AuditsCompliance-in-a-Box: The Startup Guide to Audit-Ready DocsSVSid Varma · 12 min readFor behavioral health and aging services leaders preparing the policies, plans and personnel records a CARF survey team reviews.
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Checked against primary sources on 18 October 2026.
Providers that choose CARF accreditation for programs such as behavioral health and aging services, and then must show conformance to the applicable manual throughout the accreditation term.
CARF survey teams of industry peers, who review documentation, observe services and interview leadership, personnel, persons served and other stakeholders
Three-Year Accreditation is the highest outcome for most programs (Five-Year for CCRCs only); Quality Improvement Plan within 90 days of the decision; annual reporting during the term
2026 standards manuals, for surveys from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, 2026-07-01. Paid standard (2026 Behavioral Health Standards Manual, printed copy US$214.00 at the CARF online store).
| Date | What happens | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-01 | 2026 CARF standards manuals take effect for surveys | Done |
| 2026-07-01 | New sobering center standards apply to behavioral health surveys | Done |
| 2027-07-01 | 2026 standards period ends and the 2027 manuals take over for surveys | Expected |
Each one needs an owner, an approval, and proof it reached the people it covers.
ASPIRE 1.A Leadership (1.A.6, 1.A.7)
Written ethical codes of conduct with procedures for alleged violations and, for U.S. organizations receiving federal funds, a corporate compliance policy, exclusion procedures and a documented compliance officer.
ASPIRE 1.G Risk Management (1.G.1, 1.G.4)
A risk management plan identifying and analyzing loss exposures and actions to reduce them, reviewed at least annually, plus policies on the use of technology and data.
ASPIRE 1.H Health and Safety (1.H.4, 1.H.5, 1.H.7)
Written emergency and evacuation procedures with written evidence of unannounced tests, and documented competency-based health and safety training at orientation and at least annually.
ASPIRE 1.I Workforce Development and Management (1.I.4 to 1.I.8, 1.I.13)
Written job descriptions, workforce policies and procedures, orientation covering key plans and policies, documented competency assessments, and documented cybersecurity and technology training.
ASPIRE 1.J Rights of Persons Served (1.J.1, 1.J.3, 1.J.4)
Policies on the rights of persons served and a written formal complaint procedure, with complaints received documented and analyzed.
ASPIRE 1.K Accessibility (1.K.2)
An accessibility plan reflecting the diversity of persons served, personnel and stakeholders, with actions and timelines for identified barriers, reviewed at least annually.
Citations are to the standard or regulation; wording is ours. Standard numbers are from CARF's ASPIRE standards as printed in its 2026 manual for continuing care retirement communities. Confirm them against the manual for your program.
What reviewers sample about these documents and the people they cover.
CARF asks organizations to upload nonconfidential documents, including written policies, plans, procedures and performance analyses, so the survey team can access them the day before the survey starts.
On a resurvey the organization shows conformance since its last survey; on an original survey, any activity required at a set interval, such as annually, must have occurred at least once beforehand.
Records that substantiate conformance are assembled in one room or opened electronically for surveyors, such as documented orientation, competency assessments and annual health and safety training.
The team interviews leadership, personnel, persons served and at least one representative of a major purchaser, and observes services in addition to reviewing documentation.
Write each policy, send it through approval, and send it to the people it covers. Each acknowledgment is recorded by name, with the version, the date and the time.
When a policy changes, the new version is approved, its Editor sends it out again, and everyone it applies to is asked again. Export the record as a PDF or CSV, or give a reviewer Viewer access to the documents their tags allow.
Need help with the rest of CARF? Find a consultant for your standard (opens in a new tab).
Your region’s laws, the standards your customers ask for, and your own house rules. Write each one as a policy, approve it, and send it to the people it covers.
CARF treats the terms policy, plan, documented, documentation and written as always calling for written evidence. Each 2026 manual lists those standards in an appendix on required written documentation, which works as a survey preparation checklist.
The 2026 manuals add a standard on policies and written procedures for artificial or augmented intelligence, fold the technology subsection into risk management and workforce standards, and move diversity into the accessibility plan. Later subsections were re-lettered, so cross-references from 2025 need updating.
Both plans are reviewed at least annually for relevance and updated as needed. The accessibility plan review also covers progress in removing identified barriers.
CARF issues a written report about six to eight weeks after the survey, and the organization submits a Quality Improvement Plan within 90 days of notification. At resurvey it is held accountable for following up on those recommendations.
The 2026 manuals apply to surveys from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. New standards, such as sobering center standards within the behavioral health crisis programs, took effect on July 1, 2026.
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