Member FAQs

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The NASS website will be undergoing routine maintenance with the video library starting November 25 and may have limited access to videos during this time.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

The best way for you to update information is to log in to your NASS account and click on your name in the upper right corner to make any necessary edits (the direct link to the MyAccount is www.spine.org/MyAccount). Or you can call the NASS membership department to make changes over the phone.

In your NASS MyAccount, under the My Membership section, if there is a “Renew” button next to the current year’s membership, your membership has not yet been renewed. If it shows only “Current” with no button, your membership is in good standing.

Membership dues are not deductible as a charitable donation; however, dues may be deductible as a business expense to the degree allowed under Internal Revenue Service regulations. In 2024, 5% of total dues are allocated to lobbying expenses, and, therefore are not deductible for income tax purposes.

NASS membership is generally non-refundable. Exceptions include membership applications left incomplete at the end of the membership-year or special circumstances at the discretion of NASS.

Yes. Members who are actively deployed or have active-duty orders as United States military personnel in the past 12 months may be eligible for discounted dues. All requests are reviewed after submitting a Dues Reduction Request Form.

No, dues payment can be made by check/money order or by MasterCard, VISA or American Express.

Your NASS ID number can be found on the welcome email that was sent to you when you first joined, or on your renewal invoice. It’s also included on emails throughout the year and in your NASS MyAccount.

Annual dues for members vary by category. Individuals joining for the first time pay a nonrefundable $50.00 application fee and may have their dues prorated depending on when they apply; dues are prorated quarterly (to 75% on April 1st and 50% on July 1st) and members who join September 15th through December 31st receive the remainder of that year for free when they join for the following year. Full dues for 2025 are:

Category Annual Dues

Active $690.00

Associate $690.00

Affiliate $355.00

International Premium $300.00

International $150.00

Emeritus $100.00

In-Training $0.00

Honorary $0.00

Yes, members are encouraged to promote their status as a NASS member, including use of the NASS logo under the guidelines outlined in the logo policy.

Members who do not wish to renew their membership have the choice of allowing their membership to lapse, with the opportunity to renew at any time for up to three years, or formally resign. To initiate either of these processes, complete a Membership Deactivation or Resignation Form.

Membership Categories

Your membership category may change if you have: 1) completed your training; 2) passed your board exam; 3) moved in or out of the United States; 4) retired; or 5) significantly changed the percentage of your professional activities that you dedicate to spine care. To request a change in your membership category, complete a Category Change Request Form.

Emeritus members must be active NASS members for 15 years and be fully retired from the practice of medicine. If you've been a member for at least 5 years, or are actively still working part-time, you may be eligible for the Semi-retired rate.

All requests must be approved by the NASS Executive Committee and made in writing by submitting a Category Change Request Form.

Prior to October 2013, only medical residents and fellows were eligible. Now, in addition to these individuals, medical students, graduate students or others in spine-related full-time programs are eligible. If an individual has already received a “terminal degree” (MD, DO, PhD, etc) and are returning for additional training unrelated to spine care, they are not eligible.

Yes.

Yes. When applying, you must provide the name of your certifying board and meet all other qualifications for Active membership.

Membership Benefits

All members receive online access to both publications as a benefit of membership. For the print version of TSJ, all members receive the paper copies except In-training and International.

First verify that your mailing address is correct in your NASS MyAccount. If it is correct, contact the NASS membership department to verify your subscription details.

Yes, to opt-out of paper issues of The Spine Journal (TSJ), contact the NASS Membership Department and they can make that change to your membership.

In addition to subscriptions, members also receive discounts of up to 50% on courses/meetings and products, have access to on-demand education for free, are listed on our Find a Specialist search, can ask coding questions through Coding Q&A resource, and receive intangible benefits including advocacy, guideline and coverage policy development, research funding and more.

All members are now eligible to participate on committees and task forces. Requests for volunteers occurs each year in early spring though we accept applications year-round.

Active and Associate members are eligible to vote (bylaws changes, Executive Committee appointments and membership candidates).

Joining

No, membership is on an individual-basis. Multiple staff from one practice may join to take advantage of the benefits of membership, but the organization itself cannot become a member.

NASS membership is on a calendar-year basis (from January 1 through December 31). Memberships for individuals who join from January 1st through September 15th will expire on December 31st of that year. Memberships for individuals who join from September 16th through December 31st will expire on December 31st of the next year.

It is possible that you filled out an application, but did not provide all of the required information; please check the primary email that you provided at the time of your application for a status update, or contact the NASS membership department to check your application status.

Up to ninety (90) days (view full Application Process); however, candidates for NASS membership are not officially approved until the Board of Directors meeting following the review of their application.

Membership benefits will be activated once the initial application is complete (application, application fee and essential information from CV have been received and processed) and dues for the current membership-year are paid.

Membership certificates may be downloaded through your NASS MyAccount once your application has been reviewed by the Membership Committee and voting members. We no longer send printed certificates to new members. However, you may order a printed certificate for $20.00 (plus shipping and handling).

Renewing

Membership payments are accepted online at www.spine.org/renew, by phone to 866-960-6277 or 001-630-230-3600 from outside the United States, by fax to 630-230-3700 or by mail to NASS, 39752 Treasury Center, Chicago, IL 60694-9700. Members from outside the United States who wish to renew via wire transfer can email [email protected] to request wire instructions.

Yes, members can sign up for automatic renewal of their membership using a credit card (and can update their preferences at any time throughout the year), at www.spine.org/autorenewal. Dues for the year are processed on October of the year prior (ex. 2025 dues will be processed in October 2024).

April 1st.

If you are reinstating membership within 3 years of being active, there is no need to reapply; reinstatements after 3 years of inactive membership must reapply.

No. If a member is late to renew, you must pay the full year’s dues.

Memberships are on an individual basis and may travel with the member from practice to practice; memberships are non-transferrable.