neuropsychologist? what goes on there?

clintoncutty

clintoncutty

New Member
hello, i will be going to see a neuropsychologist on the 23rd.... now im a little bit nervous. has anyone ever been to one? what goes on there?

now some background info, back in september i went to see an actual AME in chicago for my 1st class medical, well i went in and im medically fit to fly. but when the criminal background and driving record section came up i had to put down that i was caught with a fake id about 13 months ago when i was 18. well the AME didnt issue me the medical and i got a letter in the mail from the regional faa office that i had to go get an alcohol evaluation by a board certified psychiatrist, after a month of searching for a "board certified pyschiatrist" i found one in skokie, il. i called, made an appointment, and send out the 1800 dollars he asked for. went in everything is fine no history of alcohol abuse or anything nice guy even tho he kind of ripped me off but i was convinced that i would get my medical soon. well bout a week passes by and i called to ask if he had sent out my evaluation. he says: the faa recommends me to go see a neuropsychologist, i was like ok fine, then he says that he knew of a really good neuropyschologist in the chicago area (prolly a good friend of his). but anyways i called the faa the same day and asked them if they knew anything about a neuropyschologist, they told me that they would have to get the evaluation from the pyschiatrist they recommended me to. now the pychiatrist is telling me to go see the neuropsychologist, and the faa is telling me that they are still waiting for the first evaluation they asked for and that they would determine if i had to go see a neuropsychologist also that once they received my first evaluation from the psychiatrist that they would send me a letter stating exactly what i would have to to next, regarding neuro testing and what not.(the one i just talked bout). now theres a little catch in those line i just wrote i do not want to offend anybody now whoever figures it out good for them.


but anyways i called the neuropsychologist and made an appointment he now expects me to bring 2500-2800 dollars on the day of testing. now what gets me the most is that no one ever mentioned that i would have to undergo aditional testing until i send the first amount of 1800 dollars. ok either i got and im down almost 5000 dollars or dont go and im still 1800 and to top it all off my medical is still in the air.

also when i got busted with that fake id almost a year ago i was charged with a first offense misdemeanor. what happend was i took my older brothers ID one night and went to the nearby liqour store. i tried gettin a big boy of jeagermeister for my buddies surpirse party but the clerk recognized me and handed me the ID and i left. now since we live in a small town in iowa the cops had reached my parents by phone and told em what i had done. i to the station and admitted what happend yes i could of gotten a lawyer, but listen to this. we might live in iowa but we do have surveliance camaras, so there was no way out of this mess. bottom line ive never got caught drinking in my life and i have to go through all this bs and drop almost 5000 bux for a medical..... another thing that gets to me i have no history of neurological problems. the pyschiatrist that wants me to go to this neuropyschologist has no evidence or anything that backs this up. WHY DO I HAVE TO GO DO THIS?


sorry long and writtenm very bad i know, but im in a hurry any reply would be greatly appreciated.
 
There are 2 issues here. The first is that you had the evaluation from the psychiatrist and you should ask him to send the report to the FAA. That is his obligation. If he refuses, ask him why he will not do it. If he does not have a good explanation, you can always file a complaint with the Illinois Medical Board.

Second, in alcohol related evaluations, the FAA usuall wants both a neuropsychologist and a psychiatrist to do an evaluation. The big BUT here is that they have not requested one yet. The neuropsychologist does a battery of tests like the MMPI, etc. to evaluate the way your brain functions, what your personality traits are, etc.

I would have the psychiatrist report sent to the FAA before I spent another $2500. Then get what the FAA requests and nothing more. Makes $90 for a Class 1 medical look pretty cheap:)
 
thank you very much for the advice.

now i have figured out on how to break this situation down....

1st phone call to psychiatrist:
he told me that the FAA recommended an evaluation from an neuropsychologist.

2nd phone call to FAA:
FAA says they need the pychiatrist to send 'em my evaluation first before anything else.

3rd phone call to psychiatrist:
he then tells me that he needed the other evaulation to finish the whole report.

now i think there is something fishy about it, maybe not. now im not made out of money but if the FAA really recommends another eval. then yes i have no problem with paying. ill man up and pay for my mistakes but if some guy wants to give me the run around and send me to every doctor in chicago then yes i do have a problem with that.
 
Dr. Forred,

Did Mr. Clintoncutty's AME have any discretion or ability to exercise his professional judgment when denying his medical, or does this sound as if once Clintoncutty filled out the 8500-8 the way he did, the AME had no choice in denying the medical.



clintoncutty said:
now some background info, back in september i went to see an actual AME in chicago for my 1st class medical, well i went in and im medically fit to fly. but when the criminal background and driving record section came up i had to put down that i was caught with a fake id about 13 months ago when i was 18. well the AME didnt issue me the medical and i got a letter in the mail from the regional faa office that i had to go get an alcohol evaluation by a board certified psychiatrist,
Click to expand...
 
There is discretion. However, once the information is transmitted to the FAA, they review all positive answers on the 8500-8 and can reverse any decision the AME makes. The AME's decision on deferral depends on the story provided by the applicant, their demeanor when discussing the positive answer and a comfort level with what the FAA will do with the answer. The AME must provide a written supportive answer for the positive answer in Block 60 on the form and he may not have felt comfortable --- may be related to the number of medicals he does. As I have said earlier, 85% of AME's do fewer than 25 a year. It is easier to defer than feel one has made a mistake.

AME's are also graded on the number of their decsions are reveresed. Too many reversals and you are no longer an AME. This may have been a factor also.

The AME could have called the Regional Flight Surgeon or OKC for advice - they frequently say yes grant the medical and occasionally say no, defer to us.
 
Old Pete said:
Dr. Forred,

Did Mr. Clintoncutty's AME have any discretion or ability to exercise his professional judgment when denying his medical, or does this sound as if once Clintoncutty filled out the 8500-8 the way he did, the AME had no choice in denying the medical.
Click to expand...

the AME told me that my application was never denied and i also got a letter from the regional FAA office stating that my application is not denied at this time and that they needed an evaluation to grant eligibilty.
 
Deferral is moving the decision to the FAA from the AME. A denial is final whereas a deferral is reviewable. I mis-spoke when I said denied.
 
clintoncutty said:
the AME told me that my application was never denied and i also got a letter from the regional FAA office stating that my application is not denied at this time and that they needed an evaluation to grant eligibilty.
Click to expand...

I apologize for mischaracterizing "AME didn't issue" as a denial. My mistake.
 
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