CASA Avmed
 

Has anybody else out there had problems with Avmed re-validating their licence? As I am over 60, I have to do my medical every 6 months, and I get through those easily. Also, many other specialist checks are required, because of age, once again, no problem. This year, they are very slow sending out my new licence and I am then forced to ring up and get a 1 month extension, so that I can keep working as a airline Captain!! Their excuse is that they have a massive back log and the doctors can't cope. Is there any thing that I can do to force them to process my licence??. I am now on my third extension, which means that I will soon be due again for my 6 monthly medical, having not received my previous medical!!

Since when do you have to do a medical every six months when over age 60 ? News to me.

This issue has been known for a while. I've heard of people waiting four months..

'tis what CAsA Says...Class 1 ATPL 12-monthly until age 60, then 6-monthly

Sorry missed the bit in the OP about Airline Captain - my apologies.

We have students delaying courses because the current process time is 8-10weeks. Supposedly, thats CASA catching up..... Its ridiclous. If you have DAME's who are approved to make the assessments, why is it required that CASA doctor reviews the outcome.

I did require a report but still got mine back in a week!!!!! Luck of the draw I suppose…….

It is crap, we should not accept this level of service. Clearly the structure is not fit for purpose. I require a specialist report under CASA that would not be required by any other regulatory authority. That is fine, what I don’t understand is when requiring a specialist report why does that report then have to be reviewed by another specialist. Why not give the DAME authority to review the specialist report and if all normal the DAME issues the 12 month medical? The whole micro management of AVMED is overkill, I am on my 3rd 1 month extension as AVMED has such a backlog of reports requiring review of a cardiologist which is frustrating when the report from my Cardiologist says ‘Normal, nothing to see here’.

Your situation seems exactly like mine!! Except mine is every 6 months due to being over sixty, and now I will have the crazy situation of being on third extension, but getting auto emails saying that my medical will be due soon!! I speak to them regularly, but they have a back log of 1500 applications, I just don't know what else I can do.

Classic. I once did a renewal that took over a full year due to staff shortages and mishandling of my reports. My new medical became due before they'd finished. They insisted I be charged another fee. A complaint to the ombudsman was necessary to have them see sense

They are shockingly bad... I send an email to avmed then call a few hours later on the same day as I finish my medical.. In the last two years it hasn't taken me long than a month to get it back... Sadly its luck of the draw... But i get up them straight away.

Yep, don't worry you are not alone :-), the frustrating thing is they could atleast give you 6 months from the date they issue the new medical.

CASA always second guess specialists inspite of the fact, to my knowledge, none of them are specialists themselves, AVMED are a special kind of :mad:

CASA Aviation Medicine
 

Disclaimer:
1. I am not a medical practitioner.

The following is an excerpt of correspondence from Aviation Medicine, which may shed some light on delays in issuing a medical certificate, notwithstanding the unusual high backlog of re-issuing medical certificates.

xWhen an application for a medical certificate may include particular diagnoses, indicate multiple conditions, or are in any other way considered complex, the application is circulated across a team of doctors in CASA who are trained in aviation medicine.

They study the case to determine possible risks to aviation safety and to determine any required surveillance. This ensures that such matters have the benefit of multiple medical perspectives, and it is CASA’s view that this collegial arrangement improves the quality of aeromedical decision making. This process is referred to as Complex Case Management.

The work-up of these cases can take about a week, and the discussion typically occurs in the next week. In some cases, there may be a need for additional information or for a specialist consultant opinion.
x

Further, if your medical examination is considered complex it can take up to four weeks (nominally) to have your certificate processed.

The OP alluded to his specialist report as being "normal"; however, I opine that AVMED take that into account when making a risk assessment of the OP's medical condition, via the collegiate approach.
In my case I found the AVMED staff to be very approachable, understanding and informative - no need to "get up them" (as suggested by one poster).
Result: Medical certificate issued within four weeks of submission.

Yep, opened a thread on this topic a few months ago..up to month 5 now. I called them today in fact and asked for the upteenth time, what do I tell my employer? This is my livelihood theyre messing with. I also asked, why have a dame do a thorough examination only to be in a review list for x months? Completely inefficient. I have a mate who's medical expired whilst covid and uncertain when he'd return. He waited 9 months. When openings started, he couldn't apply for any jobs as he didn't have a valid medical. He's gone back to driving trucks. He got the sh#$ with casa.

FFS.... reading this, the mind boggles. How are we ever going to fight a war?
What a sorry tale of rubber desk johhny's... 12 months to issue a medical.
Should be 12hrs

4 months for me.

And if you have to get anything done re an AOC 6 months - then add another month when they f@ck it up.

CAsA is broken.

I’m on 6 monthly’s, got my medical back and it was issued for a year???Queried it and heard nothing. Pathetic!

Weapons Grade:


This is a management procedure called “diffusion of responsibility”. It’s purpose is to shield AVMED and its staff from the consequences of their decision to give you a medical certificate should you a medical episode during flight..

Unfortunately, this safety process takes time because diffusion is not instantaneous. There needs to be a paper trail which can’t be created overnight.

‘’AVMED is now hoist with its own petard.

Being young and healthy, I normally get the extension email only 2 minutes before I get my new medical issued for the next 12 months.

However last year I didn’t get the second email. After a month of waiting and extension about to expire, I called to enquire about the delay. It seems my medical had been flagged by the computer to be reviewed by the team of doctors due to my eye sight changing.

My eyes were previously 6/5 and 6/6 respectively. This year they swapped to be 6/6 and 6/5 respectively.

As the helpful lady on the phone, was reading on her computer, the error was listed as my “vision had changed” from “normal range” to “normal range”.

She laughed as she was reading it, and despite not being a doctor overrode the error and issued my medical.

If the system is being clogged up with BS like that, that must be why it’s taking so long for the doctors to approve Medicals that actually need to be reviewed.