VA Disability
 

I am within a year of retirement with a PCL tear and a rotator cuff tear. Both will likely give me a VA disability. I am still flying with both these issues in the AF. Will either of these problems prevent me from getting a Class I medical for a Major Airline?

Probably not.

Before you make a VA claim though, search here. There's lots of good threads on the subject. I hold a different view than the majority on the VA claims - I didn't make a claim last year and I think folks getting out now need to think about it. Just be sure your retirement physical lists everything you want listed.

Here's a couple:

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/mi...-physical.html

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/pi...-payments.html

in the faa eyes and unofficially IMHO the faa isn't as concerned about VA disability as it is handed out like candy. Work and SSI are another issue. Basically in all you are claiming compensation for a physical or mental ailment. In a hiring environment this may not be an issue with large carriers ... but i certainly do not speak for them.

FAA (and the airlines that bother to ask you about your medical status) aren't too concerned with a VA disability per se, they are more interested in the specific details of the issue(s) in question.

TBI, PTSD, and any mental issues will be subject to much higher scrutiny than something like a rotator cuff. I suspect TBI would be no-go in many or most cases.

If you have multiple issues for the VA, maybe be selective about what you claim disability for? I wouldn't hide anything in your military record from the FAA (they have cross-checked other federal records in the recent past) but claiming something with the VA tends emphasize that particular issue.

TBI? what's that? lol the doctor should know huh!

TBI = Traumatic Brain Injury.

Thanks all. Getting as much info as possible as I move to retirement.

Keep your VA stuff separate from the company/FAA. It's no one business but yours.

Not true. Whether it's the company's business is between you and the company...they'll fire you if they find out you lied, but their access to your history is limited at best.

But any medical history is most definitely the FAA's business, and if it's worth claiming disability for, they will not see the humor if you don't report it to them. They have recently cross-referenced FAA medical apps with (non-military) government disability claims and sent people to jail for lying. I suspect they haven't gone after VA records because of the wars...they would be publicly vilified for picking on the troops. But the wars will wind down and there's no legal or administrative reason that I know of that prevents the FAA from accessing DoD and/or VA records. It's all computerized now...I wouldn't want a ticking data bomb hanging over my head in cyberspace.

This is from the AME guide, guidance on the FAA Form 8500-8:

18. y. Medical Disability Benefits. The applicant must report any disability benefits received, regardless of source or amount. If the applicant checks “yes” on this item, the FAA may verify with other Federal Agencies (ie. Social Security Administration, Veteran’s Affairs) whether the applicant is receiving a disability benefit that may present a conflict in issuing an FAA medical certificate. The Examiner must document the specifics and nature of the disability in findings in Item 60.