Top 10 Medical Conditions

Listed below are list of medical conditions that can delay an application for credentials or cause an application to be denied. If you have one of these conditions, please review NVIC 04-08 Enclosure 3 for recommended evaluation guidelines to your doctor so that they may address the issue.

  1. Cardiovascular Conditions
  2. Diabetes
  3. Psychiatric Disorders
  4. Sleep Disorders
  5. Chronic Use of Impairing Medications
  6. Impaired Hearing
  7. Alcohol/Drug Abuse
  8. Seizures
  9. Vision Requirements
  10. Pulmonary Conditions

It is extremely important that you provide supporting medical documentation from your doctor if you have one or more of the above-mentioned medical conditions.

AMPLIFYING INFORMATION: Amplifying information is requested from the mariner’s physician in order to clarify a medical diagnosis, condition, or specific medication use. NMC may request history, current status report, diagnostic testing, etc., to obtain a more precise picture of the mariner’s health and fitness. The majority (90 percent) of Merchant Mariner Physical Examination Forms (719K) received at the NMC are submitted with little or no information to explain any noted diagnosis, condition, or medication.

NMC's Medical Evaluation Division is responsible for evaluating fitness for duty of all merchant mariners, in order to minimize safety risk to the Mariner Transportation System. Without the requested amplifying information, the NMC is unable to make an appropriate determination as to the mariner’s fitness for duty. It is imperative that the mariner submit a complete package of all requested information to the NMC to avoid further delay.