Originally Posted by
742Dash
To jump into the middle of this --
I think everyone on this thread is missing the point. It is not about the VA and FAA, it is about a national drive to have all of your medical history accessible. The goal is honorable, from helping the person who shows up unconscious in the ER to protecting from drug interactions. And since it will also save a lot of organizations a lot of money this is coming sooner rather than later. It is a major, major push in the medical field.
Before I retire I fully expect the FAA to be accessing my medical history just like they access the National Drivers Register. And I am about to turn 59. The technology is almost here, and all it will then take is one sensational incident.
Your medical history and your FAA MedXpress inputs had better line up. And by "line up" I don't mean by pilot pretzel logic, but line up in the eyes of an FAA lawyer.
This is the issue. The only barrier is your permission, and the FAA setting up the software. Eventually you will grant permission when you sign the 8500. I suspect the FAA will ultimately setup automated software screening of your digital records. Who knows how far back they will go? Maybe they'll be nice and give fair warning, and only search after that point. Or maybe they'll just let their software go fishing.