Document ID: USCG-2012-0734-0036
Agency: uscg
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Medical Waivers: Merchant Mariner Credential Applicants with Anti-Tachycardia Devices or Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (Federal Register Publication)
Posted Date: 2012-12-17T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 242 (Monday, December 17, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 74630-74631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30296]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

46 CFR Part 10

[Docket No. USCG-2012-0734]

Medical Waivers for Merchant Mariner Credential Applicants With 
Anti-Tachycardia Devices or Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice to reopen public comment period.

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SUMMARY: On September 7, 2012, the Coast Guard published a notice of 
proposed policy change and request for comments regarding criteria for 
granting medical waivers to mariners who have anti-tachycardia devices 
or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). The public comment 
period for the notice expired on October 9, 2012. In today's action, 
the Coast Guard is reopening the public comment period to provide 
additional time for interested parties to submit comments.

DATES: Comments and related material must either be submitted to our 
online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before January 16, 
2013 or reach the Docket Management Facility by that date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2011-0734 using any one of the following methods:
    (1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    (2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
    (3) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (4) Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone 
number is 202-366-9329.
    To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. 
See the ``Public Participation'' portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section below for instructions on submitting comments.

[[Page 74631]]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about this 
notice, call or email Lieutenant Ashley Holm, Mariner Credentialing 
Program Policy Division (CG-CVC-4), U.S. Coast Guard, telephone 202-
372-1128, email MMCPolicy@uscg.mil. If you have questions on viewing 
material in the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket 
Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation

    You may submit comments and related material regarding whether the 
proposed policy change should be incorporated into a final policy on 
issuing medical waivers to mariners with ICDs. All comments received 
will be posted, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov and will 
include any personal information you have provided.
    Submitting comments: If you submit a comment, please include the 
docket number for this notice (USCG-2012-0734) and provide a reason for 
each suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and 
material online or by fax, mail or hand delivery, but please use only 
one of these means. We recommend that you include your name and a 
mailing address, an email address, or a telephone number in the body of 
your document so that we can contact you if we have questions regarding 
your submission.
    To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov and 
insert ``USCG-2012-0734'' in the ``Search'' box. Click ``Search,'' find 
this notice in the list of Results, and then click on the corresponding 
``Comment Now'' box. If you submit your comments by mail or hand 
delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 
inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you submit 
comments by mail and would like to know that they reached the Facility, 
please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will 
consider all comments and material received during the comment period.
    Viewing the comments: To view comments, as well as documents 
mentioned in this notice as being available in the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov and insert ``USCG-2012-0734'' in the ``Search'' 
box. Click ``Search'' and use the filters on the left side of the page 
to highlight ``Public Submissions'' or other document types. If you do 
not have access to the Internet, you may view the docket online by 
visiting the Docket Management Facility in Room W12-140 on the ground 
floor of the Department of Transportation West Building, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. We have an agreement 
with the Department of Transportation to use the Docket Management 
Facility.
    Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review a 
Privacy Act system of records notice regarding our public dockets in 
the January 17, 2008 issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

Background and Purpose

    On September 7, 2012, the Coast Guard published a notice of 
proposed policy change and request for comments regarding criteria for 
granting medical waivers to mariners who have anti-tachycardia devices 
or ICDs (77 FR 55174). The notice contains a detailed description of 
the relevant regulatory provisions, guidance documents, and policy 
considerations. The notice also lists a series of 12 questions we are 
considering as the criteria for granting a medical waiver. The notice 
requests public comment regarding whether the 12 questions represent an 
appropriate and sufficient list of the criteria a mariner should be 
required to meet in order to be eligible for waiver consideration, or 
whether we should eliminate or modify any of the questions, or add 
other questions to the list.
    We received 33 public comments in response to the notice before the 
comment period closed on October 9, 2012. Because of the complexity and 
importance of the issues involved, we are reopening the comment period 
to provide interested parties additional time to submit comments. We 
request that you not re-submit comments already in the docket. You may, 
however, comment on other comments already in the docket; if you choose 
to do so, please ensure you identify which comment you are responding 
to.

Request for Comments

    We encourage your participation by submitting your comments to the 
Docket Management Facility as specified in the ADDRESSES section above. 
We will consider comments received during the reopened comment period 
prior to establishing a final policy on whether waivers should be 
granted for anti-tachycardia devices or ICDs, and if so, under what 
circumstances.

Authority

    We issue this request for public comments under the authority of 5 
U.S.C. 552(a).

    Dated: December 7, 2012.
P.F. Thomas,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Director of Inspections and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2012-30296 Filed 12-14-12; 8:45 am]
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