Potential problems
Filling out the MedXPress form
The question doesn’t leave much wiggle room for negotiating a response. Each of the items contains a “+” icon that, if clicked, will open a drop-down dialog box that provides more specific examples of what the FAA expects to be reported. Some of the items, if checked “yes,” won’t necessarily require anything other than a brief comment. Anything else in that group of items will probably require a comment from a health care provider regarding the condition or diagnosis. Remember, in the FAA’s world, everything is a potential problem until they determine it’s not, so any “yes” response will likely need some additional documentation.
In part two, there are four items pertaining to military service and medical-related discharges, medical rejection by military service, rejection for life or health insurance, and medical disability benefits. The FAA is currently investigating with the Veterans Affairs to verify if applicants for a medical certificate are disclosing that they are receiving medical disability benefits. Any medical disability compensations—Social Security, Veterans Affairs, or privately funded compensation—are all reportable.
Behavioral health is a prevalent theme among medical applications. If those disability benefits include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or other psychiatric diagnoses, the FAA is more likely to require additional review.
Not surprisingly, the FAA frowns upon alcohol-related motor vehicle actions and one DUI is bad enough, but if there is more than one, it can mean a long, expensive road to a special issuance medical certificate. If you report an alcohol-related motor vehicle action, expect the FAA to ask for the police arrest report, the court records associated with the charges, the level of blood alcohol if testing was administered, the state DMV records, and a personal statement from you regarding alcohol use habits. Depending upon many factors, the FAA may require an extensive (and expensive) evaluation before determining your eligibility to hold a medical.
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