How can I file a formal complaint about a person certified by the NSCA Certification Commission?

A person who wishes formally to file a complaint against a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist or NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer needs to kindly send a written report of the incident to the NSCA Certification Commission Executive Council (address below).  All complaints must be in writing and provide details, with appropriate supporting documentation if possible, of how a particular standard, policy, or procedure is being or was violated by the certified individual.  The name of the complainant remains confidential, unless legal requirements mandate disclosure.  The complainant will receive notification as to the action taken (i.e., there are no grounds for further investigation or the complaint will be investigated).

Executive Council Chair
NSCA Certification Commission
3333 Landmark Circle
Lincoln, NE  68504

The NSCA Certification Commission Executive Council has approved the following items as reasons that registrations for the certification examinations may be refused and that the examination candidates and credentialed individuals may be disciplined.

1. Obtaining or attempting to obtain certification by fraud, deception or artifice.
2. Knowingly assisting another person or other persons in obtaining or attempting to obtain certification, by fraud, deception or artifice.
3. Illegal use of a certification certificate or falsification of credentials or any other Commission documents.
4. Unauthorized use of any of the registered trademarks owned by the NSCA or the NSCA Certification Commission, which includes the association and certification logos.
5. Unauthorized possession and/or distribution of any official examination materials to include copying and/or reproduction of any part of certification examination booklet or video or any actual examination questions.  This also includes distributing or using notes recorded by the candidate or another individual taken after a previous or separate exam administration.  No part of any copyrighted document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or any information retrieval system, without written permission from the NSCA Certification Commission. 

Disciplinary Actions for Practice-Related Offenses
In addition to the preceding measures that may be taken against those who violate NSCA Certification Commission policies, the Judicial and Appeals Committees may take the following, more stringent actions against examination candidates and credentialed members who commit practice-related offenses that affect the safety of athletes/clients and/or call into serious question the individual's competence to practice:

1. Delete from "active" credentialed status for a specified or indefinite period of time, not to exceed the length of a court-imposed punishment.
2. Suspension of a credential(s) for an indefinite period of time, not to exceed the length of court-imposed punishment.
3. Suspension from the examination system(s) for a specified or indefinite period of time, not to exceed the length of a court-imposed punishment.
4. Publication of disciplinary action in the NSCA Bulletin.
5. Mandatory reexamination to document continued competence as a credentialed practitioner; failure of the examination could lead to suspension of a credential for a specified or indefinite period of time.

Additionally, when the NSCA Certification Commission Executive Council is advised of serious practice-related offenses, the Executive Council maintains records of legal information received and referred inquiries in response to legitimate requests for information about the practitioner's ability to function on the job.  This is done during the length of a court-imposed punishment.

Trademarks and Service Marks
In addition to policing the use of the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist or NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer credentials, the Executive Council also has the responsibility to protect the NSCA Certification Commission’s trademarks and service marks from infringement by unauthorized parties.  The NSCA Certification Commission works with qualified trademark attorneys to ensure that only those who have passed the CSCS and NSCA-CPT exams have the right to use the trademark designation, thus adding to the meaning and value of the certified strength and conditioning and certified personal trainer credentials.