Thank you to everyone for the info. I'm a Flight Officer (back seater) so I fly but don't fly the airplane. I do have a job flight instructing though and need that job to pay some bills and build my time to the Regionals.

I think I'm going to delay on filing it now so I can continue to flight instruct and do some more research. They told me I have "mild" apnea and did not require a CPAP or surgery.

Thanks again for all the input!

You've missed the point I (and several others) have tried to make above. Your VA filing (or not) has nothing to do with this; if you have a diagnosed condition that you do not disclose to the FAA (via your AME), Very Bad Things can & will happen to you. If you are serious about pursuing a career in aviation, you do NOT want that to happen.

x2.

Unresolved sleep apnea is a NO GO for the FAA.

Might as well claim it with the VA since you MUST report it to the FAA. The FAA has computerized access to some government medical records and will presumably eventually access military/ex-military records. I personally think they have steered clear of that so far to avoid a public perception that they are picking on veterans during war time. But that may not (probably won't) last forever...there are many vets in airliner cockpits and that's just too tempting an opportunity for FAA enforcers to pass up for long.

If you have an FAA medical, and have not reported the sleep apnea then you need to talk to a lawyer or aviation medical consultant to figure out how to fix that problem without hanging yourself out to dry. This is not optional, otherwise it will probably bite you in the arse in a big way.

I know the Army can and does pull from VA records. I had a flight candidate whose physical was rejected because they knew she visited the VA a couple of times post deployment for mental health counseling.
Did this girl have PTSD? No. Did she tell the Army about the VA visits? No. Are your health records at the VA supposed to be protected by HIPPA? Yes. Was the Army allowed to look at her VA medical records? YES.

I researched this issue with the VA folks. They claim no one can see you records but then they told me about people being rejected on firearm applications because they had visited a mental health professional in the previous 2 years. Guess where the ATF got that information? Yep, VA medical records.

I don't think HIPAA prevents federal government agencies from sharing info with each other...it's all one big happy government.

Sounds similar to all those pilots living in Cali who didn't report to the FAA they were on disability and receiving benefits as they held current pilot medicals.

Nobody can share anything without consent from the airman who's records are requested.
I have OSA and have an SI medical. It's a PITA, but as long as one complies with CPAP usage, the FAA will leave you alone. It's just a hassle getting that initial waiver.

A good podcast from Dr. Brent Blue regarding the latest effort by CAMI/FAA to address Sleep Apena.

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...t=email#223460

Interstingly enough - - the last commment he makes about the FAA flight physical being an assessment of your health conditions as related to perfroming flight duties; my AME starts out nearly every medical by reminding me that this is not a true physical and that I need to make sure that I am getting any necessary health assessments and treatment outside of the 6 month FAA physical.

Some AMEs just check boxes and issue medicals while others do thorough exams

New FAA guidelines coming out March 2, 2015 for OSA. Talk with your AME. This problem is NTSB driven.