When a lapsed member rejoins after a long absence (months or years), can that member automatically retest for prior TD certification level (Senior TD)?
A member can IF the member has met the current requirements. In most cases the requirements have been weakened from what they used to be but there is one notable area where they are greater than before. Candidates for Senior TD, ANTD and NTD now have requirements regarding the minimum number of events that they have submitted on-line.
Also, a TD that used the reduced-requirement closed-book option is still limited to closed-book if the TD has not yet acquired the other requirements necessary to take the test open-book at home. Personally I would not recommend the closed-book option for anybody but it is available if there is some time limitation that makes it the only option.
Those also apply in cases of members that retained their membership but did not direct enough events (average of one per year) to maintain their TD certification.
Thanks Jeff
Although the rulebook says that a TD must maintain continuous US Chess membership, we do allow a TD whose membership lapses for a short period (less than, say, six months) to rejoin without having the certification inactivated, providing the certification itself does not lapse.
Beyond that, the member needs to request reactivation of an inactivated but not yet lapsed TD certification.
And as noted upthread, if the TD certification has lapsed, the returning member will generally have to take an exam to be recertified and must meet other requirements.