34 MARCH 2019 • FOGHORN HOW PVA BENEFITS YOU By Jen Wilk, Director, Public Affairs and Development PVA Working For You PVA Comments on Coast Guard Guidance for Medical Evaluation of Mariners I n November of 2018, the U.S. Coast Guard released its proposed Merchant Mariner Medical Manual requesting public comment. The PVA Safety and Security Committee created a Mariner Medical Sub-Committee to tackle this issue and specifically to analyze and develop comments on the Coast Guard’s draft guidance document. PVA submitted its comments to the Coast Guard on its draft Merchant Mariner Medical Manual. The Coast Guard created this manual to help doctors, medical evaluators, indi- vidual mariners, marine employers, and the Coast Guard in evaluating a mariner’s medical status to meet the requirements of the merchant mariner medical certificate. This draft document incorporates prior guidance from several Coast Guard sources. The manual provides guidance on the process of application, issuance, and cancellation of a mariner’s medical certificate. This guidance manual was also evaluated by two Coast Guard advisory groups: the Merchant Marine Personnel Advisory Committee (MERPAC) and the Merchant Mariner Medical Advisory Committee (MEDMAC). After reviewing the proposal, PVA found that “overall the medical manual provides adequate guidance for the mariner going into the physical evaluation.” In its comment to the docket, PVA expressed the “hope this The LUXForm Haven Improve the passenger experience on your vessel