Precertification Standards

Precertification Standards of Personal and Professional Conduct

Application for Registration

1. Form. An applicant for registration in the CEBS program shall file with the CEBS Program Director a properly executed application on a form or forms specified by CEBS, Inc. of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania or their designees (hereafter referred to as governing bodies) and shall agree to comply with the standards of personal and professional conduct specified thereon. Such forms shall include a statement that the applicant has not engaged in activities mentioned in Section No. 3 below.

2. Additional Information. The governing bodies or the CEBS Program Director acting on their behalf, as a condition to consideration of an application for registration, may require the applicant to file additional information.

3. Denial of CEBS Application and Registration Status. The governing bodies may deny an applicant for enrollment or subsequently revoke or suspend such enrollment if they are informed that during the 15-year period prior to completion of the application and on or after the candidate's 18th birthday, he or she has engaged in any conduct that would bring discredit to the CEBS program. Such conduct would include but would not be limited to:

1. Engaging in conduct evidencing fraud, dishonesty or breach of trust as found in an adjudication, decision, or determination by a court of law, a duly constituted licensing or accreditation authority (other than the governing bodies), or by any federal or state agency, board, commission, hearing examiner, administrative law judge, or other official administrative authority.
2. Giving false or misleading information, or participating in any way in the giving of false or misleading information, to the Department of the Treasury, Department of Labor or other federal or state agency or any officer or employee thereof, in connection with any matter pending or likely to be pending before them, knowing such information to be false or misleading, as found in an adjudication, decision, or determination by a court of law, a duly constituted licensing or accreditation authority (other than the governing bodies), or by any federal or state agency, board, commission, hearing examiner, administrative law judge, or other official administrative authority.
3. Directly or indirectly attempting to influence, or offering or agreeing to attempt to influence, the official action of any officer or employee of the Department of the Treasury, Department of Labor or other federal or state agency by the use of threats, false accusations, duress or coercion, by the offer of any special inducement or promise of advantage or by bestowing of any gift, favor, or thing of value, as found in an adjudication, decision or determination by a court of law, a duly constituted licensing or accreditation authority (other than the governing bodies), or by any federal or state agency, board, commission, hearing examiner, administrative law judge, or other official administrative authority.
4. Being disbarred or suspended from practice as an actuary, attorney, certified public accountant, public accountant or enrolled agent by any duly constituted authority of any state, possession, territory, Common-wealth, the District of Columbia, by any federal court of record, or by the Department of the Treasury or by any other duly constituted licensing or accreditation authority.
5. Willfully failing to make a federal tax return in violation of the revenue laws of the United States, or evading, attempting to evade, or participating in any way in evading or attempting to evade any federal tax or payment thereof, knowingly counseling or suggesting to a client or prospective client an illegal plan to evade federal taxes or payment thereof, or concealing assets of himself or herself or another to evade federal taxes or payment thereof, as found in an adjudication, decision, or determination by a court of law, including the tax court.
6. Providing false or misleading information, or deliberately omitting unfavorable information, in any application, submission or certification to the governing bodies or the CEBS Program Director.
7. Engaging in conduct evidencing fraud, dishonesty, misrepresentation or violation of these standards, policies or other rules, adopted from time to time by the governing bodies of the CEBS program.

Registration Status

The governing bodies shall register each applicant who meets the requirements for the program, as determined by said governing bodies, and remits the required fee. Registration may be revoked or suspended for such conduct as outlined in Section 3 or for any violation of the examination rules. Registered status permits the CEBS candidate to take the various examinations required for the CEBS designation. A separate fee (over and above the registration fee) is charged for each examination each time it is taken and charges are made for the study materials. All prescribed examinations must be passed before the candidate is evaluated for the CEBS designation.

Denial of CEBS Designation

The governing bodies may withhold the CEBS designation from a candidate who has passed all the prescribed examinations and has fulfilled all other requirements for the designation if they are informed that the candidate, during the 15-year period prior to completion of the last prescribed examination and on or after the candidate's 18th birthday, has engaged in any conduct that would bring discredit to the CEBS program. Such conduct would include but would not be limited to the conduct described in Section No. 3.

Notification and Appeal Procedure

If the governing bodies propose to deny an application for enrollment, revoke or suspend registration status, or deny the CEBS designation, the CEBS Program Director shall notify the applicant in writing of the proposed action and the reasons therefor, of his or her right to request reconsideration, of the address to which, and the date by which, such request must be made. The applicant may, within 30 days from the date of the written proposed action, file a written request for reconsideration therefrom, together with his or her reasons in support thereof, to the governing bodies. The governing bodies may afford an applicant the opportunity to make a personal appearance before the governing bodies. A decision on the request for reconsideration shall be rendered by the governing bodies within a reasonable period of time. In the absence of a request for reconsideration within the aforesaid 30 days, the proposed action shall, without further proceeding, constitute the final decision of the governing bodies.