Green Apple Accreditation Timeline

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Each stage must be completed in order, and accreditation is only granted once all required forms, documentation, and reviews are finalized. If you do not receive the welcome email within 24–48 hours of submitting your application and fees, please check your spam/junk folder or contact our office for assistance.

Provider submits the completed Application Form(s) and pays the required nonrefundable fees.

Within 24–48 hours, access to the Member Portal is provided.

Once access is granted, the provider can log in to the Member Portal to begin working on the Self-Study. (See "How to Log In to the Member Portal.”)

Visit our website: www.gaacs.org. Click on Login in the top menu. Enter the email address used on your application form and the password you set up. If this is your first time logging in, check your email for a welcome message from the Member Portal. Click the link in the email. Follow the steps to set up your new password. 

Providers have up to 10 months to complete the Self-Study. The Self-Study may be completed sooner if the provider requests an expedited review. 

(See Expedite process.)

Once complete, the provider submits the Self-Study for review. While under review, the provider may request a Site Visit (standard or expedited). If documentation is incomplete, the review process may be delayed until all required items are submitted.

Green Apple understands that some programs may need to move through the process more quickly. An expedited review is available for an additional fee.

When your Self-Study is nearly complete, email our office to request expedited review. Pay the additional expedite fee.

Your Self-Study will be moved forward in the review queue, but please note:

• The file must be complete before review begins.
• If documents are missing or incomplete, the expedited request will be paused until corrected.
• Expedited reviews are still subject to Peer Review Team (PRT) and staff availability.

Timeline:

The Standard process: Up to 10 months.

The Expedited process: Can be significantly shorter, depending on the provider’s readiness and Green Apple scheduling.

A Peer Review Team (PRT) is assigned, and a Lead PRT coordinates the visit. If one or more committee members are unavailable, the Lead PRT will conduct the visit within three months. Site visits may also follow the expedited process,  if requested by the provider. 

Following the site visit, the Lead PRT submits the provider’s file to the Green Apple Accreditation Office. The file is reviewed for final determination.

• All reviews are conducted in the order received.