1 Purpose and scope
This policy governs the life cycle of the Association’s policies, regulations, procedures and forms, from identifying a need through approval, circulation, review and replacement. It applies to the Board, committees, management and personnel responsible for preparing or applying documents, to prevent reliance on conflicting or ineffective versions.(1)
2 References and responsibilities
Applicable legislation and competent-authority requirements take precedence, followed by the Articles of Association insofar as consistent with them, General Assembly and Board resolutions within their respective powers, and approved policies. Older documents are historical materials until the competent decision-maker determines what remains effective or is replaced.
The Board approves policies within its authority and refers matters reserved to the General Assembly or requiring competent-authority approval to the appropriate body. The Secretary maintains the document register, circulation and follow-up. Each policy owner is responsible for content accuracy and coordination with affected parties. Checking formatting does not constitute approval of substantive provisions.(2)
3 Preparation, verification and approval
An issuance request identifies the problem, scope, owner and affected documents. The owner prepares an implementable text defining responsibilities, steps and records, linking each legal provision to an identifiable source and distinguishing statutory obligations from internal controls proposed by the Association.
The Secretary checks completeness and conflicts with existing documents, requests legal review of unresolved issues and medical review of medical criteria, and submits the identified version to the approving body with its changes and implications. Administrative judgment cannot resolve a missing legal or medical basis.
4 Version control and availability
Each document receives a stable identifier and version number. Its title, owner, approving body, resolution reference, effective date, review frequency and supporting documents are recorded. A document takes effect on approval unless the resolution specifies another date; updating a file does not change the effective date of an earlier provision.
The Secretary retains the original Word file of the approved version, from which matching PDF and Markdown versions are derived, recording version numbers, file hashes and their relationships. Relevant persons are informed of the effective version, its location and material changes. Receipt of instructions or training is evidenced according to the role.(3)
5 Review, amendment and replacement
The owner reviews the document annually and when legislation or activities change or an incident or deficiency arises. The review outcome is recorded even if no amendment is proposed. Changes affecting rights, responsibilities or controls require competent approval before circulation.
The Secretary identifies superseded versions, retains the replacement authority and withdraws them from operational use without destroying the historical record. Application of a materially conflicting provision is suspended and escalated to the competent body. A temporary procedure cannot create an exception to law or another body’s authority.
6 Records and follow-up
The document register includes the code, title, version, status, owner, approval basis, effective date, storage location, next review and replacement document. A change request records its reason, previous and proposed text, references, implications and deciding body. The circulation register records the version, recipients and notification date.
The Secretary reports overdue reviews, conflicts and corrective actions to the Board. Access, retention and disposal follow the relevant policies; this policy does not prescribe one retention period for every record type.
References in the approved document
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The Association’s 2026 Articles of Association, Article 20: setting and reviewing policies and governance. The issuance life cycle in this document is an internal implementation control.
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The Association’s 2026 Articles of Association, Articles 20 and 24: Board and Secretary responsibilities and recordkeeping. This policy does not transfer authority reserved to another body.
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Internal controls for version management, circulation and review. The annual frequency and file formats are not, in themselves, legally prescribed periods or formats.