Originally Posted by
scubadiver
I'd be interested to know how many people receive VA benefits and have 1st class medicals. Seems like it's a bay area witch hunt for those nasty Trump loving veterans in what I would assume as the predominantly liberal northern California.
I would guess that MOST people with any class medical have omitted some sort of information on the path toward getting a medical, intentional or not. It all comes down to self preservation. I am not suggesting that someone lie about something that will affect safety, not at all, but I think most people have omitted SOMETHING. Any omission is technically the exact same as the four bay area guys that are being charged.
I have never heard of the FAA coming looking for minor omissions. I have heard of folks getting in trouble if inconsistencies come to light due to circumstances, but I think that depends on the seriousness. If you forgot to report your annual dental exam one year, I really doubt that would ever be an issue. It's probably a good idea to get any omissions resolved. You have to make your own decision as to how serious an omission might be, and what are the odds that it will ever come to light. There's some small risk of getting in trouble if you try to correct the record after the fact, but it's small I think. I'd go through a lawyer with experience in this area.
The only prosecutions I've heard of involved obviously disqualifying medical conditions, some of which came to light due to in-flight incapacitation.
The only times I'm aware of where the FAA conducted witch hunts, ie went looking for inconsistencies, it involved , again, serious disqualifying conditions. So far I'm aware of the VA thing, plus one a few years ago involving social security disability.
The DOJ will not attempt to prosecute anything which the jury will not see as an obvious big problem (even if the FAA wanted to). They have more important things to do. But the FAA can revoke your certs unilaterally, and there's little due process on that.