FRAUDULENT MEDICAL CERTIFICATION

[albraun at socketis.net]

>The VE gangs say they have to accept these certificates from MDs.
>Not so! A VE is not forced to sign off on any waver if it violates
>his principles. So, they are guilty by acceptance!
>de KL7HF

Yes so, I'm afraid.  We (I'm with the ARRL VEC) are specifically
instructed by the VEC NOT to question paperwork that may be 
fraudulent.  That goes not only for MD exemptions, but also for
possibly-altered paperwork from previous exam sessions.  We are 
instructed to sign it, then pass it on, attaching a note to the 
VEC staff explaining our concerns so that they can deal with it.  
The idea is to not create a scene at a testing session that would 
be unfairly distracting to the other examinees.

As a physician/VE who has proctored at least 75 exam sessions, I 
think I'm uniquely qualified to deal with this issue.  I have yet 
to personally be presented with a signed exemption form, although 
our team has dealt with a couple when I wasn't there.  I do know, 
however, that many people whose "disabilities" do not, in my 
medical opinion, warrant an exemption have gotten them anyway.
The most common reason is that the person's doc doesn't really
understand what is involved & doesn't have time to read the full-page
explanation on the 610 form (which the patient may or may not have
provided anyway!).  The 2nd most common reason, one I also see often
in relation to disabled license plates, is that the person is so 
determined that they're going to have their exemption that they'll
make a big scene in the doc's office if they don't get what they want,
and perhaps even fire their doc & go to another one if their request
isn't honored.  I have had a couple of patients fire me as their 
doc when I wouldn't give them a disabled license tag that they weren't
eligible for (in Missouri the requirements are printed right on the
form so I can show them but that doesn't matter).  Most docs just don't
want to be bothered & don't want to risk losing business over what,
to them, is a trivial issue.

I submitted comments to the FCC when they first floated the proposal
about this & made some specific suggestions (some of which they quoted
in their Report & Orders).  I particularly warned them about what would
happen if they adopted a vague set of requirements, but they went 
ahead & did it anyway, with the results we're all familiar with.
Actually I'm more concerned about the "exempted" extras becoming VE's
& giving CW exams they haven't passed themselves than I am about their
getting HF privileges they might not deserve...after all they still 
have to pass all the written tests, and won't be cluttering up the 
CW bands where I hang out.

73 - Alan NS0B

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* Alan Braun MD, NS0B/V31EV *Internet: albraun at socketis.net       *
* Jefferson City, MO        *Packet: NS0B at N0LBA.#cemo.mo.usa.noam *
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