Aviation Advocacy Groups Oppose FAA’s Upcoming Medical Certification Policy
A coalition of pilot advocacy groups and unions is strongly urging the FAA to reconsider a controversial policy change scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2025. This change could lead to a significant increase in medical certificate denials.
The proposed policy shift would replace the current practice of deferring incomplete medical applications with outright denials, pending reconsideration. AOPA, along with airline and charter pilot unions, expressed their concerns in a letter dated December 13, 2024, to Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Susan Northrup. They requested a stay of implementation, arguing that the use of denials instead of deferrals could lead to “unneeded confusion for applicants and introduce unintended consequences for those under initial denial.”
Under the existing policy, pilots with complex medical histories often experience lengthy back-and-forth communications while their applications are deferred pending additional documentation. The new policy, however, would issue prompt denials for any applications deemed incomplete after the aviation medical exam. This would require pilots to submit additional information after denial rather than during the application process.
The implications of this change extend beyond the immediate medical certificate denial. Pilots who receive denials would become ineligible to fly under BasicMed or as sport pilots using a driver’s license. Although denials can be reversed after submitting additional documentation, pilots with existing medical certificates would be unable to serve as pilots during the appeals process.
The coalition pointed out that the Congress-mandated modernization of the medical certification system under the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, including the implementation of Aeromedical Working Group recommendations, could address the concerns driving this policy change without the negative consequences of increased denials.
Source: AOPA