How I avoided a special issuance deferral
Disclaimer: Informational purposes only. Your situation and outcomes may vary considerably.
There are many details involved in an FAA authorization for special issuance which are well documented.
This is a good place to start: Application Process for Medical Certification
When an authorization is issued, there’s a paragraph that might look something like this:
You must promptly report any adverse changes in your medical condition or new symptoms, or any side effects from medication or changes to your medication, to the Branch Manager at the above address or your FAA Regional Flight Surgeon.
There’s a must in that paragraph, which means it’s mandatory. Also, it could help you avoid a deferral as it did in my case.
I had a change in my condition, and since it was my first time experiencing this, I reached out to my AME and asked if this would result in an automatic deferral. The answer was a quick “yes”. At the same time, I put together an email to the Regional Flight Surgeon describing the change.
The response from the AME was discouraging to say the least. A deferral at the time of this writing could mean 8-10 months of waiting. I had just experienced this in 2024 when I upgraded my medical to 2nd class.
Hot tip sidebar: If you have an authorization for special issuance and want to upgrade your medical, your AME must defer. If you qualify for Basic Med, you likely can obtain and carry that while you wait.
Here’s what happened next: I received a response from the Regional Flight Surgeon asking for records related to the change in my medical condition. They indicated that if I could supply those in quick order, they would try to turn a decision around before my medical expired. A glimmer of hope flared in my heart! Could I avoid a deferral?
I sent along the requested material no less than 30 minutes after I received their email. I received a digital copy of the letter less than two weeks later with this:
Your follow-up reports regarding your history of (redacted) have been favorably reviewed. Based upon this review, we have established you are eligible for continued Authorization for Special Issuance of a Second-Class Airman Medical Certificate under Title 14 of the CFRs, Section 67.401.
I sent the letter along to my AME prior to my medical exam and he confirmed that he would be able to issue because of this letter.
The only thing I would do differently would be to send along any pertinent medical records in the first email to the Regional Flight Surgeon. They are obviously working through a queue and any response will likely put you back in the line.
The timing of all this just barely worked out for me. Your experience may vary based on a whole host of conditions, but if this helps even one person avoid a deferral, I’m happy.
