriate Site Visit Report Preparation Sheets listed above, if they chose to draft the report outside of the CoA Portal.

The report must be submitted through the CoA Portal within 30 days following the site visit.

Once the site visit report and schedule are submitted, your responsibility for the site visit is complete. Occasionally, the OPCA may need to contact a site visitor to clarify information provided in the site visit report.

Site visitors who go on multiple visits during a year will periodically receive aggregate data on their ratings related to the programs they visited. 

Each member of the site visit team will receive access to the program's response to their report and the Commission’s decision (see Implementing Regulation D.3-3(b) after the CoA has made a final decision on that program. Please note that this may be several months or longer after the site visit takes place. Site visitors receive these materials in the interest of providing feedback on their performance. The CoA and OPCA will not accept any feedback regarding the content of these materials from site visitors.

The accredited program listings are updated 30 days after each Commission meeting. You may consult this list on a periodic basis to find out whether the program has received a final decision and its accredited status has been updated. After final decisions have been publicly posted, site visit teams will have access to the program’s response to the site visit report and accreditation decision in the CoA Portal. Once you receive these materials, this indicates that the review is final and that ALL program material is to be destroyed.

How often you are contacted is very dependent on your area of expertise and the types of programs up for review. To ensure the OPCA has the most current expertise, availability, and contact information for you, please check (and update, as applicable) your site visitor profile in the CoA Portal. If you would like to participate in more visits, please contact the OPCA. 

Once you have participated as a member on multiple site visits, you are automatically eligible to serve as a site visit team chair and will be contacted by the OPCA about progressing to the chair role. Chair trainings are offered periodically to aid in the transition to site visit team chair; however, attending this training is not required to become a chair. All upcoming trainings are listed on the Accreditation Workshop Page. 

If you are informed by the OPCA of your progression to chair, but do not wish to serve in this role, please let the OPCA know that you wish to continue offering your services as a site visit member. 

The CoA meets three times per year (Spring/Summer/Fall). Exact dates for the Commission on Accreditation meetings are publicly announced on an annual basis and are available on the Important Dates page.