General requirements.

(a) The applicant for an endorsement as staff officer is not required to take any examination; however, the applicant must provide to the Coast Guard a letter justifying the need for the endorsement. (b) An applicant for a higher grade in the staff department must apply in the same manner as for an original endorsement and must surrender the previous Coast Guard-issued credentials upon issuance of the new MMC. A staff officer may serve in a lower grade of service for which they are registered. (c) Title 46 U.S.C. 8302 addresses uniforms for staff officers who are members of the Naval Reserve. (d) A duplicate MMC may be issued by the Coast Guard. (See § 10.229 of this subchapter.) (e) An MMC is valid for a term of 5 years from the date of issuance. Procedures for renewing endorsements are found in § 10.227 of this subchapter. (f) Each applicant for an original or a higher grade of endorsement, as described in paragraph (b) of this section, must produce evidence of having passed a chemical test for dangerous drugs or of qualifying for an exception from testing in § 16.220 of this subchapter. An applicant who fails a chemical test for dangerous drugs will not be issued an MMC. [USCG-2004-17914, 78 FR 77909, Dec. 24, 2013, as amended by USCG-2021-0834, 89 FR 102334, 102336, Dec. 17, 2024]