Merit Badges

[Eagle732]

When is a merit badge officially earned? Is it after the SM signs the blue card the second time or after the advancement form is sent to and returned to council?

 

[FScouter]

It's earned when the requirements have been completed.

[Bob White]

The badge is complete when the merit badge counselor approves all the work. The scoutmaster is not required to sign it afterward. The card simple says that an adult leader signs the scout's portion of the card. The purose of this is for the scout to keep as a receipt as proof that the advancement was reported to an adult leader of the troop.

 

Once the mb counselor has approved the merit badge NO ONE can rescind it.

 

(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[Eagle732]

Thanks for the info. The troop's advancement chair thought that MBs were not official, and therefore could not be used for rank advancement until after the paperwork was submitted to council and the MBs were awarded at a COH. This would mean that they could not be used for rank until the next COH 3 months from now. A call to Council set me straight. The Scout earns the MB when the counselor signs off as completed. It is then available to be used for rank advancement.

[John-in-KC]

Have your Advancement Coordinator read these web pages:

 

http://www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges.aspx

This is for they boy himself.

 

http://www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/GuideforMeritBadgeCounselors.aspx

http://www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/GuideforMeritBadgeCounselors/Resources.aspx

http://www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/GuideforMeritBadgeCounselors/Review.aspx

These are for the adult.

 

FScouter is right: The badge is earned the instant the Counselor signs off on it.

 

It then becomes our responsibility as adults to close the loops: Getting the info into ScoutNet (either by an Advancement Report or by Internet Advancement), getting the badge and the "baseball card" recongition card, and awarding it at a COH.

 

To the extent of "we don't know it's done until the youth turns it in", the Scout who doesn't turn a completed card in hasn't done his share of the work in closing the loop. The last time I checked, ACP&P #33088 does not require mind-melding with the Scout to draw information