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Merit Badge Counselors

"Missing" Counselors - What Aren't They (Still) Registered

Issue: You checked your Troop's list of Counselors and some names are missing.

Question: Why aren't they registered

Answer: There are several possible reasons:

-- If you recently submitted new registrations:

There is a "lag".

When the Council registrar is busy (such as at recharter time and after Fall Cub signup), Merit Badge Counselor updates are lower priority.

After the updates are entered into the Council/BSA database, it may be up to a couple months before the next update is exported from the BSA database to our Counselor databases on the District websites.

(The Online MBC database was last updated from Council/BSA database on May 30, 2008. Note that some applications are still being processed, and there are a few people who were entered into the Council/BSA database incorrectly so they still aren't showing up in our online lists.)

 

-- Not in your Troop's MBC Listing:

If Counselors are "missing" from your Unit's online MBC list, the reason may be that we don't know that they are affiliated with your troop.

Please check the Am I registered? page/form to see if they are registered, either with another troop or "Unknown".

 

-- Incorrect Information in the Council/BSA Database

Some MBC registrations were entered incorrectly in the Council/BSA Database. The most common problem was entering the counselor in the wrong District, or not in a District.

We are working to find and fix these problems.

If someone is not listed (when you check the Am I registered? page/form) and you think they should be, please check with the Council Registrar (Dennisa at 970 584-2214 or 800-800-4052 option 4) to see if they are registered. Have her check that they are registered as a MBC in the correct District.

 

-- If they registered before 2004:

To comply with National BSA adult leader registration rules --

- The Longs Peak Council registrar sent out new applications to every merit badge counselor in the summer of 2004, requesting that the forms be returned if the person wished to continue as a counselor.

- The registrar sent a follow-up letter to each Scoutmaster in the summer of 2005 with the list of merit badge counselors associated with their troop who had not returned applications. The letter requested that the Troop contact the counselor and have them submit the application within 30 days if they were willing to continue as a counselor.

- Counselors who never returned the required registration form were dropped in late 2005.

 

-- District MBC Inconsistencies:

Before the Fall of 2006, every District had their own ways of handling the Merit Badge Counselor lists. In several Districts, the lists were very out-of date, and in others the volunteer-maintained list weren't checked against the official Council/BSA registrations. The Counselor may not have ever been registered.

 

-- Unit Lists:

Many Troops maintain their own lists of Counselors, but since there was no easy way to get a list of the Registered Counselors from the Council/BSA database, you had no way of knowing if the Counselor was really registered. Applications have been misplaced. Incomplete applications may have been returned to the Counselor and were never updated and re-submitted.

Bottom Line:

We are working hard to improve the whole process so things should work much better in the future (and we can use your help getting and keeping the lists current).

You MUST re-register anyone who is missing (as if they were a new counselor).

Thanks for your support!

Last Updated Sunday, 01-Jun-2008 21:06:04 MDT