What happens after a deferral?

inav8r

inav8r

Line Up and Wait
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Mike B.
So I went to my AME recently and my medical wound up getting deferred. I've since gone to my family doc to get the situation under control. I think we've got a good plan there. I've also been in contact with the relevant experts - who shall remain nameless for now. ;)

My question is, what's going to happen next. I assume that I'm eventually going to get some sort of nasty gram from the folks down in OKC. About how long until I should expect that?

Then what can I expect to happen after that? My goal here is to 1) get my health taken care of and 2) get back to flying solo ASAP. Obviously #1 comes first - but assuming it all goes well, I'm hoping to take the right steps now to make sure I can get my medical back as soon as practicable.
 
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I believe that you're right to expect a letter, and they will tell you what you need to provide them for documentation to get approved, if anything. I think that there are some instances in which one may have provided the AME enough information but he needs to have OKC actually do the approval, in which case you'll just receive the medical from them with Dr. Silberman's signature on it. You can get a good idea of what any additional required documentation might be by looking up the deferral cause on AOPA's medical area, so you can have the ducks in a row. I don't know if pestering them for the letter would help get it more quickly; perhaps one of the Docs could speak to that.
 
inav8r said:
My question is, what's going to happen next. I assume that I'm eventually going to get some sort of nasty gram from the folks down in OKC. About how long until I should expect that?
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Mike, although you'll get a letter as to what will be required, you will not have it before the 60 days. By then you'll have the HbA1c that you need and the letters, and a good AME can call it in (along with your other stuff, the updated TSH, etc) and get authority to issue you in the office.

If you have such an AME, I would suggest a revisit and re-exam, with a call in. Otherwise, when you have the information, send it to AAM 331 PO Box 26200, Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0080 with your name and pilot cert on the upper right of EVERY page. After you get your return receipt back, wait ten working days and start calling 405-954-4821, every other day x 3 and be courteous. Then your file gets marked, "interested airman" and you get acted upon.

If OKC is catching up, they'll issue you a cert. good through 12 months from the date of your last 8500-8 exam, e.g, it'll be short about 90 days.

Each year thereafter you need the TSH, the f/u letter from the Rxing doc, the hypertension stuff "well controlled, no evidence of coronary disease, meds are XX YY ZZ in xx yy zz mgms, no side effects", and "HbA1c is __, (BETTER be 7 or less!) and no signs of ocular, neuro, renal or cardiac disease". In the off years, you send the paperwork to the OKC address and they send you a medical for the second year of your remaining third class.

Every other year you will in addition to these things, need a 8500-8 exam.
 
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For the retinal disease statement, my doc suggested I see an eye doctor. What sort of eye doc should I seek out? Do I need the 8500-7 full eye evaluation report? When I just recently (2 weeks ago) had my eyes tested for the fight physical which was deferred, I passed all of the 20/20 vision parts and all but one of the 20/15 parts uncorrected. (I don't and never have worn glasses).

Edit: Doc Bruce already answered this via an earlier email. For my situation an ophthalmologist is not required if the doc will make the statement. I'll try to twist his arm and see if he'll do it. Otherwise, I'll go see an ophthalmologist.
 
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Ok, believe it or not, the letter has arrived already.

It wasn't as nasty as I had expected, however, it says I have 30 days to submit all of the information or that it will automatically turn into a denial - however it also says I can't submit any of the information until after a 60 day stabilization period - which won't be up until after the 30 days from the date of the original letter has passed...

Any advice from the experts here? If I wait until the 60 day stabilization period is over then my deferral will be a denial - but I can't send in the information now because that period is not yet over... I'm stuck in a catch 22 I think...
 
Get every thing arranged. Then send a letter to the FAA with your plans and rough time frame to comply with the requested information. They will have a response from you that satisfies the 30 day part. Then send your hard information when you get it. I think they understand you can't always get everything in 30 days but need to know you are getting it. They had to put some time frame in the letter and 30 days worked back in the 50's. Change comes slow to a beauracracy.

Barb(AME)
 
inav8r said:
For the retinal disease statement, my doc suggested I see an eye doctor. What sort of eye doc should I seek out? Do I need the 8500-7 full eye evaluation report? When I just recently (2 weeks ago) had my eyes tested for the fight physical which was deferred, I passed all of the 20/20 vision parts and all but one of the 20/15 parts uncorrected. (I don't and never have worn glasses).

Edit: Doc Bruce already answered this via an earlier email. For my situation an ophthalmologist is not required if the doc will make the statement. I'll try to twist his arm and see if he'll do it. Otherwise, I'll go see an ophthalmologist.
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When it comes to eyes, no GP's word carries the weight with the FAA of a ophthalmologist's.
 
inav8r said:
For the retinal disease statement, my doc suggested I see an eye doctor. What sort of eye doc should I seek out? Do I need the 8500-7 full eye evaluation report? When I just recently (2 weeks ago) had my eyes tested for the fight physical which was deferred, I passed all of the 20/20 vision parts and all but one of the 20/15 parts uncorrected. (I don't and never have worn glasses).

Edit: Doc Bruce already answered this via an earlier email. For my situation an ophthalmologist is not required if the doc will make the statement. I'll try to twist his arm and see if he'll do it. Otherwise, I'll go see an ophthalmologist.
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20/20 is not what they're looking for. They're looking for the changes in the retina of diabetes.

I would just let it get denied, wait the interval, gather all the stuff and reapply. But for Reapplication I would only go to a STELLAR AME, the kind who can cut the C_ap and get you issued.
 
This was NOT a troll. Stacey Vereen, in Atlanta. Hal Conwell in Dallas. Gordon Ritter in Prescott AZ....come to mind fairly quickly....
 
Well, went to see the doc(s) necessary for round two...

A1c is down a full percent to 5.1. Cholesterol numbers are EXCELLENT (with out meds). I've lost 17 pounds (according to the doctor, my number is 21). Doc says if I can keep my diet going I'll be off metformin by summer. I also went to an ophthalmologist and after a thorough checkup I got a clean bill of health from him (no signs of any opthalmological disease or diabetic retinopathy) .

Hopefully my doc can decipher all of the mumbo jumbo I asked him to put in the report for my AME and I'll have this all sorted out soon!
 
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