Report: FAA investigating pilots over suspected falsified health records

Aug 29, 2023

Karah Rucker Anchor

By Karah Rucker (Anchor), Ben Burke (Producer/Editor)

According to an exclusive Washington Post report, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating nearly 5,000 pilots who are suspected of falsifying their mental health records to hide that they were receiving benefits for conditions that could bar them for flying. The roughly 4,800 pilots under investigation are all military veterans.

The pilots were suspected of failing to report disability benefits they were receiving from Veterans Affairs (VA) as required by law. According to an FAA spokesperson, the administration has closed about half the cases it was investigating. The FAA has ordered about 60 pilots to stop flying on an emergency basis while their records are reviewed.

While pilots must pass regular health exam, the FAA relies on pilots to self-report conditions that can otherwise be difficult to detect, like depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. According to physicians who spoke to the Post, some veteran pilots minimize their ailments to the FAA so they can keep flying but exaggerate them to VA to maximize their disability payments.

“There are people out there who I think are trying to play both sides of the game,” aviation medical examiner Jerome Limoge said. “They’re being encouraged by VA to claim everything. Some of it is almost stolen valor.”

The FAA investigation has already faced heavy scrutiny for several reasons. The FAA used VA records for its investigation, leading to concerns about how that information was accessed and used.

Critics also accused the FAA of targeting veterans with its investigation, saying non-veteran pilots also falsify health records. One aviation law attorney told the Post it’s an open secret that “probably greater than 85% of pilots are lying on their medial forms.”

According to the Post, investigators discovered inconsistencies between VA and FAA databases more than two years ago. Despite this, the FAA has kept the investigation mainly a secret from the public until now.

Tags: FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Pilots, Veterans, Veterans Affairs

ACCORDING TO AN EXCLUSIVE WASHINGTON POST REPORT FROM OVER THE WEEKEND — THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION IS INVESTIGATING NEARLY 5-THOUSAND PILOTS.

THE PILOTS ARE SUSPECTED OF FALSIFYING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH RECORDS TO HIDE THAT THEY WERE RECEIVING BENEFITS FOR CONDITIONS THAT COULD BAR THEM FOR FLYING.

THE ROUGHLY 48-HUNDRED PILOTS UNDER INVESTIGATION ARE ALL MILITARY VETERANS.

THEY ARE SUSPECTED OF FAILING TO REPORT DISABILITY BENEFITS THEY WERE RECEIVING FROM VETERANS AFFAIRS — AS REQUIRED BY LAW.

ACCORDING TO A SPOKESPERSON — THE F-A-A HAS CLOSED ABOUT HALF THE CASES IT WAS INVESTIGATING.

THE ADMINISTRATION HAS ORDERED ABOUT 60 PILOTS TO STOP FLYING ON AN EMERGENCY BASES WHILE THEIR RECORDS ARE REVIEWED.

WHILE PILOTS MUST PASS REGULAR HEALTH EXAMS — THE F-A-A RELIES ON PILOTS TO SELF-REPORT CONDITIONS THAT CAN OTHERWISE BE DIFFICULT TO DETECT — LIKE DEPRESSION OR P-T-S-D.

ACCORDING TO PHYSICIANS WHO SPOKE TO THE POST — SOME VETERAN PILOTS MINIMIZE THEIR AILMENTS TO THE F-A-A SO THEY CAN KEEP FLYING — BUT EXAGGERATE THEM TO THE V-A TO MAXIMIZE THEIR DISABILITY PAYMENTS.

ONE AVIATION MEDICAL EXAMINER SAID QUOTE “THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO I THINK ARE TRYING TO PLAY BOTH SIDES OF THE GAME…. THEY’RE BEING ENCOURAGED BY VA TO CLAIM EVERYTHING. SOME OF IT IS ALMOST STOLEN VALOR.”

THE F-A-A INVESTIGATION HAS ALREADY FACED HEAVY SCRUTINY FOR SEVERAL REASONS.

FIRST — THE F-A-A USED V-A RECORDS FOR ITS INVESTIGATION — LEADING TO CONCERNS ABOUT HOW THAT INFORMATION WAS ACCESSED AND USED.

CRITICS ARE ALSO ACCUSING THE F-A-A OF TARGETING VETERANS WITH ITS INVESTIGATION — SAYING NON-VETERAN PILOTS ARE ALSO FALSIFYING HEALTH RECORDS.

ONE COLORADO AVIATION-LAW ATTORNEY TOLD THE POST IT’S AN OPEN SECRET THAT QUOTE “PROBABLY GREATER THAN 85 PERCENT OF PILOTS ARE LYING ON THEIR MEDIAL FORMS.”

FINALLY — THERE’S THE FACT THAT — ACCORDING TO THE POST — INVESTIGATORS DISCOVERED INCONSISTENCIES BETWEEN V-A AND F-A-A DATABASES MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO — BUT THE F-A-A HAS KEPT THE INVESTIGATION MAINLY A SECRET FROM THE PUBLIC UNTIL NOW.