U.S. Code > Title 46 Shipping > Subtitle II—Vessels and Seamen (§§ 2101—14702) > Part G—Merchant Seamen Protection and Relief (§§ 10101—11507) > CHAPTER 112—MERCHANT MARINER BENEFITS (§§ 11201—11204) > § 11203. Documentation of qualified service

§ 11203. Documentation of qualified service

(a) Record of Service.— The Secretary, or in the case of personnel of the Army Transport Service or the Naval Transport Service, the Secretary of Defense, shall, upon application—
(1) issue a certificate of honorable service to a person who, as determined by that Secretary, engaged in qualified service of a nature and duration that warrants issuance of the certificate; and
(2) correct, or request the appropriate official of the Federal Government to correct, the service records of that person to the extent necessary to reflect the qualified service and the issuance of the certificate of honorable service.
(b) Timing of Documentation.— A Secretary receiving an application under subsection (a) shall act on the application not later than 1 year after the date of that receipt.
(c) Standards Relating to Service.— In making a determination under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary acting on the application shall apply the same standards relating to the nature and duration of service that apply to the issuance of honorable discharges under section 401(a)(1)(B) of the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977 (38 U.S.C. 106 note ).
(d) Correction of Records.— An official who is requested under subsection (a)(2) to correct the service records of a person shall make such correction.