Something wrong at NHQ?

[Lawson]

I am curious if there's some kind of big membership hold up going on?

A friend of mine applied for SM status and sent his paperwork in about a month ago today. Still no word on anything from nationals.

Last year when I became an SM, it took about 2-weeks. (I dont know if that has anything to do with having been a cadet 2001-2003).

Also, I have a photo ID, but it expires 31Oct2010, I applied for a new one, and the money has been taken, but it has also been about a month without seeing it.

Is this a problem with anyone else? Also, is there any contact to go thru at NHQ or do I take both these problems to the Unit Commander?

Thanks for any help!

[Eclipse]

There have been sporadic comments here and elsewhere that background checks seem to be taking longer than normal.

We did just cross a fiscal year as well, and it is election season - probably stacking up to slow down the channel. 

You can always call NHQ and ask the status.

[BradM]

I joined in the middle of the summer and everything was okay. My official join date was mid-August and I received my plastic membership card a month later. I also just completed Level 1 and it was updated on my eServices profile page a week to 10 days later.

[BradM]

Did your friend have a prior FBI background check? I was told that if you already had a background check that your application would go through faster. I had one in 1997 when I applied to my job at a retirement home.

[Lawson]

Did your friend have a prior FBI background check? I was told that if you already had a background check that your application would go through faster. I had one in 1997 when I applied to my job at a retirement home.

He's law enforcement, so I imagine so. (We had to do them when I was an LEO, but unsure about his agency)

[MSG Mac]

1. Call National and ask if they received the forms
2. Ask the member if his check has cleared.

If 1 and the forms haven't been received resend them with a new check and Fingerprint card
If they check cleared, he's a member somewhere, because the check isn't processed until the membership is entered into the system.

[RLM10_2_06]

Agreed with above; call NHQ (877-227-9142) and redirect through the menu appropriately, and talk to the lovely membership people. Mine took like two days once it arrived properly, and I JUST had it done this week. The more the people in that department are aware that there's a problem, the more I'd imagine they can do. As for the ID...I don't know, because I haven't applied for mine yet. Sorry I can't be of more help

[EMT-83]

Did your friend have a prior FBI background check? I was told that if you already had a background check that your application would go through faster. I had one in 1997 when I applied to my job at a retirement home.

They'll do a new one, even if you just had one completed a month ago.

[Ozzy]

Your new photo id won't come until you re-up for the new year.... at least that's what happened to me last year when I ordered one about a month before I had to renew... once I renewed, I got it with the new expiration date

[Lawson]

Actually, I did renew in Sept and ordered the card as soon as I got my 2nd Lt shortly thereafter. Still waiting...

[tdepp]

Compared to my application to the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, the CAP process was relatively quick.  My USCGA app and background check took nearly three months; my CAP app and background check took a month.  Both use essentially the same fingerprint card.  On the other hand, during my USCGA application, they were busy with some oil spill in the Gulf.

[bosshawk]

In my experience with getting folks screened through National, it often has nothing to do with the employees at NHQ.  As I understand the process, the fingerprint card goes to the FBI for verification.  I know that the application for our CD program goes to a central processing facility, where it is reviewed by the three major customers of the CD program.  Our screening is not priority number one in any of these cases: we get handled as the federal agencies have the time to do them.

In my six or seven years of being in the middle of the CD program, I have seen screenings take from one day to over a year, mostly because the screening agency had higher priorities.

I suspect that the same sort of time warps apply to the FBI fingerprint card processing.  Just the facts, folks, not my opinion.