Record Keeping For the Scout: To understand the importance for the Scout, you must start at the far end, when the Scout attains Eagle Rank. When a Scout has earned all the skills for Eagle rank, the paperwork is submitted to the National Boy Scout office for record verification. It has happened in the past that a Scout has earned a merit badge, but for some reason it did not get recorded properly. It is highly recommended that all Scouts retain the blue card for all merit badges as proof of earning that merit badge, and retain the card that the badge of rank is supplied on. Scoutmasters must be sure that merit badges earned at summer camp are properly recorded for each Scout. Keep it in mind that all requirements for Eagle rank must be completed prior to his eighteenth birthday. The Eagle board of review can take place after the eighteenth birthday, but the requirements must be finished. If for some reason the records are not accurate and the Scout does not have proof that a merit badge was earned, then the Scout must re-earn that merit badge. If there is not enough time to do that before the eighteenth birthday, then it will never happen. No matter what is earned, the Scout must have six months as a Life Scout to be able to earn Eagle Scout, so if the Scout has not earned Life rank six months prior to his eighteenth birthday, no amount of work will make Eagle possible. This is too important to let this happen! Check the records for all Scouts frequently when they hit 16 years of age to make sure they are on track. For the Boy Scout Troop: The importance of keeping accurate records cannot be over emphasized. Your Scouts rely on YOU to make sure that the tremendous amount of work that they do to attain rank advancement are properly recorded. Any method that you use is fine, as long as it works. If you have a paper tracking system, or a spreadsheet that gets the job done, great. The Scout store has a number of tools to make that job easier. The Troop/Team record book allows you to track advancement (as well as finances, attendance, etc.) By far the easiest method is to use TroopMaster (or equivalent) software. TroopMaster allows you to track advancement (as well as finance, attendance, etc) and print individual reports that you can give to the Scout. For merit badges or rank advancement, the troop submits a Unit Advancement Report to the Council office to record advancements. It is very important that this be done in a timely manner. Don't sit on advancements, make two trips it you have to. Be careful in filling out the form to make sure the information and dates are correct. Don't assume that once you have turned in an advancement form, or Scout application, that every thing is OK. Periodically ask your unit commissioner for a printout of your troop records to make sure that they match your records. Unit Advancement Report  Council Record Keeping When advancement forms and Scout applications are turned in to the council office, the information is entered into Scoutnet, the national database for all Scouts. Mistakes happen in all data entry, and it happens on the rare occasion here too.