Active Certification Period
Your Certified Leave Management Specialist (CLMS) designation is active for two (2) years from the date you successfully complete the CLMS final exam. Both the date you earned your CLMS designation as well as the date your designation expires is included on your CLMS designation certificate.
Access Your CLMS Designation Certificate
Log into the DMEC Learning Center. Select “My Certifications” from the menu. Under the “Earned” section, you will see your CLMS certification listed. Select the yellow “Print” button to view and download your certificate.
Use of CLMS Letters
If you have earned your CLMS designation, you are entitled to use the official designation letters (i.e., Jane Smith, CLMS) and digital badge in your signature line, on business cards, and in social media profiles as long as you maintain an active CLMS status. Use of the letters without an active CLMS designation is considered a violation, and you may be denied the right to apply for certification and/or recertification and subject to legal action if this violation occurs.
Continuing Education Requirements
To maintain your CLMS designation, you must complete 20 hours of continuing education (CE) credit every two years in the focus areas noted below.
If you were a current CLMS designee, or actively enrolled in a CLMS course, on Jan. 1, 2024, your first recertification period after that date will require 16 CE credits. From that point forward, you must complete the new requirement of 20 CEUs every two years to be eligible to recertify your designation.
CE credits earned prior to earning your CLMS designation do not count towards the requirement.
- FMLA
- ADA(AA)
- Other state/municipal leave laws
- Privacy of records/medical information (HIPAA, GINA, ADA)
- Ethical standards in leave management
You can earn your CE hours in a variety of ways, including attending DMEC webinars, face-to-face conferences, and through professional contribution activities. At this time, DMEC does not accept continuing education hours from outside organizations.
Live Webinars
DMEC offers live webinars that qualify for CLMS credit. Check the calendar of events for upcoming webinars, and review the CEU information for each event to see if it qualifies for CLMS CEUs.
If you want to receive continuing education credit for the live webinar, you must join the meeting and watch the presentation individually for the required number of minutes. A certificate of attendance with CEU verification/activity ID codes will be available in the “Continuing Education” widget at the end of the event and emailed to you following the presentation.
Webinar Recordings
If you are interested in receiving continuing education credit for a recorded webinar, you will need to ensure that the webinar qualifies for CLMS CEUs and listen to the full webinar.
If the event qualifies, ensure the “Continuing Education” widget on the console is open. Your minutes viewed will be tracked as you progress through the recording. Once the required number of viewing minutes has been met, you can download your certificate of attendance which includes CEU verification/activity ID codes. Scroll to the bottom of the “Continuing Education” widget, and select the “Certificate” icon to download.
Face-to-Face Conferences
Both the DMEC FMLA/ADA Employer Compliance Conference and the DMEC Annual Conference offer CLMS CEUs. View for the conference brochures for CE hours and additional information.
Microcredential Courses
Each DMEC microcredential course offers one CLMS CEU. When you complete the course in DMEC’s Learning Center, the credit will automatically be applied to your transcript.
Professional Contribution
A maximum of four (4) hours of professional contribution may be applied to the required 16 hours of CE required every two years. CE credit may be obtained through professional contribution activities outlined below.
- Development of professional presentations: Two (2) CEUs for each presentation
- Development of in-service training programs: Two (2) CEUs for each in-service training program
- Authorship or co-authorship of a published article (print or electronic): Two (2) CEUs for each published article
(Blogs written for social media sites or newsletters do not qualify. The article must be written for a professional publication.)
Professional contribution CE activities must focus on one or more of the focus areas noted above.
Submit your professional contribution through our online form. A $25 processing fee will be charged per CEU.
Please allow up to 10 business days for processing of professional development CE requests. Upon review, you will receive an email informing you of the approval decision. If the CE request has been approved, DMEC will add the CEUs to your DMEC Learning Center account. You are responsible for ensuring that your account is accurate and up to date.
Submitting CEUs
For each DMEC CLMS-qualified event you attend, you will receive a CLMS verification code and a certificate which indicates the number of CEUs you earned, along with the date of completion.
Log into the DMEC Learning Center to submit CEUs for webinars and face-to-face conferences. From the home page, select “My Continuing Education”. You will be able to select the event type and then search for specific events from the list. To enter your verification code for a particular event, select the “View” button and then select the “CLMS CEU Code” tab. Enter the verification code and select the “Submit” button.
To view your full list of completed CLMS continuing education events, select “My Transcript” from the home page.
Recertification Exam & Fee Requirement
Every two years, you will be required to pass a recertification exam. The fee for the exam is $100. Watch for notifications regarding your recertification exam beginning 90 days prior to your CLMS designation expiration date. Upon successful completion of both the recertification exam and the required continuing education hours, you will receive a new CLMS designation certificate with an updated expiration date.
Late Fees
If you fail to complete your recertification exam in a timely manner, you will be required to pay the following processing fees in addition to the recertification exam fee of $100.
- 30 days after CLMS designation expiration date: $75
- 60 days after the CLMS designation expiration date: $100
- 90 days after the CLMS designation expiration date: $150
Lapsed Designations
Failure to pay for and successfully complete your recertification exam and/or failure to complete your required CE hours will result in the expiration of your CLMS designation. Lapsed status will be communicated to your last known email address. You will no longer be allowed to use the CLMS letters, nor represent yourself as a CLMS designee.
To reinstate your CLMS designation after it has lapsed by more than 90 days, you will be required to pay for and retake the CLMS online course and final exam.
Questions
For questions about maintaining your CLMS designation, please contact Jess Dudley at jdudley@dmec.org or 800.789.3632, ext. 126.