New Exam and Medical Certificate Forms required use on April 20th
Form MSCA-5875 and MSCA-5876

The official date for use of the new forms is April 20th, and all providers will be required to use these forms on that date.  There are a few key things to remember while using the forms.

Remember the MER now has two certification sections, one for Federal use, and one should the driver have an in-state variance or exemption.  This certification would be for intrastate drivers only. 

No follow up examinations are allowed with the new forms.   An example would related to providing a driver a 3-month certificate for a driver with a blood pressure reading that does not meet the FMCSA requirement.  If the driver were to come in the very next day for to check their blood pressure, the FMCSA now requires the examiner to perform an entire new examination. 

THE MEDICAL EXAMINER IS NOT ALLOWED TO AMEND THE FORM IF THEY HAVE PROVIDED A MEC (CERTIFICATE) WITH AN EXPIRATION DATE ON IT.  ONLY ONE CARD CAN BE ISSUED DURING ANY CERTIFICATION PERIOD.

In the Federal certification section, there is a new certification status called “Determination Pending”.  This section can be chosen if the driver needs clearance or testing for the purpose of certifying the driver.  If this section is used by the medical examiner, they may not issue a card, but if the driver has time left on their current card, then this may be used until the requested information is provided. 

If not, no temporary card can be issued, and therefore if the drivers MEC is expired, then they will not be allowed to drive. Lastly, if the “pending determination” section is chosen, this would allow the medical examiner to amend the form to reflect the use of new information regarding the driver. 

 
 The revision dates on the MER’s (exam form) and MEC’s (certificate) have been a problem. The FMCSA continues to be revising the certificate, and the cards that are correct must have the December 6, 2015 revision date printed on the form.  
 

Some state DMV’s (California in particular), will not accept the certificate if it does not have the December 6th revision date. 

FMCSA Federal Register Notice to be issued soon which will help this situation:

The new MER and MEC forms can be downloaded from the National Registry Website.    Click on the links below to download the form files. MER: https://nationalregistry.fmcsa.dot.gov/ResourceCenter/documents/MCSA-5875%20final%20508.pdf MEC: https://nationalregistry.fmcsa.dot.gov/ResourceCenter/documents/MCSA-5876%20final%20508.pdf These new forms have eliminated the space for a Revision Date.   It also is expected that any other date used as a Revision date will not invalidate the form for the near future (as per FMCSA), however we are still waiting for the official notice in the Federal Register. It is also believe that the Office Management and Budget has determined that any change in the Expiration Date would invalidate the form.  The correct Expiration Dates are 8/31/2018 for both forms.