The FAA has withdrawn its proposed changes to the airman medical certification process.
The changes, initially scheduled to go into effect in January 2025, would have replaced the longstanding practice of deferring incomplete medical applications to immediate denials of the medicals.
If enacted, the new policiy would have “significantly increased complexity for many pilots,” according to officials with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).
The FAA delayed implementation of the new policy twice after AOPA, in partnership with other aviation industry organizations, voiced strong concerns about its unintended consequences.
In response, the FAA held a listening session on April 23, 2025, during which Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said the proposal would not be implemented.
Instead, the FAA agreed to work with aviation advocacy groups on a pilot medical education campaign to help applicants prepare for medical exams and reduce delays.
As a result, the organizations have released a comprehensive medical checklist to give pilots guidance on what is needed when submitting a medical application.
Currently, the FAA receives more than 450,000 medical applications annually, 50,000 of which fall under Special Issuance categories.
FAA officials said during the April 23 meeting that half of all applications — 225,000 — experience delays, often because they lack the necessary documentation, which can add up to eight weeks to the process.
In addition, during the same meeting, Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Susan Northrup and Deputy Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Brett Wyrick announced a series of forthcoming reforms aimed at making the medical certification process more timely, consistent, and transparent, while also reducing delays for applicants.
First, updates to the FAA MedXPress system, the platform used to submit medical information, are in development and will provide clearer instructions for pilots before entering medical information, according to FAA officials.
Additional future improvements will allow pilots and Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs) to upload and track cases more efficiently, agency officials said.
Second, as part of the pilot medical education campaign, the FAA is working to develop simple instructions and FAQs for various medical conditions to help pilots better understand what documentation the agency will need before they apply for a medical certificate.
Northrup also mentioned, in response to a participant’s question, that the FAA may consider exploring the expansion of the Conditions AMEs Can Issue (CACI) protocols, which enable AMEs to issue medical certificates for applicants with certain medical conditions.
Lastly, Northrup committed to reducing the wait times for pilots with deferred Special Issuance cases from an average of 155 days to 90 days over the next three years, AOPA officials said.
“We wholeheartedly support the FAA’s decision to move away from the medical denial letter policy and instead work with AOPA and others to help educate and provide much needed medical exam guidance to new and existing pilots,” said AOPA President and CEO Darren Pleasance. “Dr. Northrup and her team are working to reduce delays in the FAA’s medical system and improve clarity and transparency in the application process — changes which are long overdue and which we very much support. Clear and detailed guidance on what medical documentation is required up front will help in reducing that burden.”
AOPA officials added they are participating in an aerospace medical working group, which Congress mandated as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, focused on broader improvements to the medical certification process and addressing mental health issues among pilots.
For more information: FAA.gov, AOPA.org
