On April 23^rd, the FAA rescinded its proposed policy that would have automatically issued denials for incomplete medical applications. The FAA held listening sessions with various aviation industry organizations, who pushed against the change, saying it created more complications in the medical certification process, imposed an unnecessary burden on pilots, and potentially impacted employment opportunities. Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau halted the roll out of this policy and agreed to work with aviation organizations to roll out a pilot medical campaign that would reduce delays and help applicants prepare for medical exams.

A comprehensive medical checklist was released by the multitude of organizations, providing guidance for medical application submission. This includes what documentation is required by the FAA. You can download the medical checklist here.

In a positive move, two federal air surgeons: Dr. Susan Northup and Dr. Brett Wyrick, announced reforms to the system that will make the process more timely, consistent, and transparent. The ultimate goal is to reduce the delays that applicants have faced in the past.

Read more about this here.