FLYING Magazine
The U.S. Senate on Friday unanimously passed two bipartisan bills that aim to address stigmas around mental health in aviation and clarify what medications pilots can take.
The John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act (MHAA) would reduce barriers to seeking mental health treatment, accelerate the FAA’s medical approval process, increase funding to the Office of Aerospace Medicine, and implement other recommendations from the agency’s Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC).
Pilots and other aviation professionals must disclose to the FAA any physical and psychological conditions as well as medications they are taking, but many do not for fear of career repercussions.
The Aviation Medication Transparency Act (AMTA) would create a comprehensive list of medications safe for pilots, air traffic control (ATC) specialists, and trainees. It would also indicate what period of time individuals holding an FAA medical certificate must have limited or no duties while taking certain medication.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) maintains a list of what medications are appropriate for use as a general aviation pilot. But the FAA lacks such an index.
The Pilot Mental Health Campaign (PMHC), which has advocated for both bills, called the legislation “long-needed reform.” Its executive director, Chris Finlayson, said they are “landmark pieces of legislation that will begin to shift an archaic and regressive system surrounding mental health in aviation.”
“For far too long, pilots have faced a difficult choice between seeking necessary mental health care and maintaining their careers,” said Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which co-chaired the Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances ARC. “When pilots know that reporting treatment won’t sideline them for months on end, they’ll come forward, and the FAA gets the information it needs to make sound medical decisions.”
Kristie Greco Johnson, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), said the legislation “takes a meaningful step toward increasing transparency and erasing the stigma often associated with reaching out for support—ultimately strengthening business aviation’s safety culture.”
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) said in a statement shared with FLYING that controllers who seek mental health care “face significant obstacles.”
“The current system perpetuates a culture of silence and stigma that must be addressed,” NATCA said.
In addition to the PMHC, ALPA, NBAA, and NATCA, the bills are supported by Airlines for America and other pilot and airline associations.
The U.S. House passed its version of the MHAA earlier this year, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved its variant of the AMTA last week.
“We urge both chambers to quickly resolve any differences between the bills and pass identical versions when they return in November,” NATCA said.
Addressing Mental Health in Aviation
ALPA said the MHAA would fix the FAA’s medical certification process, which “can keep pilots who seek mental health treatment grounded for more than a year.” It said delays in FAA medical approval “discourage pilots from seeking help and pose unacceptable safety risks.”
The bill is named after University of North Dakota student John A. Hauser, who took his own life in an airplane crash in 2021 while training to become a commercial pilot.
“He spelled it out very clearly to us in his letters that he wanted to get help but that he would have to give up flying if he got help, and, in his words, he said life is not worth living if he could not fly,” his father, Alan Hauser, said in 2022.
He added that John Hauser wrote a letter urging changes to the FAA’s rules “so that other young pilots don’t have to go through what I went through.”
The ARC’s final report found that about 20 percent of pilots and controllers who report a mental health diagnosis are initially disqualified. That leaves them unable to work until the FAA resolves their case. Less than 1 percent are denied, but the approval process can stretch for months.
The MHAA aims to expedite that process. It would require annual review of the FAA’s Special Issuance Medical Certification process, encourage pilots to seek help early, and expand peer-support programs that train them to confidentially discuss concerns and find resources.
The legislation would also increase funding for aeromedical examiners and mental health training with annual installments of $15 million to the Office of Aerospace Medicine over four years. Another $1.5 million annually would support a public information campaign to reduce stigma and raise awareness of the new policy.
The AMTA would give pilots and medical providers clarity on which medications they can and cannot take. Within one year of enactment, the FAA would need to publish a comprehensive list of medications designated as “can be safely prescribed,” “Do Not Issue,” or “Do Not Fly.” The list would be updated annually.
“There is a culture right now, which is not surprising to me, that you either lie or you seek help,” said NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy during the agency’s 2023 mental health summit. “We can’t have that. That’s not safety.”