Changes to Coast Guard medical form cause problems for merchant mariners

The National Maritime Center has been making unannounced changes to the Merchant Mariner Credential Medical Evaluation Report form needed for the application for the Merchant Mariner Credential. According to AMO Currents, in some cases, the changes have even caused applications to be rejected.

They tell us:

The U.S. Coast Guard’s National Maritime Center has apparently made more than one unannounced change to Form CG-719K, the Merchant Mariner Credential Medical Evaluation Report. This form, which is available on the National Maritime Center (NMC) Web site, is required as part of the submission of files for a new or renewal Merchant Mariner Credential.

On more than one occasion, it would seem the text contained in the last page of this form has been revised and the form reposted to the NMC Web site with no announcement. There have now been reports of the NMC rejecting applications from mariners seeking a new or renewal Merchant Mariner Credential because the most recent revision of CG-719K was not submitted, and older versions of the form — obtained from the NMC Web site — were submitted with the application packages.

For the NMC to accept an application for a new or renewal Merchant Mariner Credential, the most recent revision of the form — CG-719K Rev. (01-09) — must be submitted with the application. This form is available on the NMC Web site.

Those who have who have completed a physical exam to include with an application for a new or renewal Merchant Mariner Credential, but have not yet submitted the application package, are being instructed to check that most recent revision of for CG-719k is being filled out by your physician.