FAA Medical Denied - Failure to provide information requested

ttexrbomb

Pre-Flight
Joined
Jan 24, 2018
Messages
58
Display Name

Display name:
Ryan
Since July, I’ve been going back and forth with the FAA medical team at a regional office. They’d ask for information and I provided it to them within the time period required.

My latest first class medical was issued on 1/31/2020, so it was considered issued after 60 days from the exam date.

Fast forward to my latest letter. Letter dated 8/29/2020, stating they needed more information from me. I gathered over 200 pages of medical records related to a surgery I had in 2018 that was disclosed, but not disqualifying. I had AOPA review the records, and then sent via overnight to the regional office on 10/21/2020. They received it and signed for it on 10/22/2020. So, the information was received 54 days after the date of the letter, which was within the 60 days required.

On 10/30/2020, I did a check on the website and found my medical information was missing. Puzzled, I called the regional office and was told I was denied for “failure to provide requested information”. After further research, the admin at the FAA who I spoke with said they did indeed receive the information on the 22nd, but due to the large amount of pages sent it to OKC for scanning. Now due to the storms in OKC, they are running 30 days behind.

I was hoping for some accountability and help from the regional office. Clearly this was a clerical issue and they even admit receiving the documents in time. But the admin said I won’t get my medical back until my documents are read and approved by the flight surgeon. According to her, if the surgeon reviews the records and wants even more information, the medical won’t be reinstated until that process is complete.

My concern is I submitted the information timely. The FAA knows this. They even admit they got the documents in time. They said it was an automatic system generated letter, but still refuse to help.

AOPA told me apparently this is happening to a few of their members as well, so I’m not the only one.

Any thoughts? How do I get the FAA to reinstate the medical cert in the interim. Had they “received” the information on time, the medical would still be good while I go through this process. The denial or revocation wouldn’t have occurred.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
First off understand AOPA medical advice is useless. They were a good part of the reason I was grounded for twelve weeks a while back.

Unfortunately, you don't get any recourse on Joklahmoa city being slow to process your stuff. It happens all the time. It may be exacerbated by the current situation, but it's hardly new.

Did they specifically notify you that your medical was denied/revoked? While your medical is no longer usable as a first class, it does decay down to the lower grades.
 
First off understand AOPA medical advice is useless. They were a good part of the reason I was grounded for twelve weeks a while back.

Unfortunately, you don't get any recourse on Joklahmoa city being slow to process your stuff. It happens all the time. It may be exacerbated by the current situation, but it's hardly new.

Did they specifically notify you that your medical was denied/revoked? While your medical is no longer usable as a first class, it does decay down to the lower grades.

I understand in house processing is slow, but if being slow was put on the airman, then wouldn’t most everybody’s medical be denied for this reason? Typically with government organizations, the timeliness is measured when they actually receive the information, not processed it.

Also, haven’t been “served” with the notice yet. A denied medical doesn’t revert to a second or third class. I think you may be thinking of expired, not denied.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
While I don't think it is useless, I agree with Ron that there are huge limitations on what AOPA itself can provide in anything more than the simplest situations.

SGOTI are even more limited. Individualized consultation with a professional who knows the system is the only suggestion I can make whenever the FAA says, "we need more information."
 
Last edited:
To: the OP: You failed to hire someone who knows how this works. You submitted with only days to spare. And worse, to a regional office. Right now it takes a regional office about 2 weeks for the analyst to "get to the file" and determine that yours needed to be evaluated in OKC. Further, that the central data repository is in OKC all the "scanning of documents" is done there.

If you're going to play close to the deadlines, you have to do what I just advised an A/M to do: I faxed the stuff into OKC, then after about a week but just short of the denial date, the A/M has to call 405-954-4821 and advise that the agency is in receipt (fax receipt in had) of the documents and would they look at the fax longs and make a note, that a package has been recieved, is awaiting scanning and to hold action until the package is visible. Then get a name.

It always works.

You introduced two extra weeks by going through the RFS who CANNOT do any scanning themselves. They sent the data to OKC. And too late.

That is why I tell airmen, never (1) play close to the deadlines and (2) Denial- so what. Reapply. and always verify when they can see documents DRICETLY submitted to the correct place. Do NOT ask for reconsideration. To do so is the lowest priority of the agency.

Currently the agency is a full 26 days behind in getting items received, scanned. And short of making a note in your electronic file that there is a package in the FAA's logs, recieved, pending scanning, there is no way for them to know.


I advise some very very successful folks at this and I always say: "do you do your own taxes?" And if they say "yes" I am slow to engage. They still think that everyman can do as well as someone who does this hundreds of times a year. the American bureaucracy is such that it just "isn't so" any longer.
:(
 
I understand in house processing is slow, but if being slow was put on the airman, then wouldn’t most everybody’s medical be denied for this reason? Typically with government organizations, the timeliness is measured when they actually receive the information, not processed it.
As I said, it sucks, but you're not getting relief.
Also, haven’t been “served” with the notice yet. A denied medical doesn’t revert to a second or third class. I think you may be thinking of expired, not denied.
\
I know that. But if you've not been informed you're denied, you have an EXPIRED first class, not a denied one. What shows up in the ILLEGAL public database means squat.
 
Doesn't matter if he gets a letter or not. Electronically it is denied. And if there is a correspondence string (08/29/20) the denial for failure to provide, eventually arrives anyway....
 
Doesn't matter if he gets a letter or not. Electronically it is denied. And if there is a correspondence string (08/29/20) the denial for failure to provide, eventually arrives anyway....

So moving forward, the regional office stated they have confirmed receipt of the documents. Would you say it eventually winds up on an analyst desk and the documents will be considered? Future it is possible to overcome the denial? Keeping in mind the documents I provided should clear me medically.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
To: the OP: You failed to hire someone who knows how this works. You submitted with only days to spare. And worse, to a regional office. Right now it takes a regional office about 2 weeks for the analyst to "get to the file" and determine that yours needed to be evaluated in OKC. Further, that the central data repository is in OKC all the "scanning of documents" is done there.

If you're going to play close to the deadlines, you have to do what I just advised an A/M to do: I faxed the stuff into OKC, then after about a week but just short of the denial date, the A/M has to call 405-954-4821 and advise that the agency is in receipt (fax receipt in had) of the documents and would they look at the fax longs and make a note, that a package has been recieved, is awaiting scanning and to hold action until the package is visible. Then get a name.

It always works.

You introduced two extra weeks by going through the RFS who CANNOT do any scanning themselves. They sent the data to OKC. And too late.

That is why I tell airmen, never (1) play close to the deadlines and (2) Denial- so what. Reapply. and always verify when they can see documents DRICETLY submitted to the correct place. Do NOT ask for reconsideration. To do so is the lowest priority of the agency.

Currently the agency is a full 26 days behind in getting items received, scanned. And short of making a note in your electronic file that there is a package in the FAA's logs, recieved, pending scanning, there is no way for them to know.


I advise some very very successful folks at this and I always say: "do you do your own taxes?" And if they say "yes" I am slow to engage. They still think that everyman can do as well as someone who does this hundreds of times a year. the American bureaucracy is such that it just "isn't so" any longer.
:(
I beg your pardon! I do my own taxes, and quite successfully, too. But then, I got rid of the rental properties many years ago, so taxes are fairly simple these days.

On the other hand, a few years ago I took a commercial flight to see Dr Bruce when I was in a situation that I didn't trust to any local AME.
 
I beg your pardon! I do my own taxes, and quite successfully, too. But then, I got rid of the rental properties many years ago, so taxes are fairly simple these days.

On the other hand, a few years ago I took a commercial flight to see Dr Bruce when I was in a situation that I didn't trust to any local AME.

I got some good news today from the regional office handling my medical issuance. The analyst told me he was able to verify that my documents were indeed received in the time required and that I can go ahead and disregard the failure to provide. The analyst said my medical is still in force and I am free to exercise her privileges under that medical for the time being. The analyst said he will be sending out confirmation as well.

So..some good news. Stay persistent.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
First off understand AOPA medical advice is useless.
Don't even need the words "medical advice" in that statement and it is still true...

You failed to hire someone who knows how this works.
You are right, but it's unfortunate that our laws have become that messy.. "We the People.." has turned into "We the Lawyers"
 
“Due to storms they are behind”. Jeez. Any excuse. Do they work in thatch huts!??
 
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 365 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.
Back
Top