The Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) has been reinstated as an accreditation organization for Medicare durable medical equipment (DME) providers following a temporary restraining order filed by BOC against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
In a Jan. 13 announcement, BOC said the reinstatement took effect on Jan. 9.
CMS revoked BOC’s status as an accrediting organization in early December. “BOC no longer has the authority to survey suppliers for compliance with the DMEPOS quality standards or perform any other functions of a CMS-approved DMEPOS accreditation organization for the purpose of Medicare enrollment as of Dec. 2, 2025,” CMS said at that time.
That decision made BOC is ineligible to “perform reaccreditation activities; conduct surveys or provide accreditation for new location(s); conduct surveys or provide accreditation for new products; or execute any other functions as a CMS-approved accreditation organization,” CMS said. “Suppliers seeking to renew accreditation, change location, update ownership information, add new products or modify any other information pertaining to DMEPOS accreditation must obtain accreditation from a CMS-approved accreditation organization.”
In response, BOC filed a Dec. 16 lawsuit — Board of Certification/Accreditation International Inc. v. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. et al, Case No. 1:25-cv-04150-MJM — in the U.S. District Court, District of Maryland.
“At a hearing held Jan. 9, 2026, the court granted BOC’s motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against CMS,” BOC said in its Jan. 13 announcement. “As a result of the court’s ruling, BOC is again authorized as a CMS-approved DMEPOS accreditation organization, and CMS has confirmed this status remains in effect until further notice.”
Effective Jan. 9, BOC said it was able to “continue operations and is authorized to provide full accreditation- and reaccreditation-related services in 46 states.” BOC is also “authorized to accept new DMEPOS applications in 46 states.”
BOC’s certifications are not impacted and “remain relevant and valid for the thousands of providers holding BOC credentials,” the company added.
“We will continue to keep our customers informed and are grateful for their ongoing trust,” said Judi L. Knott, MA, MBA, CAE, president/CEO of BOC. “Our commitment to quality and to the professionals and businesses we serve remains steadfast, and we look forward to assisting with businesses’ accreditation needs.”
Cornell Law School describes a temporary restraining order as “a short-term pre-trial temporary injunction. To obtain a TRO, a party must convince the judge that they will suffer immediate irreparable injury unless the order is issued. If the judge is convinced that a temporary restraining order is necessary, they may issue the order immediately, without informing the other parties and without holding a hearing. These orders are intended to be stop-gap measures, and only last until the court holds a hearing on whether or not to grant a preliminary injunction.”
