Expired Merit Badge Counselor

[Cleveland Rocks]

I just have a hard time reconciling that the scout shop verifies the merit badge counselor name on the advancement report.  If they are not current, they won't sell you the merit badge.  In our council, the scout shop and council advancement staff have no idea which merit badge counselor was used.  It's verified in the troop.  No verification is done at council level.

The people in the Scout Shop don't verify the name on the advancement report before selling us the merit badge, but they won't sell us the merit badge if I don't present them with the list of who the MBCs were.  The registrar later checks it over.  I know, that's after the fact, and by then, we've already picked up the badges and depending on timing, may have already presented the badge to the Scout.  I have no idea what they do if they find someone on the list who is no longer registered as an MBC.

 

I just know that when I go to pick up badges, if I'm picking up merit badges, I have to present them not only with a hard copy of the Advancement Report, but also a list of MBCs used for each badge.  I don't know what the council/registrar does with it after I turn it in, but we all do it and no one that I am aware of has pushed back on it. One time I forgot to bring the list, and I couldn't buy the MBs until I came back with that list.

[Col. Flagg]

The people in the Scout Shop don't verify the name on the advancement report before selling us the merit badge, but they won't sell us the merit badge if I don't present them with the list of who the MBCs were.  The registrar later checks it over.  I know, that's after the fact, and by then, we've already picked up the badges and depending on timing, may have already presented the badge to the Scout.  I have no idea what they do if they find someone on the list who is no longer registered as an MBC.

 

Wow....I'm astounded at the inefficiency and pointlessness of that whole process. I'm sorry your council does all that.

[5yearscouter]

Used to be that you'd have to attach a copy of the blue cards to the handwritten advancement report to buy awards

Scout shop would take that advancement report and council would file it in the troop's file folder at council.
Sometimes at council someone would actually enter the scout's advancement in something like scout net, because units didn't have internet advancement yet.

 

Then when a scout went for eagle they'd pull out the file and make sure there was actually advancement records and blue cards for every merit badge.

I guess that was when councils had a lot of volunteers hanging out at the council office, those councils would go thru those blue cards and make sure they were signed off by an actual registered mb counselor.

 

With the use of internet advancement, Most councils have moved on from this process some to the point that you just show them the advancement report an don't even keep a copy and let the electronic scout net record speak for itself.

, but there are a few councils that want to keep us all honest by forcing extra steps where they still want the internet advancement form and some want blue cards, copy of blue cards or at least names of merit badge counselors so they can muddle about with it.

They have too much time on their hands.

[5yearscouter]

For expired mb counselors,

fill out the adult application, put position code 42, mb counselor, sign it

sign the disclosure

write your bsa id number on it if known and write duplicate position at the top if you are also registered in somewhere else so they don't MOVE you from your unit to the mb counselor list (they do that sometimes)

print copy of your ypt certificate

fill out the mb counselor information form

find your proof of safe swim or shooting sports training as needed.

 

Scan the whole shebang and send it to your council registrar

say you seem to have been dropped from the mb counselor list but you should have been registered continuously since DATE fire did this.

 

Keep a copy of this.

update your training and your ypt as needed

send a copy of this to your registrar as needed any time you are dropped from the mb counselor list.

 

Check scout book, and your my.scouting.org info.

Both should show you as a mb counselor if you are one.

[andysmom]

My council has a form that we need to print out that list the scout's name the merit badge he is receiving, the date of completion and the counselors name.  They must be turned in with the advancement reports so council can be sure the MBC is on the list.  I usually don't have trouble getting awards but some overzealous Scout Shop employees want to check the paperwork. 

MBC lists are put together by our districts.  Every year they confirm YPT and ask if the counselor wants to stay on the list or be dropped.  At least that is how our old district did it, we had a district reorganization take effect Jan. 1 (our old district was dissolved, separated and merged into other existing districts) and we haven't received a list from the new district (DAC called our old district's MBC list "a mess")