# Recording a Decision

Canonical page: https://carecard.ca/knowledge/care-card-guide/verification/recording-a-decision
Language: en-CA







When a requirement is waiting on you, two buttons sit at the bottom of the
document panel: **Approve** and **Set Status**. Nothing is saved until you type
the confirmation word.

<img alt="The Set Status and Approve buttons at the bottom of the document panel, with Approve shown as a filled green button" src="__img0" />

You only see the buttons when:

* You are signed-in CareCard staff.
* The requirement is **Submitted** or **On Hold**.
* No one has decided it yet.

## Approve [#approve]

Click **Approve**. Then:

1. Pick an expiry date, or tick **Never expires**.
2. Type `approve` to confirm.

An approval needs no comment. The expiry you set decides how long it lasts.

## Set Status [#set-status]

Use **Set Status** for any other answer.

<img alt="The Change requirement status dialog with a New status selector, the current status, an Expiry date field with a Never expires checkbox, and Cancel and Confirm buttons" src="__img1" />

Fill in:

* **New status** — Pick the status to record. The list holds every status except
  the current one. On a first decision, **Approved** is not here — use the
  **Approve** button for that.
* **Expiry** — Same as Approve. **Conditional** always needs a date, so **Never
  expires** is turned off for it.
* **Message / reason** — Required. This is all the student sees, so be clear. Say
  "the certificate has no issue date", not "insufficient".
* Type `confirm` to save.

What each status means:

* **Processing** — You are still working on the review.
* **On Hold** — Paused for a reason outside the document. This blocks the
  certificate.
* **Information Required** — Something is missing or can't be read.
* **Not Submitted** — Send it back to the student as not yet sent.
* **Rejected** — The document does not meet the requirement.
* **Conditional** — Accepted, but only until a set date.
* **Cancelled** — No longer needed.

## Changing a Decision [#changing-a-decision]

A decision is not final. Click the status badge at the top of the panel to open
the same dialog again and pick a new status — this time **Approved** is in the
list too.

## Did It Save? [#did-it-save]

* **"Verification decision saved."** — Done. The panel shows the new status, your
  name, and the date.
* **"Unable to save the verification decision."** — Something changed while you
  were deciding (another reviewer, or a new upload). Reload the review and decide
  again.