Why is it so hard to find out which holidays accreditors observe?
And why doesn’t anyone clearly say whether surveys still happen on those days?
If you’ve ever tried to plan staffing, survey prep, or downtime around holidays, you know how frustrating it is to search through accreditor websites or email threads. And then you come up empty-handed or more confused. It shouldn’t be this difficult to get a straight answer.
At The Home Health Consultant, we help agencies navigate the complexities of accreditation every day, from preparing for surveys to working with operational constraints. We’ve seen firsthand how unclear holiday policies create unnecessary stress.
That’s why we’ve compiled the holiday observance policies of three major home health & hospice accreditors:
- The Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC)
- The Joint Commission (TJC)
- Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP)
You’ll learn if blackout dates still appy, which holidays each accreditor observes, whether they conduct surveys during those times.
What Are Blackout Dates for Accreditation Surveys & Do They Still Apply?
Before we dive into each of the accreditors and the holidays they observe, you need to understand a critical concept: blackout dates.
Blackout dates are specific days agencies ask their accreditor not to schedule a survey. Historically, many agencies would submit blackout dates to avoid surveys during:
- busy periods,
- staff vacations,
- or planned downtime.
However, as of 2024, CMS prohibits accreditors from allowing agencies to declare blackout dates for unannounced surveys. This change was made to reduce potential scheduling manipulation and ensure agencies are staying survey-ready at all times.
So, why discuss blackout dates and holidays together?
When blackout dates were allowed, accreditors typically instructed agencies not to list their observed holidays as blackout dates. With this direction, it was safe to assume surveys were not conducted on federal holidays.
Even though blackout dates are no longer allowed, it’s still generally safe to assume surveys won’t happen on major federal holidays your accreditor officially observes. However, it’s not an absolute guarantee.
In short, while you can’t block dates anymore, knowing your accreditor’s holiday schedule still gives you a good idea of when surveyors likely won’t arrive at your door.
What Holidays Does the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) Observe?
ACHC observes a set of holidays each year during which its offices are closed. According to ACHC’s official contact page, as of June 2025, the organization observes:
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- the Friday after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas Day
Does ACHC Survey on Holidays?
ACHC’s policy has long been to avoid scheduling surveys on its observed holidays. Before blackout dates were prohibited, ACHC’s guidance made clear that surveys should not take place on official holiday closures.
It’s still reasonable to expect that ACHC won’t conduct routine surveys when their offices are closed for holidays. Always confirm with ACHC for the most current information about holiday scheduling.
What Holidays Does The Joint Commission (TJC) Observe?
The Joint Commission does not publicly disclose a list of holidays they observe. However, based on available information, TJC employees receive a standard set of paid holidays. These typically align with major U.S. federal holidays. The paid holidays TJC employees receive include:
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- the day after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
Does The Joint Commission Survey on Holidays?
Generally, TJC does not perform accreditation surveys or on-site inspections on these official holidays.
In their unannounced survey policy, TJC previously instructed accredited organizations not to list federal holidays as blackout dates. This implies that surveys won’t be conducted on major federal holidays.
Emergency or for-cause visits are exceedingly rare on holidays and would typically fall to state authorities rather than TJC.
What Holidays Does Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP) Observe?
CHAP observes a comprehensive list of holidays each year, closely mirroring federal holidays. For example, in 2025 CHAP is observing:
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King Day
- President’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth (June 19)
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- the day after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
Notably, CHAP includes Juneteenth and President’s Day in its observed holidays (which not all accreditors do). CHAP also has a policy of closing early (at 3:00 p.m.) on the business day preceding each holiday, underscoring their observance of these days.
CHAP publishes their holiday schedule annually. So if you’re accredited with them, it’s important to check back in every year to make sure you’re aware of any potential changes.
Does CHAP Survey on Holidays?
CHAP does not conduct surveys on its observed holidays. When CHAP’s offices are closed in observance of a holiday, routine surveys or inspections of home health and hospice organizations are put on hold.
Home health and hospice agencies can therefore expect that CHAP will pause survey activities during all the listed holiday dates.
Take the Stress Out of Holiday Survey Planning with Your Accreditor
Unless your accreditor has clearly stated otherwise in writing, we recommend asking whether holidays are observed—especially if you’re reading this months or years after it was published.
In our experience, surveys typically aren’t scheduled on holidays observed by the accreditor’s office staff. This is likely because surveyors often require office support, and because standard labor practices make it unlikely that surveyors would be paid holiday rates when the visit could simply be scheduled for another day.
That said, this is based on our experience—not on any official written policy. Always verify directly with your accreditor.
At the end of the day, we’ve all encountered the stress of planning around surveys without knowing whether holidays are observed. This uncertainty wastes time, causes unnecessary panic, and makes it harder to manage your team effectively.
If you’re looking for personalized help maintaining survey-readiness, schedule a free call with The Home Health Consultant. We’ll help make surveys one less thing you have to stress about.
*This article was written in consultation with Mariam Treystman.
*Disclaimer: The content provided in this article is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, legal, financial, or professional advice. No consultant-client relationship is established by engaging with this content. You should seek the advice of a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding any legal or business matters. The consultant assumes no liability for any actions taken based on the information provided.
Sources: The above information is drawn from official policy statements and resources of each accrediting organization. ACHC’s holiday list is published on its website achc.org, and its surveyor guidelines confirm that no surveys are scheduled on those dates customersatisfaction.achc.org. CHAP’s holiday schedule is available via its published 2024–2025 holiday calendars chapinc.org
Topics:
