I just got deferred for childhood adhd. Help!

Student Experiences
1

I’m currently on a time crunch, as I received a scholarship where funds have to be used by Jun 1st. Today, when completing my third-class exam I got deferred. I was told that it’s going taking 8-10 weeks to barely see a response from the FAA requesting want they want to see from me. I was also suggested to get a case manager on the side for a hefty price. Is that even necessary? I’m wondering how long this will play out for something so simple.
I haven’t taken ADHD medicine since 6 years ago

2

Adam,

The FAA is not known for being expeditious. If it’s really time critical and means you losing a scholarship (which I would assume is worth more than the cost of the case mgr) you might want to sitting for it.

More important I’d think about going for a First Class. You don’t want to have to go through this again when you need your First Class which you will.

Adam

3

Adam,

Unfortunately there’s not much you can do to speed up the process. Medical deferrals can take anywhere from 2-6 months to complete. The FAA will mail you a letter with a list of instructions. There’s not much you can do until that letter comes.

It doesn’t matter that you haven’t taken your meds for 6 years. The FAA doesn’t take medical history lightly. If it’s on your record even once, the FAA wants to know about it. If your medical history falls into the “need more info” category, your medical application gets deferred until the FAA receives and reviews the information they’ve requested.

I don’t know if a case manager is worth the cost. This should just be a simple fix. Once you receive the letter with instructions from the FAA, you’ll know exactly what you’ll need to do.

Tory

4

Adam,

There really is not much that you can do other than sit and wait. I personally would not spend money on a case manager. I do agree with the others in that if your goal is to be an airline pilot, you should be applying for a first class medical.

I understand it has been six years, but you were diagnosed with a condition and then treated for it. This is one of the many problems with people being so quick to treat themselves and their kids for ADHD, the FAA and many other agencies take a dim view of it.

Chris