Just when I thought the NMC was getting their act together

Professional Mariner Forum
#1

I submit my app at a west coast REC on a Friday. The same day I get an email that it has been received and forwarded to the NMC. :slight_smile:

The following Wednesday I get an email:“Your application has cleared the safety and suitability vetting process and has moved on to the medical screening process.” :smiley:

Two days later, one week from the time I drop off my application - I get another email: “Your application has cleared the safety and suitability vetting and medical screening/evaluation processes and is currently awaiting a professional qualification evaluation.” :cool:

Monday, the next workday: “Your application is being evaluated for professional qualifications.”:smiley:

But later that same day - another email: “Additional information is required to complete the evaluation of your application. You will receive a letter from the National Maritime Center detailing the information requested. For more information, you may also visit Homeport’s Merchant Mariner Application Status site, which is updated daily. Please Note: You have 90 days from the time of your official letter from the Coast Guard to submit the required information.” :confused:

How can this be? Under the new system, I have a 16000-ton mate license with oceans endorsement, ARPA and GMDSS. All I was submitting was a new drug test and two sea time letters! So I email the NMC and ask if they can tell me what is needed. I am quickly emailed a response that nothing is needed from me. I am told the the “Awaiting Info” request is an internal request and that no letter has been sent to me. I should just disregard the earlier email.

Two weeks go by… . My status has not changed… “Awaiting Info” I call the NMC and relay the above email conversation and, over the phone, I am told that the “awaiting info” request is a software glitch and that there is nothing needed from me. My file is still being evaluated. :

It is now the end of the third week since my “Awaiting Info” email. I call the NMC this afternoon and explain that I am getting a little nervous because my status still has not changed, I have not been requested to provide any info, and, I have nothing in writing other than the “Awaiting Info” notice on the NMC web site.

I am told: “Yes we are awaiting information from YOU! A letter was drafted on Wednesday and is sitting on someone’s desk for signature. Once it is signed we can send an email informing you of the missing information. Until that letter is signed, we can’t say what the requested information is.” :mad:

FUDGE!!!

#2

[B]There is no doubt in my mind that this is standard operating procedure.[/B]
[B]I had the same experience several times with my application last year.[/B]
[B]I believe that the clock is effectively stopped each time and it appears that they are waiting on YOU.[/B]
[B]This makes the average processing time per application look MUCH better.[/B]

[B]My application and reconsiderations took 10 + months,but I’ll bet that the majority of that time the file would show that they were waiting for more information which was NOT the case.[/B]
[B]Call me a skeptic,but…[/B]

#3

The guy they hired to fix NMC has done nothing but gone backwards. This is the guy that took away the approved courses list from the website and says that the 500 and 1600 ton modules are different so an applicant has to take 11 freakin’ modules if they want a 500 ocean/1600 near coastal.
Coincidence that his initials are B.S.? I don’t think so.

#4

I heard about the 11 module situation from a friend at PMI - what a drag! Seven were stressful enough! Remember, “centralized to improve consistency and efficiency”…glad we got rid of those pesky gov’t employees and out sourced the process…

#5

I just went through a similar experience with the NMC. I was renewing my 2nd mate unlimited (no seatime over the last 5 years), I did my physical/drug screen, TWIC, Radar, went to my REC, and was basically tag-teamed on stuff I had to do, every time one of guys would walk away, the other would aproach me saying I had to do this and that. I wnet into the office anticipating a 2 part take home exam and left with the following info, I may have to take the original 7 part 3m/2m exam, basic safety traing, possibly redoing radar and physical (the REC guy wasn’t familar with the places I completed the required courses/physical, even though I got info on those places from the NMC webite), and the AB exam. I was quite pissed off that I wasn’t told any of this, but it turns out I was asking the wrong questions. I had the same sequence of Emails from the NMC, I took my BST right after I recieved my letter faxed it in, then recieved my email a week later for approval to test. It was the 2/M (3 part) exam that I had to take (the only time I did not complain). Took it and passed and recieved my creds a little over a week later. I know it is frustrating, but I was basicaly calling them on a daily basis until I finally recived the same info on consecutive days.
As for the “Aproved courses list” http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/approved_courses.asp

#6

I had a similar experience last year during my renewal. The same “awaiting further info” thing. I called and was [I]very nice[/I] to the agent. I implored her to take pity on me and at least tell me what it was they needed. After a moment or two she was kind enough to read me what I needed but quickly reminded me that the official letter was on its way. I still wasn’t too clear on what was necessary so I politely asked for a supervisor. I was transferred to his line expecting a quick brush off and/or voicemail gauntlet. Surprisingly, the supervisor called me back, gave me the same info and even copied and pasted the request into an email so there wouldn’t be any mistake what I had to ask my doctor for. I was able to save time and energy setting up my appointments and got the necessary info much sooner than having to wait until I returned from my next work hitch. The info was faxed and accepted and I thought it was all settled. I was approaching my expiration date and called to see how much longer it would take, I was told at least two weeks, maybe more. I again asked if there was something I could do, or consideration I could be given since I was closing in on unemployment. The advice I was given was to submit a “request for consideration”. I emailed the NMC and did just that. I was holding my license well before my expiration. I [I]emphasize[/I] I was cordial and polite, got more flies with honey than vinegar.

#7

Emills505, Hmmm…I would have thought all you would have needed after the stuff you already did would be BST-refresher course (or re-do BST) and the take-home test. (Unless of course your license had been expired for over a year.)

#8

[QUOTE=Jeffrox;32026]Emills505, Hmmm…I would have thought all you would have needed after the stuff you already did would be BST-refresher course (or re-do BST) and the take-home test. (Unless of course your license had been expired for over a year.)[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I was more pissed at myself for not asking the correct questions and providing the correct information (Sea Time and expiration date of my license). Overall however I was impressed by the NMC, and the TWIC people. After spending the majority of time during the proccess reading horror story’s about both organizations. Plus I didn’t like the fact that I was getting different answers to the same questions by different people, but that is prob. due to me not giving the correct info initially. One of the irony’s is when I was studying for the tests, one of the first questions I read had to do with expired licenses over a year from exp. date. I’ll just chalk all of that up to a learning expirience as I now have everything back.

#9

[QUOTE=PMC;31946]I submit my app at a west coast REC on a Friday. The same day I get an email that it has been received and forwarded to the NMC. :slight_smile:

The following Wednesday I get an email:“Your application has cleared the safety and suitability vetting process and has moved on to the medical screening process.” :smiley:

Two days later, one week from the time I drop off my application - I get another email: “Your application has cleared the safety and suitability vetting and medical screening/evaluation processes and is currently awaiting a professional qualification evaluation.” :cool:

Monday, the next workday: “Your application is being evaluated for professional qualifications.”:smiley:

But later that same day - another email: “Additional information is required to complete the evaluation of your application. You will receive a letter from the National Maritime Center detailing the information requested. For more information, you may also visit Homeport’s Merchant Mariner Application Status site, which is updated daily. Please Note: You have 90 days from the time of your official letter from the Coast Guard to submit the required information.” :confused:

How can this be? Under the new system, I have a 16000-ton mate license with oceans endorsement, ARPA and GMDSS. All I was submitting was a new drug test and two sea time letters! So I email the NMC and ask if they can tell me what is needed. I am quickly emailed a response that nothing is needed from me. I am told the the “Awaiting Info” request is an internal request and that no letter has been sent to me. I should just disregard the earlier email.

Two weeks go by… . My status has not changed… “Awaiting Info” I call the NMC and relay the above email conversation and, over the phone, I am told that the “awaiting info” request is a software glitch and that there is nothing needed from me. My file is still being evaluated. :

It is now the end of the third week since my “Awaiting Info” email. I call the NMC this afternoon and explain that I am getting a little nervous because my status still has not changed, I have not been requested to provide any info, and, I have nothing in writing other than the “Awaiting Info” notice on the NMC web site.

I am told: “Yes we are awaiting information from YOU! A letter was drafted on Wednesday and is sitting on someone’s desk for signature. Once it is signed we can send an email informing you of the missing information. Until that letter is signed, we can’t say what the requested information is.” :mad:

FUDGE!!![/QUOTE]

This post confuses me. Was this a complete application, or just the submission of sea-time and drug screen letters to a previous incomplete application?

#10

It is an upgrade from 1600 mate to 1600 master. I got my 1600 mate oceans two years ago. For the upgrade, a current drug test and a verification of a recent physical exam is required. The only difference in the licensing requirement is days of qualifying sea time. In theory, one should be able to look at the 1600 mate approval form to determine how many additional days of qualifying sea time are required for 1600 master. Then look at the newly submitted sea time letter to see if that requirement is fulfilled. That should take 10 minutes.

#11

I think the issue with the approved courses listing is that NMC used to list what the actual approval was for each course and they no longer do so, just list approved course titles. I think this is a huge disservice for the mariner as knowing exactly what a school was approved to teach and what the course was acceptable for was very helpful.

#12

[QUOTE=Robert;32114]I think the issue with the approved courses listing is that NMC used to list what the actual approval was for each course and they no longer do so, just list approved course titles. I think this is a huge disservice for the mariner as knowing exactly what a school was approved to teach and what the course was acceptable for was very helpful.[/QUOTE]

[B]I noticed the same thing Robert, I used to verify the assessments covered by the course completion certificate[/B]
[B]and that is no longer possible that I can see.[/B]

[B]Bummer,that is a step backward for the Mariner.[/B]

[B]Anchorman, while we are on the subject of the NMC getting their act together (Sort Of), did you ever get a reply from Captain Stalfort as to a final say on the PL 01-02 subject? I may have missed it if you posted it,but after the NPRM came out the question was put on a back burner I suppose.[/B]

[B]Thanks [/B]

#13

Things are much better than they were a couple of years ago. When I submitted my mate app in 2008, at one point I was told that I was two weeks away from being approved to test for two months… and was repeatedly told that for two months. The ability to check on line for the application status is great - apparently the software has a couple things to still be tweeked. I have also gotten very quick service when I called with a question or emailed the same. So things are going in the right direction.

Something I learned last summer was to request clarification of requirements in writing. Last fall I called with a question about satisfying an STCW requirement for a foreign flagged ship. I called NMC and was quickly transferred to the appropriate area. I tried to explain my request over the phone but got a response (several times) of “No you can’t do that” even before I had completed my explanation of the scenario. I was not sure that I was going to get a positive response to my request but I felt that I was getting a negative response without an reasonable thought process. After all, I was hearing “NO” before completing my explanation.

So, the next day, I put my request in writing, submitted the same the, and received a favorable response in writing within one business day.