Well, it’s an active duty CG Captain in charge up there. Hopefully the efficiency of HIS organization will be brought up when promotions or next assignments come up!!
Thursday got a call from an evaluator at the NMC, but I was on another call. So I called him back, right to voice mail. Called 2x on friday, right to voice mail. called the main number and the clerk connected me direct to…his voice mail… gee thanks…
The CO of NMC is the best I’ve worked with in 10+ years. My fear is that the CG will decide he’s got things under control and will send us some one of lesser quality. The change I’ve seen in the 1 1/2 years with CAPT Stalfort is amazing. For the first time in over 10 years, it is run like a business. Before he came here, the “backlog” was simply the height of the pile in the in box. If you go to NMC’s web page and look at the monthly reports, you’ll see that what we do is being analyzed, and continuously assessed. There’s a conference room full of graphs and charts breaking down every step of the process and it seems almost hourly “production meetings” going over the process. While this may sound like lots of analyzing and no action, it isn’t. In the p;ast top management was almost cklueless about what was going on. . I am still impressed when he gives tours to visitors when he shows he totally understands what we all do, yet at the same time I’m given more autonomy and discretion to do my job as I think best. While I’m glad to have the discretion and autonomy have, I definitely feel pressure to perform. At the same time, the work climate has never been better in my years at NMC. While you’re expected to perform, when you do it is rewarded and recognized, something I haven’t seen since I started working here. I’ve already given him the best compliment a mariner can give, I’d sail with him any time.
Things are bad, but if you think it’s the fault of the CO of NMC, you are badly mistaken.
Part of the p[problem with getting through to our “call center” is that we are one of the few offices where you stand a chance of getting through to a person, so we get calls for anything that involves the Coast Guard as we will probably send them in the right direction. Yesterday I took a call from them from a foreign ship company who wanted to know if he can enter the US with British admiralty charts. I asked why he called NMC and he said he couldn’t get anyone live anywhere else. We are also trying as we speak to get more bodies answering the phones. However, they do send the calls to the evaluator and if they are unavailable (they have more than one application working at a time, and unlike me, they don’t always work on Federal holidays and weekends).
I’ve had dealings with Capt. Stalfort myself, and he was very responsive, and personally intervened to resolve my issues in my favor. I also dealt directly with an evaluator (Laura? I think) via phone and email and she was superb. The tricky part is getting direct contact info for the right person. Once you’ve got that, things seem to improve. I found the competence level at the help desk appalling initially, but it has improved slightly over the last year.
What are the chances of getting some kind of reprieve from the backlog in the form of a grace period on expiration dates to allow folks to keep sailing while their applications are in the black hole? That would go a very long way towards generating some goodwill, but most importantly we wouldn’t have folks sitting on the beach when they have, in good faith, upheld their part of the process by getting their applications submitted in what has historically been a timely manner.
First time poster. My original 100 ton application has been waiting for MEB evaluation since 12/23/08. I called NMC 1/23/08 and was informed 3-4 months is indeed the current backlog.
I contacted my Congresswoman’s office and am waiting for a reply. I’ll gladly participate in a letter writing campaign.
For the reasons stated by rwleo, this is completely unacceptable.
I don’t know if it will help but at least I got a response from my congressman:
“Congressman Edwards wanted me to reply to your email regarding the National Maritime Center experiencing a backlog in processing mariners’ license applications. The Congressman will be happy to contact the appropriate US Coast Guard officials regarding this matter on your behalf and/or any other mariners, who reside in the 17<sup>th</sup> Congressional District, that are experiencing this lengthy wait. In order to do so, the Congressman must have the attached Constituent Inquiry Authorization form completed and returned to me. As soon as it is received, Congressman Edwards will contact the USCG. It is hoped with the inquiry by the Congressman, the response will be favorable.”
Mr. Cavo… I understand your guys are busy, BUT… if you happened to see Mr. Lewis in your wanders at work, ask him to give the guy with the 203 area code phone number who keeps trying to reach him a call back when he gets a moment! 
Well, I tried!
"Thank you for the form; however, if you are not experiencing this difficulty directly, there is no need for the Congressman to contact the USCG on your behalf. However, for those individuals who are having this difficulty, they can contact Congressman Edwards or the Member of Congress that represents them where they reside (home of record). They may contact me directly if they like to verify their Member of Congress.
In the meantime, I will be happy to forward your general concern to the Congressman."
I sent in my renewal in January 2008, I finally got my license back in July. I must say my problem was not with NMC, it was with the Toledo REC, and the local MSU for fingerprints. The REC would tell me a different thing depending on who I talked to. I was working with SEA-K’s the whole time and they were driving him crazy as well. I actually received a letter stating my application was sent to NMC, and 3 days later got another letter stating that my application was incomplete!
It seems the problems of “centralization” of the REC’s has a cousin; pasted below is a blurb from a military forum I visit…
“BTW, I am still Active Duty Air Force and they centralized the pay
system to Ellsworth and it just took me 7 weeks to get my travel pay
for my almost 7 months in the Desert. I was able to cover my
Government Travel Card because I have a little cash saved up but some
of the younger Airman are going delinquent because of the
centralization.”
I appreciate everyone who has written their congressmen and senators. I for one have written Rep. Peter King and never got a response. I have dealt with some people at the Coast Guard who have been helpful, but I am still waiting in the MEB for evaluation. This backlog is very frustrating to them as well. We need to keep writing these letters so that the NMC can get the budget and staffing it needs to process the applications in a timely manner.
In the recent issue of Wheel House Weekly, the MMP weekly electronic newsletter, there is an article on the backlog at the NMC. According to the article, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has introduced legislation to congress that would provide some relief to this backlog and allow local physicians to determine if a mariner is fit for duty, not a doctor that makes decisions without ever actually seeing the applicant. Here is the link: http://www.bridgedeck.org/ww_current.htm
I am all for a letter writing campaign. I’m going to start with a letter of support to Frank Lautenberg, and then letters my Senators.
For anyone who is interested in writing letters here is a link which will show you how to properly address and format a letter to congress. I found it helpful. http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa020199.htm
Greetings,
I have had my paperwork in for renewal since October. So far my papers are awaiting evaluation by PQEB. So does anyone know how long this will take? Is this the last step?
Been going to sea 30 years and the last ten as Master. I would like to know who these evaluators are that question my professional qualifications and why it is taking so long. What makes them qualified?
Hey guys just joined gcaptain today. The NMC just recieved my package for 2/M this week after a 2 week transit from NY. The status now says ready for evaluation MEB. Now it’s the waiting game. Might as well bang out some Chief Mate classes in the meantime if MSC lets me!
Atleast your paperwork got there… Fedex is in my doghouse.
Might as well stoke this fire again. I have been in the application process now for 9 weeks. With my status in the “Awaiting Info” category for just over 3 weeks now. And those missing documents were ones either the REC Baltimore or NMC lost in the copying process when I hand delivered them. As soon as my status had changed I found those documents in question and had them re-faxed to my evaluator the next day. 2 weeks later they finally get them in my file but there has been another 10 days since then that my file has been sitting idle. So why does it take 10 days to have paperwork go from the fax machine to my file? And when will my file make it back to the top of the heap? When is this system going to get fixed? The centralization and personal experience from services rendered by the NMC has been… I let you fill in the rest.
I’d suggest you put “Wonderful Now” by Everclear on your iPod and listen to it daily. It’ll make you feel better, and, that’s what they’re listening to at NMC. They just don’t understand the irony.
I must have got lucky. I applied for my master license at the end of March. One day after it arrived at NMC, a letter went out requesting more seatime. My company sent the seatime straight to NMC and a few day after they received the additional info, the license was issued. Total evolution was about 5 weeks with missing information. It was a simple upgrade requiring only seatime with no medical issues…I don’t even take Aleve.
On my first inquiry for my renewal in this coming December, it appears my fees will be about $300 less with the new “credential”. If I had to pay for my physical with the new caviats, I would be out much more than last time. Anyway, I hope I don’t have to use 'em anymore.
I’m new to the scene therefore when I read something on a seemingly credible web-site like the Coast Guards I believed it.
My family has been asking me when I think I’ll actually be able to go to sea. [I]I will be submitting for an original MMD in the next few weeks. [/I]
I’ve been telling them 6-8 weeks from the date I submit based on what I read on the USCG web-site. What a joke. I’m sitting here real disappointed after reading “the truth” about how long it will take.
I’ve been counting the weeks until I can get out of my cubicle and get back out to sea. Now I guess I need to think of this in terms of months not weeks. I guess I won’t get my MMD until mid Fall (if I’m lucky)! Man what a bummer. :(:(
It’s ironic that the best place to get the most credible intelligence on the credentialing subject is an “Unofficial Forum” like gCaptain and [U]not[/U] an “Official Government Web-Site (USCG/NMC).”
I am constantly grateful I happened upon gCaptain. Thanks to all of you for helpin this “Newbie” along. I will pass it along to "Newer Than Me Newbie’s.
It took exactly 4 weeks to get my MMD in the mail from the date I sent my package to the USCG Baltimore Rec. Sooner than I anticipated. This was for my original document.