The U.S. Office of Special Counsel said Thursday it has notified the president and Congress of a whistleblower disclosure involving delays in FAA medical certificate reviews. It said the agency took corrective action but that OSC did not agree with the FAA’s conclusion that the allegations were unsubstantiated.
Post-Issuance Reviews
According to OSC’s May 21 letter, the whistleblower, an FAA medical officer, alleged that understaffing in the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine delayed the agency’s review of medical certificates that had already been issued by aviation medical examiners. In 2023, AMEs issued 445,613 medical certificates to airline transport pilots, commercial pilots and private pilots, while FAA medical officers were only required to review fewer than 600 of those issued certificates, according to OSC.
According to OSC, 479 of those issued certificates were sent to the FAA Office of Chief Counsel for possible revocation after AAM did not resolve the flagged cases within the FAA’s 60-day post-issuance review window. OSC said the whistleblower alleged that the delays also left about 1,200 airmen holding medical certificates who may not have been qualified to fly.
“In light of these facts, OSC does not find the agency’s conclusions regarding the lack of safety risks appear reasonable, but we appreciate that the agency prioritized corrective actions to greatly increase staffing and efficiency in AAM to nonetheless resolve these concerns,” Chief Counsel Charles N. Baldis wrote in the letter to the president.
Staffing Changes
The disclosure also covered medical certificate processing for air traffic controller applicants. According to OSC, the FAA said it prioritized hiring more than 1,500 controllers in both 2023 and 2024, which increased the number of medical applications while AAM staffing remained unchanged. The agency reported an average processing time of 133 calendar days for controller medical certificates in 2023, though controller candidates may not begin training or work at a facility without a medical certificate.
Following the investigation, the FAA increased its number of medical officers from 52 to 78, adding 26 since fall 2024, according to OSC. The agency also made information on medical requirements and supporting documentation more accessible and contracted out some case management work, including evaluation scheduling and document collection.
OSC said the whistleblower expressed appreciation for the changes and recommended that DOT recognize the whistleblower’s contribution, including consideration of a monetary award.
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