Mental Health and the VA

When I first got out, people were telling me to claim the two things that were hard to prove a vet doesn’t have. Tenitis and TMJ, those two will get you a few hundred a month in VA disability and I believe even qualify you for Voc Rehab. Glad I didn’t do that, as I don’t have either of those two and would hate to lose this career for some extra money that I really shouldn’t be entitled to. It would feel wrong even trying to claim something I don’t have just to get some extra $$

I feel for the guy, he probably did suffer at one point from depression, thanks to the German pilot who decided to take 150 plus with him on his way out depression is a serious issue for getting a medical now. Even the article cites that incident so you know it is the first thing anyone thinks about when they hear “pilot” and “depression” in the same sentence. I’m sure he wasn’t trying to be criminal, but the feds see it that way. That’s why lying on that medical in any box is just bad, especially the box asking about arrest history or convictions. They will find out, just a matter of time. I had a mark on my record from when I was 20, got an underage drinking ticket and a public intox charge. I disclosed that on my first medical in 2012. It wasn’t until early 2018 that the feds sent me a letter saying that they noticed a history with alcohol abuse and that if I get any further will result in my license revocation.

Pilots are humans just like everyone else, we can all suffer from mental issues for various reasons. Heck, the lifestyle of this job coupled with financial strain early in is enough to depress some, but the thought of the feds making you jump through hoops and potentially stripping your licenses that just cost you 75-100k is also stressful. So what is a pilot to do now if they feel depressed or anxious? This will be interesting to see how the feds handle issues that are in fact disclosed. My guess is they will make it long and painful for the person who disclosed the issue, costing them a lot of money they probably don’t have and adding even more stress into their lives depressing them even further. Do you think this guy would have been flying for Delta if he originally told the FAA about his VA mental history? I don’t think so, because it’s most likely a liability that the airline doesn’t want if he was to be involved in an incident and the media got ahold of his history. Pilots are humans, but we are meant to be robots without emotions or life issues, that is why one day there will be real robots flying the plane :D
 
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“He lied about his depression so he could keep doing the one thing that makes him happy. We are no longer allowing him to do that.”
 
They couldn't get Capone on murder or extortion or bootlegging. But they got him on tax evasion.
Although we know little of the specific details of this case, it's possible that in a similar round about way, the good news out of this story is that it may put the kibosh on at least one small part of the VA fraud out there. If I had $100 for every guy I know who is collecting 100% disability payments while miraculously retaining the ability to deer hunt, or fish, or own a company, or operate heavy equipment, etc, etc, I could retire on a nice annuity.
 
Crop Duster said:
They couldn't get Capone on murder or extortion or bootlegging. But they got him on tax evasion.
Although we know little of the specific details of this case, it's possible that in a similar round about way, the good news out of this story is that it may put the kibosh on at least one small part of the VA fraud out there. If I had $100 for every guy I know who is collecting 100% disability payments while miraculously retaining the ability to deer hunt, or fish, or own a company, or operate heavy equipment, etc, etc, I could retire on a nice annuity.
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Yeah I couldn’t believe how many people were trying to get a certain percentage in order to get voc rehab. That wasn’t what the program was for, and because many are taking advantage the system is starting to find out. It just took awhile, because you know.... gubbament
 
The BL is, just disclose on the FAA medical form. They will find out about it. And it's much easier to deal with a medical review for X disability you disclosed that you have a % disability rating for, than it is trying to carpet dance why you omitted it or answered No to the question of "are you receiving disability".
 
MikeD said:
The BL is, just disclose on the FAA medical form. They will find out about it. And it's much easier to deal with a medical review for X disability you disclosed that you have a % disability rating for, than it is trying to carpet dance why you omitted it or answered No to the question of "are you receiving disability".
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There seems to be a broad misunderstanding for how the rating system works for disability, especially amongst military members. I posted about this before, and will copy the response into this thread:

So, a few things.

First, this is not legal advice.

Second, for those of you playing along at home who are rated by the VA for a disability; that rating does not necessarily disqualify you for an FAA medical.

Third, as an example, if you have sleep apena and need to use a CPAP, the VA may rate you as high as 50%, but that has no bearing on whether you're meeting FAA guidelines on sleep apena (I'm pulling that off a blog post and not out of any VA documentation, but I imagine as a SWAG it's pretty close).

The VA will rate you BECAUSE you're using a CPAP to control sleep apena, and conversely the FAA may grant you a medical BECAUSE you're using that same CPAP and have your sleep apena under control.

These are separate issues that MAY intersect, or they may not. When in doubt, contact ALPA Aeromedical or your preferred vet advocacy group for accurate legal and medical advice.

EDIT: I'm also going to add, that if you go to the FAA's document on Guidance to FAA Medical Examiners, regarding question 18r, on page 33 of the document from 2006, it states: "The fact that the applicant is receiving disability benefits does not necessarily mean that the application should be denied."
 
Crop Duster said:
If I had $100 for every guy I know who is collecting 100% disability payments while miraculously retaining the ability to deer hunt, or fish, or own a company, or operate heavy equipment, etc, etc,
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I think 90% of the people I know who went to the desert automatically claimed “anxiety” for 10-20% even though they never left the wire and the most danger they ever were in was tripping on the curb on the way to the Burger King on base.
 
jtrain609 said:
There seems to be a broad misunderstanding for how the rating system works for disability, especially amongst military members. I posted about this before, and will copy the response into this thread:

So, a few things.

First, this is not legal advice.

Second, for those of you playing along at home who are rated by the VA for a disability; that rating does not necessarily disqualify you for an FAA medical.

Third, as an example, if you have sleep apena and need to use a CPAP, the VA may rate you as high as 50%, but that has no bearing on whether you're meeting FAA guidelines on sleep apena (I'm pulling that off a blog post and not out of any VA documentation, but I imagine as a SWAG it's pretty close).

The VA will rate you BECAUSE you're using a CPAP to control sleep apena, and conversely the FAA may grant you a medical BECAUSE you're using that same CPAP and have your sleep apena under control.

These are separate issues that MAY intersect, or they may not. When in doubt, contact ALPA Aeromedical or your preferred vet advocacy group for accurate legal and medical advice.

EDIT: I'm also going to add, that if you go to the FAA's document on Guidance to FAA Medical Examiners, regarding question 18r, on page 33 of the document from 2006, it states: "The fact that the applicant is receiving disability benefits does not necessarily mean that the application should be denied."
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Agreed on some mil members not fully understanding. And the above you cite is very good information.

People get worried that a VA rating somehow means they won't get a medical or will be automatically disqualified for one, which isn't true. It may require some explanation, but failing to disclose will be guaranteed trouble.
 
NovemberEcho said:
I think 90% of the people I know who went to the desert automatically claimed “anxiety” for 10-20% even though they never left the wire and the most danger they ever were in was tripping on the curb on the way to the Burger King on base.
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My fave is my neighbor. Good guy. I like him and drink beers with him. But ... VFW hero. 100% disability. No property taxes in our small incorporation. He's 100% functional yet his disability is diabetes. Officially "contracted" in his brave 70's era service sitting in a Wx shack in northern MN recording temp and humidity measurements.
 
Crop Duster said:
My fave is my neighbor. Good guy. I like him and drink beers with him. But ... VFW hero. 100% disability. No property taxes in our small incorporation. He's 100% functional yet his disability is diabetes. Officially "contracted" in his brave 70's era service sitting in a Wx shack in northern MN recording temp and humidity measurements.
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Had to eat a lot of fatty foods to stay warm in those MN winters.
 
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