Merit Badge Records

[EventHorizon]

Hi, I am a Life scout on my way to Eagle this year. I have lost 2 of my blue cards, and I was wondering if there was a way to check with BSA to see if they have all of my merit badges in their record, so I know it won't be a problem come time to advance to Eagle. Thank you very much ahead of time!

[UCEagle72]

These should be in your TroopMaster database, which syncs with ScoutNet. If someone at your Troop cannot help, then talk to your Unit Commissioner, or the District Executive, they should be able to help you out.

 

[EventHorizon]

Yes my troop uses that program. So the bottom line is if it is in TroopMaster, then it is not going to be any problem when I go for Eagle?

[UCEagle72]

When your Eagle application is submitted all records are validated at Council - and that is before you send off your request for letters, your Scoutmaster Conference, and Board of Review.

 

[Twocubdad]

Without your copy of your blue cards, the council's records will be what you go by.

 

When you submit your Eagle application, the council registrar goes through and verifies that the all the rank advancement dates and merit badges you list on you application match with what is in ScoutNet (the national BSA database). That's why they ask you to list the non-elective merit badges in the order you earned them, because that's how they show up in ScoutNet and it's a whole lot easier on the registrar.

 

It's no big deal to get a copy of your records off ScoutNet. When you're ready to fill out your Eagle app, just call the council office and ask to speak to the registrar.

 

Hopefully, both the merit badges will be on ScoutNet and you go on. If for some reason there's a problem, you'll need to do some legwork to correct the record. The easiest thing would be to contact the counselors and hopefully they have their third of the blue cards. Or maybe they remember you and will be willing to complete another blue card for you. Maybe the troop has copies of the bluecards or hard copies of the advancement reports.

 

It's still not a big deal, but you will need to get it straightened out.

[Eagle92]

Also if your MBC signs off in your BSHB, that too can be used to verify you got the MB. My troop growing up didn't use blue cards, we had the MBC sign the BSHB directly when we finished a MB.

[gcnphkr]

Start with your troop's advancement chair. She is responsible for turning in your records to the council. If it is recorded in ScoutNet them she is likely the one to do it and can check for you. She should also have the troop's portion of the blue card. That is generally not given to council. Your merit badges are reported on an advancement report. If she says you are good then don't worry about it. If there is an issue with your Eagle application she is likely the person the council registrar will contact.

 

If for some reason your troop does not have a record and it is not in ScoutNet then contact your merit badge counselor. He should have a record of your merit badge.

 

If I received your patch and the merit badge award card then you should have no worries.

[sbemis1]

Our council requires the scout copy of the blue card.

In the past, they would accept our pink copy of the advancement record submitted to them as proof (yep we got 'em all); but stopped even that a few years back.

Quite a statement on what they think of the status of scouting records, including their own, eh?

[Eagle92]

SB,

What if your unit doesn't use blue cards? I never saw one in my life until I worked for supply.

[Eagle69]

Get with your Troop Advancement person ASAP. If you are using Troop Master they need to check it first and see if your MB's are recorded there, then get a copy of your Advancement record from the Council to make sure everything matches. Don't wait until you are ready to start filling out the Eagle App.

 

I can't speak to Blue Cards because it's been 4 years since I've done anything with Advancement and back then the Council never saw a blue card, everything was turned in on the multipart form or we just submitted a signed Troop Master report.

 

We filed all of our copy of the Advancement reports so that if Council didn't have something on record that we did then we could give them a copy of what was turned in.

[Beavah]

Yah, no biggie, EventHorizon. Won't put yeh into a black hole at least, despite your moniker .

 

Council should have your records. If yeh want you can drop by or give 'em a call and have 'em give you a printout from ScoutNet. Then if yeh discover anything missing, you should let your SM and troop Advancement Chair know so that they can go submit some paperwork.

 

As yeh can see from da other responses, different councils handle things in different ways. Blue cards are an optional thing. Lots of camps and troops don't use 'em. Occasionally you'll see volunteers in a district or council get confused and start demanding 'em, typically only in da smaller councils. Goodness knows what they do for out-of-council badges and camps and such. Your troop adults can help yeh navigate that if need be, but I doubt it will be a problem for you.

 

Beavah

 

[moosetracker]

Few TroopMasters are directly tied into the council records. It is difficult, and some say it is more headache then help.

 

Our troop does a audit of the Council records every year.. Once a year you can ask for the Council to print you the information they have on each boy in your troop.. My husband (Advancement Chair) fixes up the missing blue cards once every year.. There are a few that go missing but they are much more on top of this then Adult training records. This report is really neat, and will list everything you earned from Tiger through current.

 

This way a boy turning in paperwork a day or two before he turns 18 has no surprises of missing merit badges where then he has to scramble.

 

If a merit badge is missing you can prove it by a few ways..

 

1) the blue card.

2) If your Advancement chair is on top of things he kept a copy of all the paperwork he turned into council, and he can use this.. (Not sure if my husband is now able to print them now that Advancement is on-line).

3) If you have the approx. date you earned (from your troop master).. The council should keep a file cabinet (or 10) on the paperwork they got for advancement. You could zero them in on the approximate date the paperwork would have been filed, they can look up on their paperwork.

 

Every time (in our troop at least) the paperwork was filed, the person keying data into the software, jumped a line, and skipped entering a merit badge.

 

Good luck..

[moosetracker]

Should clearify "...Once a year you can ask for the Council to print "..

 

You does not mean "YOU".. It means you as in "your unit".. Have an adult leader in your unit.. Scoutmaster, Committee Chair, or Advancement Chair, request the Advancement Audit.

[Eagle92]

Normally I would say Moose is wrong as it's 'your advancement, your responsibility," but as I have found if the council is involved, scouts mostly get ignored.

[Horizon]

Things I tell my Troop annually:

 

1) When you are the Scoutshop, stop and say "hi" to the volunteers at the desk. Ask for a copy of your records from Scoutnet. KEEP those records, and use them to compare to your Handbook and blue cards. Bring any discrepancies to the attention of the Troop Advancement person.

 

2) Scan your blue cards regularly and save the image.

 

3) Scan your Handbook signoffs after each rank.