Anyone have trouble finding CE credits for New York State renewal?

[Paul Grattan, Jr.]

Is it just me, or are classes/schools in the NYC area hard to come by? It seems many are subject to cancellation at the last minute due to lack of interest. There must be SOME sort of demand if we are all required to have the credits to renew no? Anyone petition NYS to allow for online classes/credits? The classroom requirement seems to be excessively prohibitive. I'm all for increased standards in the profession, but given relative low quality of the schools out there and the expense, I would like to see online schools allowed to qualify.

Paul Grattan, Jr.

Grattan Home Inspections, LLC
www.GrattanInspect.com

[Nick Gromicko]

You have to call them, explain you are too far from schools, and ask for a special waiver to take your CE online through www.nachi.org/education.htm

[Paul Grattan, Jr.]

Thanks for the advice Nick, I will give it a try.

[David A. Andersen]

Are you telling me you couldn't get through the N.Y. bureaucracy Nick?!

Wow!

But then, look what your up against!

[Nick Gromicko]

The main reason I can't get any traction in NY is because I'm viewed as a carpetbagger. YOU have to ***** and moan. Call them every day. It is absurd that NY is so far behind the times and who is this harming? Inspectors and consumers.

[Joe Farsetta]

It was years before NY would allow realtors the ability to take an on-line course. At the present time, there is no intention to allow on-line CE continuing education.

[Nick Gromicko]

We could sue NY to stop them from hurting consumers. Does anyone know what or who is the Neanderthal over there? I'll file a suit this week and get this thing into the courts.

[Thomas G. Valosin]

Paul, and other NYS Inspectors looking for CE Sessions -
Where in NYS are you located and how far are you willing to travel for CE? Please give me a call at 518 827 4852 or check our web page, www.askusconsultingservices.com for information on NY State approved CE.
ASKUS Consulting Services Home Inspector and Continuing Education Training DOES NOT cancel classes once they are scheduled! If only one person signs up the class is still a go.
Next session is 24 July. Six NYS DOS / DOL approved CEU will be presented. CEU sessions are offered each odd numbered month (Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept, Nov) and each session presents 6 CEU hours. The sessions are held in the Board-Room of the Best Western Inn in Cobleskill, NY, so if you do need to travel a reasonably priced room is available. Pre-registration is required.
By the way, the classes are also good for your InterNACHI Membership Renewal CE.

Tom Valosin
ASKUS Consulting Services LLC
ASKUS Consulting Services Home Inspector Training & Continuing Education
President, New York Capital Region Chapter of InterNACHI
Vice-President (Elect), ERIE Canal Chapter of AARST

[Mike O'Handley]

Originally Posted by gromicko

We could sue NY to stop them from hurting consumers. Does anyone know what or who is the Neanderthal over there? I'll file a suit this week and get this thing into the courts.

Yeah, right.

Good luck with getting NYS to waive its board or council members' sovereign immunity so that you, an out of state entity, can try and influence the way their citizens are regulated.

That will be an uphill row to hoe.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike O'Handley, LHI
Your Inspector LLC., Kenmore, WA
Editor/Owner - The Inspectors Journal™
Washington Licensed Home Inspector #202

[Nick Gromicko]

Mike O'Hanley writes...

Good luck with getting...

I'm pretty lucky.

[Paul Grattan, Jr.]

Nick - I emailed the NYS Dept. of State and they advised me to call the Dept. of State Bureau of Education Standards Unit - of course, I hit a dead end. They told me there was no waiver and they would not allow online credits. There are also no extensions, FYI.

Perhaps you could organize all of our NYS members to petition the board (NYS Home Inspection Council) to move toward allowing online credits. There are in fact some good schools out there, but you know as well as I do that many, if not most, are far below the standards that the NACHI online educations provides. I think that alone is a reasonable (and verifiable) argument for the council to consider online credits.

Below is the composition of the council, including who they are appointed by-

Lorraine A. Cortés-Vázquez
Secretary of State
One Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Ave.
Albany NY 12231

Statutory
Paul Gressin
1057 Mora Place
Woodmere, NY 11598

Industry Member

Governor

Joseph A. Pasaturo PE
PO Box 280-291
Brooklyn, NY 11228

Industry Member

Governor

Joseph M. Whittington
Cash Realty & Auctions
1325 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14209

Industry Member

Temp. Pres. Of the Senate

James R. Salmon
14100 Maple Street
Albion, NY 14411

Consumer

Temp. Pres. Of the Senate

Robert Piwko
2597 Pleasant Avenue
Lake View, NY 14085


Consumer

Speaker of the Assembly

Vacant

Consumer

Speaker of the Assembly


Paul Grattan Jr.
Grattan Home Inspections
www.grattaninspect.com

[Nick Gromicko]

Here is what the Cohen boys told me today. To get a court injunction to stop NY from harming consumers, we need something in writing from NY that denied a member CE approval for taking our online courses, and instead forced them to take inferior classroom courses. Does anyone have that?

NY already approves online courses for other licensed professions.

We'll have no problem showing that our courses are better than any other courses in the inspection industry and that denying these courses statistically leads to both financial and physical harm of consumers. All we need is a denial letter from an idiot NY bureaucrat to file the suit. Has anyone received one?

[Joe Farsetta]

Nick,

The only thing you will accomplish is giving this organization a black eye with the Department of State.

The home inspection licensing law was crafted to set a minimum criteria for lisencing and testing. NY State law is somewhat different in its requirements, and even among which State entity controls what.

The Department of State licensing unit is autonomous, and employs attorneys from the Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office. Every part of the law falls under the watchful eyes of the state's highest lawyer. The State Inspector General has even chimed in from time to time on appointments and power. They set the requirements as they see fit.

The bottom line is that the licensing board is ADVISORY only, and that was one of the things I personally pushed for. There would be no undue direct influence on the law or how it would be administrated with anyone with an agenda.

As such, placing someone on the board accomplishes nothing, as the Department of State division of licensing holds all the cards.

Insulting them on this message board will only reinforce their resolve. At the present time, they see no reason to allow anything but on-site continuing education. You would be hard-pressed to prove they are harming any consumers with on-site education,as opposed to NACHI's on-line offerings.

Like I said, have at it, but InterNACHI already got a black mark next to it by crowing how to circumvent the law a few months back.

Have the Cohens come to NY. Have them do it pro-bono.

You can receive a letter directly from the Dept of State. Didnt you already receive one?

And, since teaching is an art and not a science. your claims would be difficult to prove.

[Nick Gromicko]

Uh, Joe... think it out a little bit about it before you post...they can't unapprove our courses any more than they are already unapproved. Time's up. Time to take them to court. Head's we win, tails we are no worse off than we are now. That's a coin I'll flip all day.

[Joe Farsetta]

Take em to court and I suspect your case will be summarily dismissed as the decision rests solely with the DOS.

I say do it.

But, it is not I that needs to think twice before posting once. When you make a blanket statement that the DOS is harming consumers, it is an inflamatory statement that is subjective at best.

I also know that whatever on-line offerings that do exist are limited to certain professions, and the mode of delivery and verification is different than the current NACHI models.

Take em to court. I am already approved to open a school in NY. Offering on-line courses would be good for me.

You need nothing other than what you already have.

If the Cohens believe it to be a slam dunk, have them do it pro-bono