I'm gonna get a lot of hate mail for this, but over the weekend, I saw more than one post disparaging our Veterans who have VA ratings and hold FAA medicals.  I would like to clear up some misconceptions.  

There seems to be a misunderstanding that if a veteran receives VA disability compensation "especially for a mental health condition," that means the veteran is “disabled” in the ordinary sense of being unable to work, unable to fly, or unsafe to hold an FAA medical.

That is not how the VA system works, and it is not how the FAA medical certification system works.

Here is the ELI5 Version for those I know who are not going to take the time to read this.  

But I would ask, on this weekend of all weekends, to have some respect and empathy for those who put their lives on the line for their country.  No matter how you may feel politically.  These men and women volunteered for a very dangerous and demanding role and often do not have a choice for the length of their service to disagree with orders.  We don't know where we are going when we volunteer, but once we do, we go where we are told without question and at great personal risk.  So please keep this in mind as you read this.  

VA benefits are not the government saying, “You cannot work.”

VA benefits are the government saying:

That’s it.  An easy waht to think of it is like Workers' Compensation for an on-the-job injury.  

A person can have VA benefits and still be able to work, fly, drive, run a business, play sports, raise kids, and live a normal life.

“Disabled” in everyday language usually sounds like:

But VA disability compensation means something different:

For example:

A veteran could have knee pain from military service. The VA may give them a rating. That does not mean they cannot walk, work, or fly. It means their knee injury is real, connected to service, and causes some measurable impairment.

Same with mental health.

A veteran may have anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, or another service-connected mental health condition. That does not automatically mean they are unsafe, unstable, unable to work, or unable to hold an FAA medical. It means the VA recognized that military service caused or worsened a condition.

The FAA question is different.

The FAA is asking:

The VA is asking:

Those are two different questions.

So the simplest version is:

VA benefits = compensation for service-connected harm.
Being unable to work/fly = a separate medical or occupational question.

A veteran can receive VA benefits and still be perfectly legal, honest, capable, and medically qualified to fly.

I regularly fly with pilots who have missing limbs, PTSD, back pain, and many other issues left over from their time in the service. I've flown with pilots who are color blind, I've helped a paraplegic learn to fly a helicopter, and I've even flown with a guy who had one eye.

We don't throw people away because they have a limitation. These people should be celebrated for overcoming obstacles to chase the sky. Honestly, in a lot of cases, that makes them stronger than most.

Now lets get into the nitty-gritty.  

VA disability compensation is compensation for a service-connected condition. In plain English, it means the veteran has an illness, injury, or condition that was caused by, incurred during, or aggravated by military service. A VA percentage rating is not a declaration that the person is incompetent, unemployable, unsafe, or medically unfit to perform every occupation.

The VA rating system is based on average impairment in earning capacity caused by service-connected conditions. That is very different from an occupational fitness determination for a specific job. A veteran can have a compensable VA rating and still be fully capable of working, flying, passing an FAA medical, holding a security clearance, running a business, or doing any number of demanding jobs.

This is especially important with mental health. A VA mental health rating does not automatically mean someone is unstable, dangerous, dishonest, or medically disqualified. It may reflect symptoms from service-related trauma, anxiety, depression, adjustment issues, or other conditions that vary widely in severity and may be stable, treated, resolved, or well-controlled.

The FAA does not simply say, “VA mental health rating equals no medical.” The FAA evaluates whether the condition, symptoms, history, treatment, medications, and current clinical status present an aeromedical safety concern. Some mental health conditions are disqualifying or require deferral and FAA review. But many mental health histories are not permanently disqualifying, particularly when they are stable, properly documented, and do not involve psychosis, bipolar disorder, severe personality disorder, substance dependence, suicidal behavior, or other high-risk factors.

That distinction matters.

Lets look at some recent examples cited in other posts.  For that lets go to the FAAs own rules.  The FAA publishes the FAA Guide for Airman Medical Examiners.  You can find it here.  Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners | Federal Aviation Administration

It's public administrative law published for all to see.  I'll let you Google an ELI5 about the difference between Administrative law and other law types.  But this is the legal standard for pilots to adhere to for holding an FAA medical of any class.  This is not how the AME decides; this is a checklist for the AME to follow.   The AME can't just decide to do something different.  This is it.  Follow it or there will be repercussions.  If there is any question, the AME must defer to the FAA.  And the FAA regularly reviews medical applications.  

Let's start with Anxiety - There is not one single pilot out there who doesn't get anxiety at one point or another.  I guarantee everyone who goes in front of a DPE has some level of anxiety associated with a checkride.  I've been flying since the late 80s and I still get some anxiety going for checkrides.  

The FAA allows pilots who suffer from Anxiety to hold any class of medical.  Let's see how they do that.  We need to drill down into the guide.  So find the selection for Aerospace medical dispositions.  Under that selection, you need to find Psychiatric Conditions.  Under Psychiatric Conditions, again select aerospace medical disposition (typical government logic for wording) now go down and find the Anxiety, Depression and Related Conditions disposition table.  Here is a link.  Anxiety, Depression, and Related Conditions Disposition Table

Here is what is says (and keep in mind this is the law as it applies to Pilot medicals) Row A on the following Anxiety, Depression, and Related Conditions Disposition Table allows only TWO of the following: Anxiety • Unspecified anxiety • Generalized Anxiety Disorder • Situational anxiety (also called adjustment disorder with anxiety) • Social Anxiety Disorder

So this means the FAA has recognized that Anxiety is an allowable condition with certain limits.  To find those limits we need to go down further in the publication.  

It says Psychotherapy (current or historical) • Medication: A single mental health medication last taken, prescribed, or recommended two (2) or more years ago. o This includes when the treating physician changed medications for better treatment response, provided only ONE medication was taken at a time and last use was two or more years ago.

This means a pilot can be receiving therapy for anxiety and still qualify for an FAA medical.  But wait , there is more.  

Medication: A single mental health medication last taken, prescribed, or recommended two (2) or more years ago. o This includes when the treating physician changed medications for better treatment response, provided only ONE medication was taken at a time and last use was two or more years ago.

This means the pilot could have been on medication, and ironically, they still can be, but that usually requires a deferral.  The FAA also publishes a list of approved medications.  Again, there is a legal framework for this.  

So there it is in black and white.  The FAA allows people with stable anxiety to hold all classes of medical.  

Now lets look at everyone's favorite condition - PTSD.  

Back up one page back to the aerospace medical disposition page and find the PTSD Disposition Table.

You'll again see the FAA allows someone with PTSD to hold any class of FAA medical within certain guidelines.  

A. NO Treatment with SSRI or other psychiatric medications in the past 2 years. AND NO symptoms in the past 2 years
Note: Previous or ongoing psychotherapy is permitted. 

So no meds in the last 2 years but ongoing psychotherapy is allowed for the AME to issue the FAA medical.  Now if the pilot is currently taking something for PTSD the medical gets deferred, and the FAA will review to make a decision to approve or deny.  

But someone with a VA PTSD rating can certainly hold any class of FAA medical, according to the FAA.  

Now lets look at Depression.  For that, we go back to the same guidance for Anxiety.  So, back to the Aerospace Medical Dispositions.  Then the Anxiety, Depression, and Related Conditions Decision Tool for the AME.  

Again as above the FAA allows . Up to TWO listed conditions treated with any combination of: • Psychotherapy (current or historical) • Medication: A single mental health medication last taken, prescribed, or recommended two (2) or more years ago. o This includes when the treating physician changed medications for better treatment response, provided only ONE medication was taken at a time and last use was two or more years ago.

It says Psychotherapy (current or historical) • Medication: A single mental health medication last taken, prescribed, or recommended two (2) or more years ago. o This includes when the treating physician changed medications for better treatment response, provided only ONE medication was taken at a time and last use was two or more years ago.

They use the term "Uncomplicated" to describe these conditions.  That means specific diagnoses of Anxiety, Depression, and some other issues like OCD (what pilot doesn't have this?) or PTSD.  That means the condition is stable. It does not mean cured.  

The idea that if someone has a stable mental health condition, the aviation community just wants to throw them in the trash is just absurd.  This stigma is why so many of us don't want to seek help for very real concerns.  This is what led to the Alaska/Horizon engine shutdown attempt a few years back.  The guy was struggling and felt he had no outlet to deal with it.  If he had known he had a path to seek help without the fear of losing his career, this might never have happened.  I am not in any way supporting his actions I am just saying we are creating the very problem we are trying to avoid.

When you suggest that anyone dealing with a mental health issue should not be flying at all, you are directly responsible for people like our poor Alaska pilot to seek questionable methods to help with depression.  Thats not what we want to do, we want to encourage people who are struggling to get the help they need and in a way that doesn't end their careers.  You are part of the problem if you immediately say someone can't fly if they are struggling with mental illness.  You help to create this level of fear that makes aviation less safe, not more.  So stop it.  

The FAA recognizes pilots are human and gives them a path forward to deal with breakups, job loss, death, diarrhea of the mouth, and repeated checks to make sure the door is locked before you walk away.  

Now there are dirtbags out there who will lie on FAA medical applications.  My former assistant chief pilot was at 100%.  Did not tell the FAA, and they caught him. He will never fly again.  And deserves that. (something something West Point 64 pilots)  The ironic thing is, had he disclosed his conditions, he would have had no issues and would still be flying.  But he hid it and got caught.  He was a nice guy, but I refer to him as Christopher, behind his back, cause he is "Walken" everywhere now.  He has not picked up on the joke yet, every time I call him Chris (not even close to his real name, but again, I refer to West Point and Apaches, which should explain it all)

Pilots should be honest on medical applications. Veterans should report what the FAA requires them to report. AMEs and the FAA should evaluate the actual facts. But it is not accurate or fair to assume that a veteran receiving VA compensation is gaming the system, hiding something, or unfit to fly.

A VA rating is a benefits determination based on service connection and average impairment. An FAA medical is an aviation safety determination based on whether the applicant meets the applicable medical standards. Those are related only to the extent that medical history must be disclosed and evaluated. They are not the same thing.

We should be careful about turning this into a stigma issue. The aviation community already has a problem with pilots being afraid to seek help because they fear career-ending consequences. Broadly disparaging veterans with VA mental health ratings only makes that worse.

Hold people accountable for honesty. Hold everyone to the FAA medical standards. But do not assume that “veteran with VA benefits” means “fraud,” “unsafe,” or “shouldn’t have a medical.” That is legally, medically, and practically wrong and creates the very problem we are trying to avoid.  

To all my fellow brothers and sisters who served, thank you for your service to this great nation.