Grievance Policy Statement

It is the responsibility of the CE Program Coordinator in consultation with the CE Social Work Consultant and the CME Committee to monitor and assess compliance of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Continuing Education (CE) Program with Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) requirements for Approved Continuing Education (ACE) providers; social work ethics, conduct, and values under applicable jurisdictional laws; and its mission. The NKF CE Program aims to anticipate issues and assure fair treatment for all participants to conduct and experience valid and successful CE activities. Nonetheless, the purpose of this statement of CE Grievance Policy and Procedures is to provide guidance for responding to occasional issues which require intervention and /or action on the part of NKF's CE Program.

If a participant is not satisfied with the CE Program for any reason, the participant should submit a written complaint or grievance to the Continuing Education Department at the National Kidney Foundation; 30 East 33rd St, New York, NY 10016 or via email at info@kidney.org within 30 days following completion of the CE program (e.g., event, course, conference). The Continuing Education Department shall address participants' complaints and grievances in accordance with the procedures outlined below in this statement of CE Grievance Policy & Procedures.

PROCEDURES FOR COMPLAINT & GRIEVANCE MANAGEMENT

1. To register a complaint or grievance (e.g., refund request or complaints about course content, facilities, non-receipt of certificates, or any matter/occurrence related to the CE Program), submit a written complaint or grievance to the Continuing Education Department at the National Kidney Foundation; 30 East 33rd St, New York, NY 10016 or via email at info@kidney.org within 30 days following completion of the CE program.
2. Complaints will be reviewed by the CE Program Coordinator and the CE Social Work Consultant and responded to in writing within 30 days after receipt of the written complaint.
   • The CE Program will respond in a timely and ethical manner.
   • The written response will document the complaint/grievance and the involvement of the Social Work CE Consultant in the discussion and resolution of the issue.
   • The written response will inform the complainant that if there is dissatisfaction with the resolution proposed by the CE Program, he/she may request a fair hearing for due process review or mediation by a neutral third party.
3. A record of all written complaints/grievances and the CE Program's written response to the complaints/grievances are kept on file in the CE Program Office and reported to the ASWB within the NKF ACE approval renewal application. Summary information is shared with the CME Committee and utilized to improve future courses.