From APBA V&H Chief Inspector – Rich Evans:
There seems to be a great deal of consternation at the moment about re-certification of lifejackets.
Three areas that cover lifejackets are the manufacturing standards as rewritten in 2013, the General Safety-Racing Rules, and the Vintage By-Laws Article VI Paragraph 13.B. The By-Laws may be found on the APBA website.
At points in the past, it was required to re-certify your jacket on a regular basis. This is no longer required unless (a) you wish to do, or (b) your inspector feels that your safety would be best served by re-certification.
The reference in the Vintage By-Laws to a re-certification date is made simply to establish the fact that, if the jacket is re-certified, it is properly labeled by the person who did the work.
Vintage By-Laws are found at: https://www.apba.org/sites/all/files/documents/2015-V%26H.pdf
General Safety-Racing Rules: https://www.apba.org/sites/all/files/documents/2016-GSR-GRR_0.pdf
Lifejacket specs are at: http://www.apba.org/sites/all/files/documents/2013-APBA%20LIFE%20JACKET%20BASIC%20MANUFACTURING%20SPECIFICATIONS.pdf
