Your advancement records are kept in three places — your Council office, with the Troop Advancement Chairman, and yourself. The Council office keeps records supplied to them by the troop Advancement Chairperson, who also keeps copies of these records for the troop.

Keep Your Records in a Safe Place
You will receive three kinds of documents that you need to KEEP IN A SAFE PLACE UNTIL AFTER YOU TURN 18 (or receive your Eagle Scout Award, whichever is later)!

These documents are:
• your Scout Handbook with requirements signed off
• your portion of completed blue merit badge cards
• the wallet-sized certificate cards for rank advancement and merit badge completion

Make sure all of them are dated and signed or initialed by the appropriate Scout leader. All of the cards are the same size and can be safely kept in plastic protector pages (available commercially). IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU KEEP THESE DOCUMENTS IN A SAFE PLACE AND DO NOT LOSE THEM!!! If it should happen that there is any discrepancy or missing records, your personal records are your most important ally in proving what you completed.

Check your records against Troop records periodically
While accuracy of a Scout’s advancement history record is always very important, it becomes even more so when applying for the Rank of Eagle Scout. By periodically checking the  records, any mistake can be addressed and corrected before it becomes in irreversible situation.

Please take the time to request an updated “Individual History Report” from the Advancement Chairman and review it for any inaccuracies. Report any mistakes to the  immediately.

Tips for Checking Accuracy of Records:
• Check all merit badge dates on the Individual History Report against Blue Cards. Look on the Blue Card for the Completed on Date located on the Applicant’s Record section. This is the date that should match the Individual History Report. (Please note this is NOT the date of the Court of Honor — but the date the merit badge was officially completed.)

• Check to make sure that correct merit badges as noted on the Individual History Report have been written in the Scout’s Handbook for the particular Rank Requirements.

• Check all dates recorded for each specific Rank Requirements on the Individual History Report against the corresponding dates in the Scout’s Handbook.

• Check that the Scoutmaster Conference dates recorded for each specific Rank Requirement on the Individual History Report match the Scout’s Handbook. Note that the Scoutmaster Conference date must be dated after the dates that all other requirements for the rank were met.

• Check the dates for the Board of Review for each specific Rank Requirement. The Board of Review date on the Individual History Report, the Complete your board of review date in the Scout’s Handbook and the date on the Rank Advancement Card awarded at the Court of Honor should all match.

• Check the Leadership History section on the Individual History Report to make sure the “Position of Responsibility” for each Rank Requirement has been met. Qualifying positions are all Troop Level positions and Patrol Leader (not Assistant Patrol Leader or other Patrol positions).