USCG PROCESSING DELAYS AT CENTRALIZED USCG LICENSING FACILITY
The USCG licensing process now has all physical exams reviewed by USCG medical professionals. This is a much
different process than mariners have been used to in previous years. As a result, the USCG's Medical Evaluation
Board is extremely backlogged causing process delays measured in months.
Since TWICs have been required as of April 2009, the USCG licensing transaction process first has all applications
going through a background check/security review they call "safety and suitability vetting." For most mariners with no
recent convictions, this review has been very fast and then the mariner's file goes to a medical screening.
If the physical exam is screened as unremarkable, then after a delay of only a few days the mariner's file goes to
an evaluator to review professional qualifications like sea service, drug test, etc. However, many physicals are sent to
a Medical Evaluation Board. As of the time of this posting in January 2011, those files stay in the "ready to be evaluated
by Medical Evaluation Board" status for over two months and the number of files in that status is approaching 2,000 files
simply waiting to be reviewed.
For any mariner needing his/her license renewed on time for employment purposes, Grossetti License Consulting recommends
submitting a renewal application a full year in advance of license's expiration date. There is no penalty to apply early for
renewal. The mariner can ask for "delayed issuance" on the application form so that when the application eventually gets
approved, the USCG will hold off and not issue the new license until about a month before the current one expires. The mariner
would then get the most validity out of his/her current license.
