Several Common Diagnoses No Longer Require Special Issuance And Review

The Federal Air Surgeon this week has added several common diagnoses to the list of conditions that do not require a special issuance and review before issuing a medical certificate.

The new program is called "Conditions the AME Can Issue" (CACI). It allows pilots with certain conditions to be issued a medical certificate without a special issuance authorization from the FAA. The list of conditions includes:

• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Glaucoma
• Hepatitis C
• Hypertension
• Hypothyroidism
• Migraine and chronic headaches
• Pre-diabetes (metabolic syndrome, impaired fasting glucose, insulin resistance, glucose elevation/intolerance)
• Renal cancer

An article posted by EAA on its Facebook page indicates that AMEs will still require certain documentation from pilots showing they have such conditions under control, but a special issuance can be made without sending those documents to the FAA. The medical certificate that is issued will be valid for the normal period, depending on applicant's age and/or the class of the certificate.

AOPA reports that the FAA also recently changed its policy toward certain heart conditions, reducing the recovery and stabilization period following a coronary artery stenting from six months to three.

Additional conditions are expected to be added to the list in the coming months.

FMI: Guide for Medical Examiners