It comes as no surprise that we in the United States are security aware. Possible threats create new legislation on a regular basis. Today, I enrolled for my Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC.) The office was due to be opened at 08:00. Here’s what happened.
07:57 I arrive at the Anacortes Wa. enrollment location, 5 miles from my home.
08:07 Worker #1 arrives and apologizes for being late.
08:11 Worker #2 arrives
08:12 Workers #1 and #2 discuss if the computer is up an running
(they are subcontractors to Lockheed Martin who is a subcontractor to TSA)
08:12 Second enrollee arrives for a 08:15 appointment
Workers indicate enrollee #2 will be served first (I preenrolled before appointments were offered)
08:13 Phone call is placed stating, “There are workers here to be enrolled.”
08:19 Lockheed Martin supervisor of the enrollment site arrives and unlocks the computer
08:28 Second enrollee is seated for an interview
08:45 Second enrollee’s interview is completed
08:48 I am seated for the interview
My credit card is charged the $132.50 fee
Information on my pre-enrollment form is confirmed
Finger prints are taken (electronically)
Passport is scanned
My picture is taken
09:02 Process is completed
This was day two of the Anacortes, Wa enrollment operation. The signage for the location only exists at the door and is remote. The workers expect the office to be opened through November 2008.
Folks related to the Coast Guard have told me that TWIC came about because the Department of Homeland Security could not get Coast Guard computers and TSA computers to share information. As licensed mariners in the US are aware, we already have gone through a rigorous FBI background check and have been finger printed. The cost for this privilege of this new card is $132.50
I already carry my Master’s License, Passport, and Maritime Consortium (drug testing) Card aboard the vessels I work on.. I wonder how one more piece of ID is going to keep us safer.
Information from the TWIC website reads:
The Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) is a vital security measure that will ensure individuals who pose a threat do not gain unescorted access to secure areas of the nation’s maritime transportation system.
TWIC was established by Congress through the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) and is administered by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Coast Guard. TWICs are tamper-resistant biometric credentials that will be issued to workers who require unescorted access to secure areas of ports, vessels, outer continental shelf facilities and all credentialed merchant mariners. It is anticipated that more than 750,000 workers including longshoremen, truckers, port employees and others will be required to obtain a TWIC.
The official TSA TWIC site is here.
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This post was written by Richard Rodriguez, Rescue Tug Captain, and US Coast Guard approved instructor for License Training. You can read more of his articles at the BitterEnd
My experience was very much the same in Corpus Christi.
The initial enrollment went relatively on time. I was lucky I planned on arriving 20 minutes early. The office was in such a discrete location with no signage, it took me 20 minutes to locate it once I arrived on sight.
However, weeks later, when I arrived at 0850 for my 0900 appointment to have my TWIC issued to me, I was told to sign in. At 1030 they called me to the desk.
The lady contractor tried to put on a cheery attitude after she noticed the disappointment on my face. She continually stated in different ways how they were running short on staff that day.
My response was that they had no excuse to be short on staff. I reminded her that we are all paying $130 for our cards. With that kind of fee, there can be no valid reason in my mind that resources are not available at all times to ensure appointments go on schedule.
I was there on my time. My employer was not paying me the extra 1 1/2 hour of time I spent waiting for my scheduled appointment. They were also not paying for my $130 TWIC.
I enrolled at the TWIC center in NY located at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal. The process there was painless — the crew there ran things on time and efficiently. The only gripe I have is that they said they would call me back in 3 weeks and it’s now been over 4 weeks with no call back. I chalk that up as par for the course with govt/defense contractors.
I enrolled at the TWIC center in NY located at the Whitehall Ferry Terminal. The process there was painless — the crew there ran things on time and efficiently. The only gripe I have is that they said they would call me back in 3 weeks and it’s now been over 4 weeks with no call back. I chalk that up as par for the course with govt/defense contractors.
My experience was very much the same in Corpus Christi.
The initial enrollment went relatively on time. I was lucky I planned on arriving 20 minutes early. The office was in such a discrete location with no signage, it took me 20 minutes to locate it once I arrived on sight.
However, weeks later, when I arrived at 0850 for my 0900 appointment to have my TWIC issued to me, I was told to sign in. At 1030 they called me to the desk.
The lady contractor tried to put on a cheery attitude after she noticed the disappointment on my face. She continually stated in different ways how they were running short on staff that day.
My response was that they had no excuse to be short on staff. I reminded her that we are all paying $130 for our cards. With that kind of fee, there can be no valid reason in my mind that resources are not available at all times to ensure appointments go on schedule.
I was there on my time. My employer was not paying me the extra 1 1/2 hour of time I spent waiting for my scheduled appointment. They were also not paying for my $130 TWIC.
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Enrolled: Feb 29, 2008 in Chesapeake, Va. Painless, rather quick process. Was told they would contact me in 6-10 weeks.
Today is June 4, 2008. I e-mail them for the second time to ask the status. The online status check reveals the “card is in production”.
Here in San Diego, Mariners are receiving their cards in 3-4 weeks. I asked if I could get a refund and apply elsewhere. Here is their response:
“Unfortunately you cannot cancel the transaction once the information has been taken and submitted for processing. We cannot grant you a refund once the information has been received and processed. If you were to enroll again – the system would flag you as a duplicate and it won’t process your information, which means you would have paid twice without the option of getting a refund”.
As mentioned in other posts, the credit card is charged immediately but the promised service is not rendered. To top it off, there is nothing I can do about it.
Wonder what would happen if they were paid “after” the service was rendered instead of before. Bet Lockheed Martin would be pumping out cards a lot quicker!!!
The deadline was extended to April, 2009 and at the rate they are going it will be extended a few more times. I can legally sail until then, so I’m not going to worry about it. Just hope it arrives before it expires!!! LOL
The stations do not vary, enrollee information and when information was transmitted varies and plays a large role in the processing.
We thank you for your continued patience and you will receive a notification.
Enrolled: Feb 29, 2008 in Chesapeake, Va. Painless, rather quick process. Was told they would contact me in 6-10 weeks.
Today is June 4, 2008. I e-mail them for the second time to ask the status. The online status check reveals the “card is in production”.
Here in San Diego, Mariners are receiving their cards in 3-4 weeks. I asked if I could get a refund and apply elsewhere. Here is their response:
“Unfortunately you cannot cancel the transaction once the information has been taken and submitted for processing. We cannot grant you a refund once the information has been received and processed. If you were to enroll again – the system would flag you as a duplicate and it won’t process your information, which means you would have paid twice without the option of getting a refund”.
As mentioned in other posts, the credit card is charged immediately but the promised service is not rendered. To top it off, there is nothing I can do about it.
Wonder what would happen if they were paid “after” the service was rendered instead of before. Bet Lockheed Martin would be pumping out cards a lot quicker!!!
The deadline was extended to April, 2009 and at the rate they are going it will be extended a few more times. I can legally sail until then, so I’m not going to worry about it. Just hope it arrives before it expires!!! LOL
The stations do not vary, enrollee information and when information was transmitted varies and plays a large role in the processing.
We thank you for your continued patience and you will receive a notification.
I posted 3 months ago. The NIGHTMARE continues. At this point, I have come to accept the fact that I will never receive a TWIC card and I will be forced to give up sailing and find another line of work. Kind of a bummer since I've been sailing over 20 years. Gotta love TSA and their partner in crime, LOCKHEED MARTIN. Read my timeline nightmare below:
February 27, 2008 – Applied at the TWIC Enrollment Center, Suite F
814 Greenbrier Circle, Chesapeake, VA 23320
May 22, 2008 – Sent e-mail to credentialing@dhs.gov requesting status.
May 23, 2008 – Received response saying my information was received, gone through the adjudication process, and sent off for production. My information was being kept on file and forwarded to Lockheed Martin for further research, and they would contact me as soon as possible. Never heard from them.
June 4, 2008 – Sent e-mail to credentialing@dhs.gov asking if I could cancel my application so I can apply elsewhere. I was told I could not cancel as I would be flagged as a duplicate and the system would not process my information. They thanked me for my patience and said I will receive notification.
July 17, 2008 – Sent e-mail to credentialing@dhs.gov requesting status. Never received a reply!
August 6, 2008 – Called TWIC Helpdesk. Told to call back in 1 ½ weeks for status update.
August 19, 2008 – Called for status update. No record of my previous phone call. Asked for case number I was never given. Got frustrated and hung up.
August 25, 2008 – Called TWIC Helpdesk. I was assigned a Ticket # and told to call back in 2 weeks for status.
August 27, 2008 – Sent e-mail to credentialing@dhs.gov requesting status.
August 27, 2008 – Used the online form on the TWIC website to request status.
August 29, 2008 – Received reply from Operations Manager, Mr. Tom Hathaway, phone # 571-227-1024. He said my security threat assessment was completed on February 29, 2008 and a card order was generated then. He requested Lockheed Martin to investigate my card order but there was a 1 day turn around and the card order must be hung up in the system. He hoped to have an answer by Tuesday (Sept 2, 2008) and will provide an update then. Never heard from him again. Unable to contact him.
September 2, 2008 – Received response from Brandon Vance at TWIC Helpdesk informing me that my card appears to be misrouted! He apologized that the representatives at credentialing didn’t inform me of this. He escalated a Ticket # to Lockheed Martin and asked that I give him until September 12, 2008 for an update. Never heard from him again.
September 8, 2008 – Called for status of ticket # from August 25. A representative with an attitude told me I have to wait a month for a status. I told her the representative that gave me the ticket number said 2 weeks. She said she doesn’t have a status and to call back after a month.
I can't seem to find contact info for anyone at TSA other than the general “run of the mill we'll get back to you” customer service reps. If anyone has e-mail or phone #'s for the management or director of TSA please post. My next step is a letter to my Congressman, hate to go that route and not sure if it will even help, but worth a try.
Anyone have any other suggestions I'd appreciate your input.
Thanks All and good luck with your TWIC!!
Seeing as how this card is exactly the same as a DOD CAC card just with different printing on it I dont see why they cannot produce them on the spot like is done with the CAC card. I bet they are trying to justify the high price that is being charged.
The nightmare continues part two. I am in the same boat as DJ. I applied on Feb21,08 and still haven't received my card. They are still giving me the run around. I have talked to 17 different people that work there an nobody seems to know what's going on. Somebody please help me.
Hey there, Newport News area same old s—. Went and got fingerprinted, passport, the works. June 27 08 paid the 132.50 waiting for about 5 months just to be told they don't have me as being enroled. Gave the all info including reciept # Visa card # and promised them my first born. Still nothing. Asked about going to a different site and redoing it. They said sure but you have to repay the 132.50. Told that they would escalate the search for my records. Fine, this will be the 3rd time they have done that. Spent all day trying to get through to them. Felt like telling them to stick the card…
Hey there, Newport News area same old s—. Went and got fingerprinted, passport, the works. June 27 08 paid the 132.50 waiting for about 5 months just to be told they don't have me as being enroled. Gave the all info including reciept # Visa card # and promised them my first born. Still nothing. Asked about going to a different site and redoing it. They said sure but you have to repay the 132.50. Told that they would escalate the search for my records. Fine, this will be the 3rd time they have done that. Spent all day trying to get through to them. Felt like telling them to stick the card…
I finally got my card by contacting the TWIC Director at Lockheed Martin. I found his contact info on the web at this link:
http://www.apl.com/security/documents/twic_stakeh…
He responded immediately and found my card within a couple hours. He even asked me where I was and had the card sent to the TWIC center in San Diego, even though I enrolled in Virginia.
His name is Alan Bloodgood and his e-mail is alan.bloodgood@lmco.com
He is a good guy and will bend over backwards to help you get your card.
I never received a reply from Maurine Fanguy, the TSA TWIC Program Director, which I thought was pretty rude.
Hope this helps.
DJ
I finally got my card by contacting the TWIC Director at Lockheed Martin. I found his contact info on the web at this link:
http://www.apl.com/security/documents/twic_stakeh…
He responded immediately and found my card within a couple hours. He even asked me where I was and had the card sent to the TWIC center in San Diego, even though I enrolled in Virginia.
His name is Alan Bloodgood and his e-mail is alan.bloodgood@lmco.com
He is a good guy and will bend over backwards to help you get your card.
I never received a reply from Maurine Fanguy, the TSA TWIC Program Director, which I thought was pretty rude.
Hope this helps.
DJ
She had a guy named Rex Lovelady dealing with me, he was of some help, however he did tell me once i was approved that my card would be ready for pick up the following week and if i didnt hear anything i was to call him, well the card never showed and he never answered his phone again his number is 571-227-2076 email rex.lovelady@dhs.gov. What i have found it that the TSA isnt much help in the process unless they need more information about your case. The biggest help that i recieved was from Alan Bloodgood who works for Lockheed Martin. I think he goes above and beyond for the applicants, he is a great guy and his contact info is located on a post prior to mine.
I had to cantact my state senator to get some results. They can get some answers and they need to know about the issues we are having with TWIC. If your having issues in the State of Wa follow the link below, fill out the privacy release and get it faxed over ASAP. There is a link after clicking on the CONSTITUENT SERVICES button, click on the highlighted link that reads CASE AUTHORIZATION PRIVACY RELEASE FORM. Print that, fill it out and fax it to the fax nuber provided.
<a href=”http://cantwell.senate.gov/services/privacy_relea…” target=”_blank”>http://cantwell.senate.gov/services/privacy_relea…
She had a guy named Rex Lovelady dealing with me, he was of some help, however he did tell me once i was approved that my card would be ready for pick up the following week and if i didnt hear anything i was to call him, well the card never showed and he never answered his phone again his number is 571-227-2076 email rex.lovelady@dhs.gov. What i have found it that the TSA isnt much help in the process unless they need more information about your case. The biggest help that i recieved was from Alan Bloodgood who works for Lockheed Martin. I think he goes above and beyond for the applicants, he is a great guy and his contact info is located on a post prior to mine.
I had to cantact my state senator to get some results. They can get some answers and they need to know about the issues we are having with TWIC. If your having issues in the State of Wa follow the link below, fill out the privacy release and get it faxed over ASAP. There is a link after clicking on the CONSTITUENT SERVICES button, click on the highlighted link that reads CASE AUTHORIZATION PRIVACY RELEASE FORM. Print that, fill it out and fax it to the fax nuber provided.
<a href=”http://cantwell.senate.gov/services/privacy_relea…” target=”_blank”>http://cantwell.senate.gov/services/privacy_relea…
I too enrolled at the Anacortes enrollment center. I finally recieved my card yesterday, it was a long drawn out process with lots of people telling me only what i wanted to hear. After proving to the TSA 3 times that i didnt have different dispositions in washington i was finally accepted to get my card. this took a total of 15 weeks. for something that should have taken 3 weeks. Im curious to see the timeline on my file. Im not sure how long it took for the TSA to get my paperwork from the enrollment center but i have a feeling it was a while. I think i dealt with about 15 people throughout this process. Most times i was told different things so for a while towards the end of the process i wasnt sure what the status of my card was. I too dealt with Maurine Fanguy, she was not one bit of help and apparently she is too good to deal with paying applicants. i would advise anybody having problems to call her at a minimum of 5 times a day. her numbers are Office, 571-227-3741 Cell# 202-821-3144 email is maurine.fanguy@dhs.gov
I too enrolled at the Anacortes enrollment center. I finally recieved my card yesterday, it was a long drawn out process with lots of people telling me only what i wanted to hear. After proving to the TSA 3 times that i didnt have different dispositions in washington i was finally accepted to get my card. this took a total of 15 weeks. for something that should have taken 3 weeks. Im curious to see the timeline on my file. Im not sure how long it took for the TSA to get my paperwork from the enrollment center but i have a feeling it was a while. I think i dealt with about 15 people throughout this process. Most times i was told different things so for a while towards the end of the process i wasnt sure what the status of my card was. I too dealt with Maurine Fanguy, she was not one bit of help and apparently she is too good to deal with paying applicants. i would advise anybody having problems to call her at a minimum of 5 times a day. her numbers are Office, 571-227-3741 Cell# 202-821-3144 email is maurine.fanguy@dhs.gov
can your employer fire you for not being able to get a twic card because of a disqualifying crime from 6 years ago(like a drug charge/felony)if they knew you had the charge on you when they hired you,and they didnt require you to have a twic card?and yes ive files for a waiver allready,and that process takes up to 7 monthes to happen i was told that my waiver is being processed and i will most probably get my twic card.but i m still waiting and my job has givin me a dead line of july 8th.I know i wont get an answer of yes or no I will get the waiver or not for at leastr mid july according to T.S.A. Ive also served 10 years in the U.S.ARMY during in which i commited that drug offence.and now as of 2007 have a honorable discharge.
T.S.A. called me from this number (703)860-8242 that is their main office
T.S.A. called me from this number (703)860-8242 that is their main office
can your employer fire you for not being able to get a twic card because of a disqualifying crime from 6 years ago(like a drug charge/felony)if they knew you had the charge on you when they hired you,and they didnt require you to have a twic card?and yes ive files for a waiver allready,and that process takes up to 7 monthes to happen i was told that my waiver is being processed and i will most probably get my twic card.but i m still waiting and my job has givin me a dead line of july 8th.I know i wont get an answer of yes or no I will get the waiver or not for at leastr mid july according to T.S.A. Ive also served 10 years in the U.S.ARMY during in which i commited that drug offence.and now as of 2007 have a honorable discharge.