John Hauser was a Chicagoland student working toward becoming a commercial pilot. He’d long wanted to be a pilot and was pursuing that dream. But Hauser had been experiencing depression and was discouraged from seeking the treatment he needed due to outdated aviation laws that would prevent him from flying. In his messages to his family before he died by suicide, he noted that seeking mental health care would ground him and ruin his dream of becoming a pilot.
For decades, aviators have had minimal access to mental health care generally. Those who have sought care have often been grounded for extended periods of time. The system was presumably designed to keep our air traffic system safe but, as a practical matter, has served only to prevent people from seeking or receiving the care they need.
As I looked further into the issue, I met dozens of pilots, aspiring pilots and air traffic controllers with heartbreaking stories similar to Hauser’s and created by this forced culture of silence.
As it stands, pilots and air traffic controllers who seek mental health care are unfairly penalized. While aviation professionals are mandated to report if they seek care, once they take that step, they are faced with delays, confusion and overbroad regulation in the process of returning to work. This often means that relatively minor mental health concerns result in long wait times and derailed careers for safe and well-trained pilots and air traffic controllers.
Mental health care is health care. It shouldn’t be any less available than physical health care, nor should anyone be penalized just because they asked for medical help. Pilots and aspiring pilots shouldn’t have to choose between their job and their necessary health care.
Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., and I went to work, and our bipartisan bill to fix this issue just passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
The bill — the Mental Health in Aviation Act — would streamline the medical clearance process for aviators seeking mental health care and will address long wait times for aviators by investing in additional aviation medical examiners — the doctors who clear pilots to fly.
In December 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration established a rulemaking committee to develop recommendations of steps the FAA could take to improve access to mental health care for aviators. These recommendations, which included lowering barriers to care for common and low-risk conditions for aviators, were published in April 2024. But these changes were not mandated, and the FAA didn’t have the necessary implementation resources.
The Mental Health in Aviation Act finishes that job by requiring the FAA to implement these changes within two years, to regularly review and improve processes related to mental health special issuance for pilots and air traffic controllers moving forward, and to ensure the FAA can successfully implement and publicize these new rules.
Our work is not done yet. Another bill — the Aviation Medication Transparency Act — would require the FAA to publish and regularly update a list of approved medications for aviators. Right now, even when aviators are able to obtain the care they need, they may find themselves being prescribed medications to treat their condition that — unbeknownst to them — are banned by the FAA. This can lead to pilot grounding and/or force pilots to obtain other medication that may not be covered by their insurance plan if it contravenes their doctor’s recommendation. This serves only to further the idea that pilots should not seek the care they need. They deserve better.
Congress has the opportunity to destigmatize mental health care and keep our skies safe. It’s time we seize it.
If you or a loved one is experiencing mental health difficulties, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. NAMI Chicago can connect you with local resources at 833-626-4244.
U.S. Rep. Sean Casten represents Illinois’ 6th Congressional District.