FAA
EVALUATIONS
What is an FAA mandated Neuropsychological Evaluation?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that some individuals complete neuropsychological testing to initially obtain, or in some instances to renew/maintain, their medical certification. This process begins when you are seen by an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) who completes a physical and reviews your history to ensure you have no disqualifying conditions that would prevent you from being granted medical certification, which is required for most types of pilot’s licences. In some instances, an airman is found to have a disqualifying condition (e.g. ADHD) and cannot be granted medical certification without additional steps being taken. In other instances, an airman who has been flying for many years may have a disqualifying medical or psychological event happen (e.g. stroke, TBI, substance abuse or dependence) and they must then complete additional steps to maintain or reacquire their previous medical certification. In many of these instances, airman are referred for neuropsychological testing to assist in determining their eligibility.
The purpose of the Neuropsychological Evaluation is to assess various aspects of cognition and social/emotional functioning to ensure that no issues are identified which might pose a risk to the safety of the airman, their passengers, or the general public. As you can imagine, this is no easy task when you consider the number of individuals who hold active airman certificates. In 2017 the FAA estimated this to be 609,306 individuals (see: Civil Airman Statistics). To maintain consistency across so many individuals, the FAA has developed regulations for what neuropsychological testing must be completed. This information is typically relayed to the airman by their AME at the time of their exam or is conveyed to the airman via letter with a required test list included.
Assuming you’ve been notified that you will be required to complete neuropsychological testing, the obvious question is how should you select a neuropsychologist to assist you in the process? The FAA has specific requirements that a neuropsychologist must satisfy before they are considered eligible to provide such an exam, so it’s important to select an individual who satisfies those requirements. If you do not, you risk having the testing rejected, resulting in the added time and expense of a second evaluation. The FAA requires that the neuropsychologist be: 1) A licensed psychologist 2) Board certified or board eligible in neuropsychology 3) Trained in the Cogscreen-AE (a computerized test used in many evaluations). Some evaluations also require that the neuropsychologist be HIMS (Human Intervention Motivation Study) trained. If the provider you are considering meets the above requirements, the next important consideration is their experience level. The FAA follows the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) in determining an airman’s eligibility, so simply being a competent neuropsychologist is not enough. You must know what the FAA considers to be of aeromedical significance to perform an appropriate evaluation. This knowledge only comes through training and experience in these unique evaluations. You may be tempted to “bargain hunt” for the cheapest provider, but you are better served by talking with your AME or other providers to see who they recommend. A poor evaluation will cost you more in the long run than the few hundred dollars you are likely to save otherwise.
At Fort Wayne Neuropsychology, we take pride in both the quality and timeliness of our FAA evaluations. Dr. Jacob Lutz meets the FAA requirements for neuropsychologists and has completed both the basic and advanced HIMS training. He was the first neuropsychologist in our state to provide the CogScreen-AE testing and has developed a good relationship with numerous AMEs in this region and beyond. He has worked with everyone from captains of large commercial airlines to youth just getting started in aviation and thus has the experience you need in this important process. Appreciating the importance of these evaluations and the timelines involved, Dr. Lutz sets aside time in his general neuropsychology practice to complete these FAA evaluations as quickly as possible. You can see Dr. Lutz’s bio and curriculum vitae here: Dr. Lutz. Please follow the links below to learn more about completing a FAA Neuropsychological Evaluation at Fort Wayne Neuropsychology. To find out more or to schedule, please call us at: 260-460-3203.
Required Items
To start the process, it is helpful to provide Dr. Lutz with a copy of the neuropsychological test list you received from the FAA or your AME. This will allow him to provide you with the most accurate information regarding the evaluation. Although testing is generally based on the diagnosis in question, exceptions do occur so it is always helpful to have this information to review. When you initially contact our office, our staff will collect some basic information from you. You’ll be asked to provide your name, date of birth, and an email address as well. This is not required and does not obligate you to work with us, but it does allow us to create a record so that we can begin to compile all of your documents and information in one location to ensure accuracy and quick turnaround. Before proceeding further, Dr. Lutz will return your call to gather more information and answer any questions you may have.
If after speaking with Dr. Lutz you elect to proceed with the evaluation, you will be required to have your FAA records sent directly from the FAA to our office. This is a requirement of the FAA and is not unique to our practice. The FAA stipulates that the neuropsychologist must comment in their report what records were received and reviewed as part of the evaluation. The turn around for the FAA can be slow (currently about 6-8 weeks) so it’s important to plan ahead. You may have received a form from the FAA with information on how to request your records. If you did not, instructions can be found here: Record Release. Since we have no control over how quickly your records will be received and because Dr. Lutz needs time to review these documents prior to your appointment, it is generally preferred that your records be received prior to scheduling an appointment.
In addition to the items described above, some evaluations require supplemental documents such as a driver’s history, academic records, letters of recommendation, etc. We will work with you to identify what materials are needed as quickly as possible to avoid delays, though it is not always possible to know all items that will be needed at the start of the process.
How should I prepare for testing?
Understanding the importance of testing, many airman wish to know if there is any preparation they can do to improve their performance. The nature of the testing is such that the study of traditional school material would be of little value. Testing is, by design, intended to present novel tasks so there are no recommended study materials. The only caveat to this is that several of the tasks are computer administered. Thus if you find computers to be intimidating you may benefit from completing online computer tasks such as those offered by Luminosity and other computer programs. I suggest this not necessarily to improve your abilities, but more so to become more comfortable with computerized testing in general.
Perhaps the most important way to prepare for testing is to get a good night’s rest prior to your appointment. To that end, I encourage those travelling from out of town to spend the night in an area hotel. You don’t want fatigue or last minute travel difficulties to negatively impact your performance. There are many good hotels in the Fort Wayne area, but if you would like specific recommendations, you can look here: Hotels to find more information about a couple of options near our office.
What should I expect during and after testing?
The length of testing varies depending upon the reason for referral and this will be discussed during your consultation with Dr. Lutz. Generally speaking, an appointment consists of a clinical interview with Dr. Lutz to review your history, followed by neuropsychological testing. Testing may be as brief as one hour, or may last most of the day. For longer test batteries, a break is taken for lunch and as needed throughout the day. Our goal is for you to perform at your best.
Testing consists of various cognitive tasks intended to assess many different areas including attention, processing speed, memory, problem solving, mood and personality. These areas have been selected because they are important indicators of neurocognitive functioning and are relevant to performance in the cockpit. Testing is administered through interactive tasks with the examiner, via computerized measures, and self/other report questionnaires. Your scores on these measures are calculated by comparing your performance to others who are similar to yourself in terms of age and at times, level of education. For many of the measures that are used, your performance is also compared to normative data for other pilots who have completed these same tasks. The goal in relying on this standardized data is to be as consistent and objective as possible in reviewing performance.
After testing is completed all items are scored and reviewed in detail. In considering your performance, Dr. Lutz looks for patterns of strengths and weaknesses to determine if an aeromedically significant concern exists. Thus a problem on one task may not necessarily mean your performance is not acceptable by FAA standards. It is normal that we all have varying strengths and weaknesses to some extent.
Finally, these findings are submitted in a report to your AME with required test printouts and supplemental information. You may also request to receive a copy of the report and recommendations although some materials contain sensitive information (e.g. specific test questions) that may only be released to your AME, the FAA, or another psychologist. If there are concerns with your performance, Dr. Lutz or your AME may consult with you regarding appropriate options such as completing additional testing, participating in cognitive rehabilitation, etc.
How much does it cost?
An important distinction between these evaluations and a general appointment with a neuropsychologist is that these appointments are not covered by insurance. The reason for this is that you are not seeking this evaluation to obtain a medical diagnosis or to receive treatment recommendations as a patient would. Rather, you are seeking this evaluation to satisfy FAA requirements for the purpose of obtaining medical certification. Your assertion is, in fact, that you are not impaired and are a capable of piloting an aircraft. For these reasons, we do not bill insurance and you must pay for the evaluation prior to, or at the time of, the appointment. This is standard practice for these types of evaluations and not unique to our office.
As the type of neuropsychological testing that is required varies significantly, so too does the cost. The approximate cost ranges between $1,000 to $3,500 depending on the amount of testing required and the complexity of the case. This range is intended only as a guideline, however. More specific information regarding cost will be given after the initial discussion once it is determined what services are needed. It is not, however, our goal to cause your more expense or work than is necessary. When appropriate, I will coordinate with your AME and at times consultants within the FAA to ensure we are completing what testing is required without creating any additional or unnecessary obstacles.