Could be a good thing - the technical term is Principal Nom vs. primary nom so I cannot be certain. However, if he is the Principal Nom for his MOC, and he is qualified medically and meets the academic and physical requirements, then he will get an appointment regardless of who else is on the MOC's slate. However, the majority of MOCs submit their slate of nominees unranked for the SA to select the appointee based on who they deem to be the best candidate. I have heard of MOC's giving an unranked slate but telling a candidate that they are a "top" candidate or "top" on their list ... but not actually sending the slate in with a Principal and ranked (or Principal and unranked) alternates. Many people use the term Principal and Primary interchangeably, including myself. However - technically, Principal is the correct term. Being #1 on the MOC slate could be a means of communicating that it looks good, but not actually saying he has a Principal nom. I suggest that either your son a) call the MOC staffer & ask specifically if they are submitting a Principal & if so - to confirm that he is that Principal or b) wait it out. If the MOC submits the slate in the near future & they do so with a Principal, & your son is triple qualified, then an appointment will be forthcoming in the near future. The SA has very little to do in those situations (i.e. they don't have to make any decision, the file need not go to the board etc.. if the candidate is triple qualified it is a done decision). So such appointments are mailed quickly. If your son is still waiting on medical or something else to become triple qualified, then as soon as he is triple qualified the appointment would go out.
