Incomplete Application Deferrals Would Have Changed To Denials

The FAA again postponed its proposed changes to airman medical certifications that would have led to a significant increase in medical denials if they were to be implemented.

The changes, first proposed in 2024, would have ended the long-time practice of deferring incomplete medical applications, and instead issuing immediate denials while also providing steps for reconsideration.

Apparently the FAA didn't think this through completely, as an outcry from a large number of aviation organizations told the agency’s Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Susan Northrup that the denials would cause a range of unintended consequences as well as increasing the complexity for pilots, according to AOPA, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

In response, the FAA postponed the start date of the changes from January 1, 2025, to March 1, 2025. But then the agency announced on February 28 it was postponing the rule again and also said it would hold a listening session “to get feedback from stakeholders before making any decisions.”

That listening session is scheduled for April 23, 2025, at FAA headquarters in Washington, DC. The agency said that in the coming weeks it would provide more info on how to attend in person and remotely.

FMI:  www.faa.gov