Advancement already earned elsewhere

5.0.2.0. A Scout arrives with advancement earned somewhere else Milestone

Somebody joins your unit already holding rank, merit badges or awards that were not earned there. What counts, and what has to be looked at first, depends entirely on where the advancement came from.

5.0.2.0. The new unit leader may check the time with people who were there Optional May not apply Task

To confirm that time already spent meets the requirements, the new unit leader may check with past unit leaders, parents, guardians or others. It is a verification the leader may carry out, not a burden of proof placed on the Scout.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

5.0.2.0. Which of the two situations is this? Decision

The Guide answers this question in two different places with two different answers. Time away from a Scouting America program is topic 5.0.2.0 and needs nobody's approval. Advancement from another country's Scouting association is topic 5.0.4.0 and needs a review.

Usually comes after 5.0.2.0. A Scout arrives with advancement earned somewhere else.

5.0.2.0. They were in Scouting America before and have come back May not apply Milestone

A member who left a Scouting program and is returning to one. Nothing on this branch is submitted, reviewed or approved by a committee.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

Usually comes after 5.0.2.0. Which of the two situations is this?.

5.0.4.0. They earned advancement in another country's Scouting association May not apply Milestone

Youth from other countries who are living in the United States temporarily, or who have moved here, may register in a Scouting America unit and take part in advancement like anybody else.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

Usually comes after 5.0.2.0. Which of the two situations is this?.

5.0.2.0. They are welcome to return if eligible and in good standing May not apply Requirement

Those are the only two conditions the Guide places on returning. Eligible means eligible for the program they are joining; good standing is the same test used everywhere else in advancement.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

Usually comes after 5.0.2.0. They were in Scouting America before and have come back.

5.0.4.0. They may register in a unit and take part straight away May not apply Milestone

Registering and participating do not wait on anything below. The review exists only to decide what previous work counts toward a Scouting America rank.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

Usually comes after 5.0.4.0. They earned advancement in another country's Scouting association.

5.0.2.0. They take up where they left off, at the last verifiable rank or award May not apply Milestone

The returning member assumes the last rank or award that can be verified. Nothing between that point and the next rank is reopened.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

5.0.4.0. Is previous progress going to be counted? May not apply Decision

Everything that follows applies only if progress from the foreign association is to be considered and applied to Scouting America requirements. A Scout who would rather start from the beginning simply does.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

5.0.2.0. It may be necessary to produce documentation, or move records Recommended May not apply Document

Verifying the last rank may mean producing advancement documentation, or having records updated, or having them transferred from another council. This is record keeping catching up with the Scout, not a condition placed on them.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

5.0.2.0. They must NOT be made to redo requirements May not apply Often forgotten Requirement

A requirement that was signed off before the absence stays signed off. There is no provision anywhere for asking a returning Scout to prove again something they have already completed.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

This is the sentence people most often act against, usually with good intentions: a unit that "just wants to see" a returning Scout demonstrate a skill again is requiring a requirement to be redone. If a leader is unsure the work was done, the answer is verification with the people who were there, not repetition by the Scout.

5.0.4.0. Present evidence of membership and advancement May not apply Document

The candidate must produce evidence of membership in the previous association and of the advancement earned there. Without it there is nothing for the committee to review.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

5.0.2.0. The time away must NOT be held against them May not apply Often forgotten Requirement

The absence itself is not a mark against the Scout and is not weighed at a board of review or anywhere else. The Guide states this and the previous point in the same sentence.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

A board of review is not the place to reopen why somebody left, or for how long. The Guide puts the absence out of scope in the same breath as it forbids redoing requirements.

5.0.4.0. Meet with the council or district advancement committee May not apply Event

The Scout meets members of the council or district advancement committee. This is not a board of review and it is not a unit decision.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

Usually comes after 5.0.4.0. Present evidence of membership and advancement.

5.0.2.0. Time in a position, and time active, need not be continuous May not apply Often forgotten Requirement

Because neither active participation nor service in a position of responsibility has to be continuous, any periods before the Scout left count toward the next rank. This is why an absence does not reset progress toward Star, Life or Eagle.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

5.0.4.0. Previous work is reviewed and a rank is determined May not apply Approval

The committee reviews the previous advancement work and determines which Scouting America rank the youth is qualified to receive.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

Usually comes after 5.0.4.0. Meet with the council or district advancement committee.

5.0.4.0. Any rank up to, but NOT including, Eagle Scout May not apply Often forgotten Requirement

The determination may reach Life rank at the highest. The procedure applies to all ranks except Eagle Scout.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

Usually comes after 5.0.4.0. Previous work is reviewed and a rank is determined.

There is no route by which a foreign award becomes Eagle Scout, and no committee anywhere may grant it on this basis. The highest determination available here is Life.

5.0.4.0. Report the rank once it is determined May not apply Task

The rank is reported through Scoutbook Plus or another internet portal for reporting advancement, or on an advancement report. Until it is reported it is a decision nobody outside the room can see.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

Usually comes after 5.0.4.0. Previous work is reviewed and a rank is determined.

5.0.4.0. If Life rank is established, merit badges can be credited too Optional May not apply Approval

Where it can be established that Life rank has been achieved, the council or district advancement committee can go on to determine which Scouting America merit badges may be awarded.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

Usually comes after 5.0.4.0. Report the rank once it is determined.

5.0.4.0. Five things must be done in a Scouting America unit regardless May not apply Often forgotten Requirement

No amount of previous advancement covers these. They are listed by the Guide and each must be completed in a Scouting America unit.

You have not answered "Where did the advancement come from?" yet.

The five hold no matter how much was earned abroad: active participation, position of responsibility, Scout spirit, the service project, and the unit leader conference. They are what the rank is for, and there is no equivalence to be claimed against them.