Senate Passes Mental Health Bills

The Senate has passed two bills (by unanimous consent) that may help pilots with mental health issues get the help they need without unduly affecting their flying careers. The bills, the John A. Hauser Mental Health in Aviation Act and the Aviation Medication Transparency Act, aim to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and provide an environment where pilots and controllers don’t feel threatened in seeking the help they need. It’s also aimed at cutting the backlog of medical approvals for those who have already sought help. “Our nation faces a severe shortage of qualified pilots and air traffic controllers, while bureaucratic delays and outdated processes at the FAA keep these professionals from working for prolonged periods when they seek mental health care,” said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., after the Senate cleared the two bills.

The other bill was sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth and will compel the FAA to keep an updated list of medications that can be prescribed for pilots. “Our aviation system depends on the well-being of our pilots and air traffic controllers, who operate under an immense amount of stress,” Duckworth said in a statement. “Their careers should never be threatened because they weren’t properly informed about which medications they’re allowed to take, or simply sought the mental health care they need.”  

The House passed a similar bill last year and now the Senate bills have been sent to the House for review. Assuming there are no major disagreements from the House, the bills will go to the President to be signed into law. The Air Line Pilots Association says the current system of assessing mental health issues at the FAA makes it difficult for pilots to get the treatment they need. It said about 20% of pilots and controllers who tell the FAA about their mental health diagnoses are disqualified and 99.9% ultimately get their certificate back. That process can take up to a year and in the meantime the pilots and controllers can’t work. “For far too long, pilots have faced a difficult choice between seeking necessary mental health care and maintaining their careers,” said ALPA President Jason Ambrosi. “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.”