getting out and flying civilian/FAA and medical

[Mike_tango215]

whats the gouge on it?
1, i am currently processing out and i am still trying to fly on the outside. not necessarily airlines. i think that would suck just as much as flying in the navy did. I either want to do corporate charters to awesome places or fly fisherman to Alaska, or just give kids lessons. Im filing my disability claims about my back pain, knee pain. etc. but one thing I plan to file is i got recently diagnosed with is vestibular migraines. disqualifying for the military. probably disqualifying civilian. Any pilots here know how closely the FAA tracks your VA claims? i understand they can audit my VA records anytime, but probably won't. Not unless i bend some metal somehwere. I spent my entire career hiding problems, im necessarily keen on continuing to do that either. my mentor(former TopGun instructor in the 80s) said he was able to get away with all his VA claims and still fly.

2, are Vestibular migraines even disqualifying and do i even need to worry about it.

I just want to be able to keep flying and have fun doing it for once and maybe make a bit of cash at it to without the all the bull crap about hiding issues like I did my whole career

 

[cgoss99]

i think that would suck just as much as flying in the navy did.

May I ask why you thought flying in the navy sucked? Feel most experiences on here are always positive

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

May I ask why you thought flying in the navy sucked? Feel most experiences on here are always positive

Based on his post history it appears he either washed out or dropped out or flight school

 

[Mike_tango215]

alot of things i would share with you in a private message.

 

[Fins Out]

The gouge is don't lie on your FAA medical application. You might get away with it for a while, but medical problems have a nasty habit of eventually coming to the surface and then your entire record is going to come under the FAA's microscope. This happened to a civilian pilot back in 2008 and he spent 16 months in federal prison. If flying for hire, I'd imagine this would also open you up to all sorts of liability issues should you be involved in a mishap while on the job.

The good news is the FAA tends to be a little more lenient than NAMI so your issue might qualify for a special issuance medical for a condition that would normally cause a loss of military flight status. If you're a member of AOPA, they have a medical hotline and the FAA guide for Aeronautical Medical Examiners(AME) is online available with a quick Google search. Bottom line, you really need to consult with an AME(ideally one that's also a pilot) for a legal answer.

There's a huge difference between having a VA disability rating, reporting everything, and continuing to fly and straight up hiding something that's on your VA record. Even with a small chance of a random FAA medical record audit out there, do you really want to be wondering every time you walk to the airplane if "today's the day?" That would be an ORM nightmare for me.

 

[wink]

Really dude. Symptoms of vestibular migraine is dizziness, vertigo, swaying, etc. My wife has had them. For the love of God, don't lie about this. If you have had them you know that. And if you still are pursuing a pilots license you are demonstrating a character trait that would make you a huge risk in the cockpit, besides aeromedical reasons.

Here is the FAA guidance for AMEs when evaluating an applicant's Form 8500. Check out a copy of the 8500.

"The Examiner should personally explore the applicant's history by asking questions, concerning any changes in vision, unusual visual experiences (halos, scintillations, etc.), sensitivity to light, injuries, surgery, or current use of medication."

"Frequent or severe headaches. The applicant should report frequency, duration, characteristics, severity of symptoms, neurologic manifestations, and whether they have been incapacitating, treatment and side effects, if any."

Sorry. Just walk away.

 

[Gatordev]

In addition to what wink said... In 2022, the FAA started auditing individuals with VA ratings and matching them across their pilot database. If individuals had not disclosed a rating on their medical paperwork, they started issuing suspensions. That then eased a bit and they started issuing LOIs, but either way, the FAA is watching.

For more info, see here. It also has a link to the original article.

 

[zippy]

whats the gouge on it?
1, i am currently processing out and i am still trying to fly on the outside. not necessarily airlines. i think that would suck just as much as flying in the navy did. I either want to do corporate charters to awesome places or fly fisherman to Alaska, or just give kids lessons. Im filing my disability claims about my back pain, knee pain. etc. but one thing I plan to file is i got recently diagnosed with is vestibular migraines. disqualifying for the military. probably disqualifying civilian. Any pilots here know how closely the FAA tracks your VA claims? i understand they can audit my VA records anytime, but probably won't. Not unless i bend some metal somehwere. I spent my entire career hiding problems, im necessarily keen on continuing to do that either. my mentor(former TopGun instructor in the 80s) said he was able to get away with all his VA claims and still fly.

2, are Vestibular migraines even disqualifying and do i even need to worry about it.

I just want to be able to keep flying and have fun doing it for once and maybe make a bit of cash at it to without the all the bull crap about hiding issues like I did my whole career

Airline flying is waaaaaay different than Navy flying.

FAA tracks VA claims. Pretty closely these days. You can google FAA medical stuff pretty easily. Or get in contact with AOPA Medical services, Wingman Med or AMAS about your specific concerns and have them help you navigate. A ton of military disqualifying stuff isn’t an issue for FAA medical so don’t lose hope.

Additionally, Navy Doctors are pretty bad because the Navy doesn’t give them tools to succeed like other services do with their medical professionals (70% of new accessions haven’t been through any kind of residency… just an OJT transition year after med school). There have been instances in the past where someone gets out and learns that the Navy and then the VA going off Navy medical records have misdiagnosed and mistreated them for years once they see some specialists at University Hospitals. Not saying that is applicable in your specific case, but definitely consider outside medical consulting before making career decisions based on something the flight doc looked up on webmd.

Headaches - AMAS

Introduction Nearly all individuals are affected by headaches of some type during their lifetime. Most of these headaches are very transient in nature and do not significantly impact a person’s ability to function or concentrate. Many are associated with stress or illness and resolve when the...

www.aviationmedicine.com

 

[Griz882]

The FAA completely and fully tracks VA claims. If you want to fly as a civilian then you will likely need a work up and a few tests to get a “waiver.” As mentioned above, get in touch with a pilot medical service BEFORE you file your FAA medical stuff. They will help you clear all the land mines. I had to do it because of my VA disability, got a 3rd Class, and immediately jumped over to Basic Med so I can stay in the cockpit. Paid flying will never be a thing for me again.

 

[VMO4]

Really?, I guess you have never applied for a FAA medical, but the form asks you for all visits to health care providers, any previous diagnosis, etc...and yes, they have put people in jail for lying on the form. Perhaps the FAA won't care about the condition, perhaps they will, but hiding information from them is a bad idea, and once you are denied a medical, you cannot fly even under Light Sport, and I am not even getting to the tone of your post not being someone I want "teaching kiddies to fly"

 

[Gatordev]

Some new info I learned today...apparently it's possible (if true) that the VA reached out to the FAA and not the other way around. One more way the VA is helping you, the veteran. "Thanks" VA.

Why Can the VA share my disability benefits with the FAA?

pilot-protection-services.aopa.org

 

[Fallonflyr]

I fly with tons of guys with 100% VA disability. Just don’t try to hide anything.

 

[SynixMan]

Some new info I learned today...apparently it's possible (if true) that the VA reached out to the FAA and not the other way around. One more way the VA is helping you, the veteran. "Thanks" VA.

Why Can the VA share my disability benefits with the FAA?

pilot-protection-services.aopa.org

The "gouge" in the mid-2010s was FAA and VA couldn't talk, so a lot of people were very honest with the VA on discharge about stuff like PTSD and TBI to get 100%. Legit claims that were verified by civilian docs as part of the VA Claims process. But then they never reported it on their MedExpress FAA stuff because they require lots of tests and a Special Issuance, so then the FAA catches you in a lie, and can then throw the book at you.

And yet the FAA wonders why people don't want to talk about mental health with them!

 

[Fallonflyr]

The "gouge" in the mid-2010s was FAA and VA couldn't talk, so a lot of people were very honest with the VA on discharge about stuff like PTSD and TBI to get 100%. Legit claims that were verified by civilian docs as part of the VA Claims process. But then they never reported it on their MedExpress FAA stuff because they require lots of tests and a Special Issuance, so then the FAA catches you in a lie, and can then throw the book at you.

And yet the FAA wonders why people don't want to talk about mental health with them!

Probably not going to get any better after the Alaska nut job pilot episode.

 

[SynixMan]

Probably not going to get any better after the Alaska nut job pilot episode.

I thought so as well, but I'm kind of surprised at their renewed focus. I was slated to go to Pilot Assistance training at ALPA national in Feb, but had to delay. I hope they get the details right, but even if they do, convincing the pilots to trust it will be an up hill battle. It also needs to dovetail with STD/LTD policies.