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Pilots
with disqualifying medical conditions are often eligible for waivers through Special Issuance
medical certification.
Federal
Aviation Regulation (FAR) 67.401
Typically this requires extensive
documentation and decisions are made on a case by case basis.
The
FAA also requires Special Issuance for many medical conditions not specifically
listed as disqualifying in the FAR's. Some conditions require self-grounding while
others do not.
The conditions listed below are
specifically listed in the FAR's as disqualifying, yet most of these conditions still
permit Special Issuance medical certification. Contact
us to determine eligibility.
- Coronary heart disease
- Angina
- Myocardial infarction
- Heart replacement
- Cardiac valve
replacement
- Permanent cardiac
pacemakers
- Diabetes
- Psychosis
- Bipolar disorder
- Severe personality
disorder
- Substance dependence
or abuse
- Epilepsy
- Disturbance of
consciousness
- Transient loss of
nervous system function
Aviation Medical
Examiners are NOT authorized to grant Special Issuance certification.
AOPA has released statements which many have
interpreted incorrectly. Most pilots only read the statement "AMEs
can reissue special issuance medicals"
and don't look further to note the
criteria. On the surface, it makes sense to have your AME coordinate the
process.
While one-stop-shopping is an attractive
proposition, many pilots find themselves frustrated when their AME ends up
deferring the case to the Aeromedical Branch in Oklahoma. In many of these
cases, the pilot waits several months only to receive a letter from the FAA
asking the pilot for more records or information.
In some cases, an Aviation Medical Examiner may be permitted to renew a Special
Issuance. The authorization must always be granted from the Federal Air Surgeon
first
and
typically it is issued via the Aeromedical Branch of the FAA in Oklahoma City.
Those who are authorized must have
a letter which permits them to see their AME for RENEWAL ONLY. Many
AME's will still defer these cases, as they have for years, due to their lack of
familiarity with these complicated decisions.
The AME assisted program is NOT for
first-time Special Issuance applicants.
The FAA must grant the initial medical certificate. Airman must have a letter from the FAA which authorizes AME
Special Issuance renewal.
Currently Special
Issuance may be renewed by AME's (when authorized by the aforementioned FAA
letter) for the following medical conditions:
- Asthma
- Arthritis
- Brachytherapy
- Cancer: Breast, Bladder,
Colon, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Lymphoma, Melanoma, Prostate, Renal
- Chronic Lymphocytic
Leukemia
- Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Crohn's Disease
- Diabetes Type II
(Diet controlled or Oral
Medication Only)
- Glaucoma or Ocular
Hypertension
- Hepatitis C
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism
- Kidney Stones (Urolithiasis)
- Migraine Syndrome
- Sleep Apnea
- Ulcerative Cholitis
- Cardiovascular / Heart:
Angina Pectoris (chest pain), Atherectomy, Atrial Fibrillation, Coronary
Artery Disease, Coronary Bypass Grafting (CABG), Mitral & Aortic
Insufficiency, Murmur, Myocardial Infarction, Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia,
Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA), Stent Implantation,
Valve Replacement Valvuloplasty,
Pilot Medical Solutions has
helped thousands of pilots with FAA Special Issuance medical certification.
We work directly with your physicians and the FAA to assure
compliance with FAA protocol and to resolve complex aeromedical certification
issues quickly.
Contact us at 800-699-4457 or via
E-Mail to confidentially discuss
the details of your case and
to establish your eligibility for FAA medical certification.
There is no charge for an initial consultation.
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