---
title: "Check a mariner medical assessment against the medical-certificate rules"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport/check-a-domestic-seafarer-medical-and-eyesight-assessment-against-the-pu/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A37-NE20261022-16-US"
practice_area: "Maritime, Shipping & Transport"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Check a mariner medical assessment against the medical-certificate rules

> From the medical assessment and the endorsement sought, mark whether the table in 46 CFR section 10.302 calls for a vision test, a general medical exam, or a demonstration of physical ability for that credential, which…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport/check-a-domestic-seafarer-medical-and-eyesight-assessment-against-the-pu/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Maritime, Shipping & Transport](https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the medical assessment and the endorsement sought, mark whether the table in 46 CFR section 10.302 calls for a vision test, a general medical exam, or a demonstration of physical ability for that credential, which vision standard in section 10.305 the table names, and whether a corrective-lens limitation is on the certificate. Do not decide that the mariner is qualified. |
| What the lawyer must review | Section 10.301(a) says the Coast Guard issues a medical certificate to a mariner who meets the medical and physical standards, and that the Coast Guard decides whether the mariner is qualified with or without limitations. Except as otherwise noted, a certificate for a person on a vessel to which STCW applies is valid for 2 years, or 1 year if the mariner is under 18, and a certificate for any other mariner is issued for a maximum of 5 years. An applicant who holds a current medical certificate and seeks a further endorsement need not submit a new exam if the current certificate meets this section for the endorsement sought. A staff-officer-only applicant need not meet this section. Section 10.302(a) requires evidence on a CG-719K or CG-719K/E, or as the Coast Guard directs. Its table assigns deck officers, pilots, able seafarers, ratings forming part of a navigational watch, and vessel security officers to the section 10.305(a) deck vision standard, and assigns engineering officers, radio officers, and the other listed engineering and rating credentials to section 10.305(b). Food handlers and some entry-level ratings have a different row, including a blank row for ratings on vessels to which STCW does not apply. Section 10.305(a) requires correctable vision of at least 20/40 in one eye and uncorrected vision of at least 20/200 in the same eye, and a satisfactory color sense without color-sensing lenses. STCW applicants need 20/40 correctable and 20/200 uncorrected in both eyes, with the stated transition for a credential held before 1 January 2017. Subsection (b) uses 20/50 correctable in one eye and the ability to distinguish red, green, blue and yellow. If corrective lenses are required, the mariner may not serve under the endorsement unless the lenses are worn and spare lenses are carried, and that limitation is placed on the certificate. A waiver path is section 10.303, which was not opened. You decide whether the assessment matches the endorsement. No daylight-only limit and no pregnancy rule were in the sections opened. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Check a domestic seafarer medical and eyesight assessment against the published rules](https://ailawframework.com/practice/maritime-shipping-and-transport/check-a-domestic-seafarer-medical-and-eyesight-assessment-against-the-pu.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: From the medical assessment and the endorsement sought, mark whether the table in 46 CFR section 10.302 calls for a vision test, a general medical exam, or a demonstration of physical ability for that credential, which vision standard in section 10.305 the table names, and whether a corrective-lens limitation is on the certificate. Do not decide that the mariner is qualified.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Hearing and the general medical exam are sections 10.306 and 10.304. Those sections were not opened. The table only names them.
- The Coast Guard, not the tool, decides medical qualification.

## Sources

- [46 CFR section 10.301 (medical certificate, general requirements)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/10.301) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [46 CFR section 10.302 (medical and physical requirements)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/10.302) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [46 CFR section 10.305 (vision requirements)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/46/10.305) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*