An Air Force policy change will allow pilots to receive 60 days of mental health treatment without being removed from flying status, a notable policy update as the service works to de-stigmatize airmen seeking care.
Prior to the policy update, which was announced in a May 1 press release, if an Airman began seeking treatment for mental health-related illness or problems, then they would need a waiver of return to service to fly, a requirement he often maintained. pilots buried for extended periods.
The updated Air Force Medical Standards Directory and Aerospace Medicine Exemption Guide now allows Airmen to “receive 60 days of treatment for mental health issues” before such an exemption is required to return to the skies, the said the service in a press release last week. .
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“This change benefits Air Force Airmen seeking treatment for stress, post-traumatic stress and other mental health-related illnesses,” the service said in the statement.
Maj. Jane Marlow, a C-130J Super Hercules pilot and one of the leaders of the task force evaluating the policy, said Airmen seeking medical attention under the old policy would sometimes be grounded for months after seeking treatment.
“Like many of my colleagues, I delayed seeking care until I was on a task I didn’t want because I knew that as a pilot, the moment I picked up the phone to schedule that appointment, I would be grounded for an indefinite period,” Marlow said in the press release. “I knew I was definitely a safer pilot, a better leader and a stronger wingman because of the care I received, but I still had to spend months without flying because of my diagnosis.”
Such long delays in resuming flight status in the past have hurt careers, making it difficult to train and qualify for different opportunities, the service said. Under the policy change, there is no mandatory waiting period and flight surgeons can submit a waiver without waiting for a pilot to return to flight.
A comprehensive study by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences released last month analyzed Air Force suicides in 2020 and found that dozens of factors contributed to the 117 suicides across the department that year, including “the ‘mental health stigma’ and ‘mental problems’. access to health care” among them, the results showed.
According to the Pentagon’s 2022 suicide report, the latest military-level data available, active duty member deaths rose slightly from the previous year to 331, up from 328 in 2021, Military reported. how.
Gen. Mike Minihan, the four-star commander of the Air Mobility Command, has openly advocated for changes to Air Force mental health policies, highlighting his own mental health struggles in the process. This latest policy review was spearheaded by his command’s “Warrior Mental Health” task force, according to the news release.
“If you want to look at a pilot with PTSD, you’re looking at one right now,” Minihan said during a briefing at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., last month. “This policy affects me, and if it affects me, it affects someone in your unit. They have it, they haven’t asked for help and [are] suffering in silence.”
Veterans and service members experiencing a mental health emergency can call the Veterans Crisis Line, 988 and press 1. Help is also available by text, 838255, and by chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net.
Related: Overall military suicide rate down, but active-duty deaths up slightly, Pentagon reports
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