NOCA originates from the 1977 congressional creation of the National Commission for Health Certifying Agencies (NCHCA).  With federal funding made available through the Department of Health and Human Services, its mission was to develop standards for quality certification in the allied health fields and to accredit organizations that met those standards.  With the growing use of certification in other fields, the NCHCA leadership recognized that what was essential for quality certification of individuals in the healthcare sector was equally essential for other sectors.  Hence, NCHCA evolved into the National Organization for Competency Assurance in 1987.

NOCA is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing educational, networking and advocacy resources for certification organizations.  NOCA’s accrediting body, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), evaluates certification organization for compliance with the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs.

The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) is the accreditation body of NOCA. NOCA provides educational resources and best practices for organizations with certification programs, whereas, NCCA evaluates those certification programs based on predetermined and standardized criteria.

Certification programs may apply and be accredited by the NCCA if they demonstrate compliance with each accreditation standard. NCCA's Standards exceed the requirements set forth by the American Psychological Association and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.