The FAA has accepted a petition from Pilots for HIMS Reform for review that seeks changes to the agency’s Human Intervention Motivation Study (HIMS) program and other areas of aeromedical certification. The agency assigned the Aug. 20 petition Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2026-10399.
The proposal covers HIMS monitoring, special issuance certification, substance-related and psychiatric reviews, independent medical evaluations and deadlines for FAA decisions.
Changes Sought
HIMS originated in the 1970s as a program intended to allow pilots diagnosed with substance dependence to receive treatment and potentially return to flying under monitoring. The FAA says HIMS-trained aviation medical examiners evaluate pilots for substance- or alcohol-related conditions and other mental conditions and can provide sponsorship and monitoring when required for certification. In a 2024 Safety Briefing, the agency said thousands of pilots had been treated, monitored and returned to flying through the program and cited an 85% success rate.
The group is asking the FAA to establish defined monitoring periods, objective criteria for stepping down from monitoring and an identifiable route to unrestricted medical certification. Other proposals include independent review of disputed aeromedical decisions, processing deadlines, updated substance-use-disorder standards and self-sponsored access for GA pilots who do not participate through an airline or union.
“It would not create an entitlement to fly while medically unqualified,” Pilots for HIMS Reform wrote in its petition. “It would require, however, that materially burdensome restrictions be tied to a disclosed safety rationale, supported by current individualized evidence, no more restrictive than reasonably necessary, subject to meaningful review, and terminated when the regulatory justification ends.”
FAA Review Begins
“After an initial review, the FAA has determined that your petition contains sufficient information to be accepted by the FAA for review,” the agency said in an Aug. 24 acknowledgment letter.
Acceptance allows the FAA to consider the proposal and does not indicate that the agency has agreed to begin rulemaking. The FAA said it may also request additional information during its review.
The proposal arrives as the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General conducts a separate audit of FAA oversight of HIMS. That review began in March and is examining the agency’s administration of the program.
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