U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee and aviation subcommittee members urged FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker to take “decisive actions” that would encourage aviation professionals to seek mental healthcare.
“We are concerned about the FAA’s approach to ensuring aviation professionals can obtain mental healthcare in a timely and efficient manner,” the lawmakers said in a joint letter sent last week. “It is clear to us that talented aviation professionals—our constituents—often suffer in silence because of the fear that medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment, could potentially prolong their return to work, or even prevent them from pursuing their aviation careers.”
While medical standards are designed to ensure safety in the National Airspace System, “they cannot be so cumbersome or potentially punitive as to prevent healthy aviation professionals from having the ability to work,” said the letter signed by T&I Chair Sam Graves (R-Missouri) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Washington), along with subcommittee Chair Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) and Ranking Member Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee).
They supported the FAA’s steps to create a Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee, but stressed that “valuable time cannot be wasted by simply restating what previous findings have already been uncovered.”
The lawmakers said the FAA needs to move on efforts that reduce the stigma around mental health care, remove barriers without jeopardizing safety standards, reduce wait times on special issuance medicals, and strengthen the trust of the workforce.
NBAA welcomed the call for action. “This issue is a priority for business aviation, and we know it’s a priority for FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) because it’s vital to aviation safety,” said NBAA president and CEO. “We will continue to work with the agencies, Congress, and others to ensure those in our industry can get mental health care without concerns over whether doing so will impact their employment.”
The issue has been of such concern that the NTSB in December held a day-long summit to probe into the barriers discouraging the aviation workforce from seeking and reporting mental healthcare. Meanwhile, the topic will be discussed at a United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) all-hands meeting on the eve of Heli-Expo on February 26. USHST plans to unveil a Peer Pilot Program during that meeting to offer resources to pilots.