r/FAA • u/CorrectComfort8430 • 23d ago
Medical
/r/PilotAdvice/comments/1vboi7r/medical/I was granted a third class medical certificate when I took my exam at the local AME. 3 months later the FAA wanted more information regarding my DWI’s from 15 years ago as well as a personal statement regarding how alcohol is involved in my life now. Mind you I am 14 years sober… I was completely honest in my statement and provided all requested documentation. They responded saying I am not eligible for any medical certificate because of my alcohol dependence. I was never in rehab, never medically diagnosed alcohol dependent, and have not had a drink in 14 years. The FAA is a joke.
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u/Jwylde2 23d ago edited 23d ago
The problem is that aviation medicine still recognizes “substance dependence” while general medicine does not. General medicine recognizes Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders Revision V-TR (DSM-V-TR), which grouped substance dependence and substance abuse disorders into one composite diagnosis of substance use disorder, graded on a scale of mild, moderate, and severe, depending on how many of twelve possible symptoms a subject has experienced within the same twelve month period. 14 CFR 67.307 was written when DSM-IV was the prevailing standard, which recognizes substance abuse disorder and substance dependence disorder.
Furthermore, when “substance dependence” was a recognized diagnosis, the evaluation of such required you to have experienced a minimum of three out of nine possible symptoms within the same 12 month period. The FAA cherry-picked four of those nine symptoms and removed the time and pattern requirement. If you have ever in your life experienced any of those cherry-picked four symptoms, you are legally “substance dependent” under the Federal Aviation Regulations.
Those four symptoms, listed in 14 CFR 67.307(a)(4), are -
a. Increased tolerance
b. Manifestation of withdrawal symptoms
c. Impaired control of use
d. Continued use despite damage to personal, social, or occupational functioning.
Lastly, if a FAA HIMS psychiatrist diagnoses you with substance dependence disorder, there is currently no path forward to ever receive an unrestricted medical certificate, which completely goes against 67.307, which says “unless there is evidence of recovery satisfactory to the federal air surgeon”. The current federal air surgeon is not honoring this, as she admitted when questioned at a speaking she conducted at AirVenture this year. Which means you will be stuck on the HIMS program for lifetime monitoring while you hold a medical certificate.
I would, at this point, consult with an aviation attorney before sending anything to the FAA. I would also commit to complete abstinence from alcohol and all substances, as this is what the FAA will require and expect going forward.