Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

GulfBravoPapa

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***I will update this post with more details as I have time***

In the spring 2023 round of Recurrent Training one of the topics is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). A program funded by the FAA that is entirely free to the user and confidential. The EAP is available to any memeber of your family living in your household. This includes parents, grandparents, children, spouses, domestic partners pretty much anyone other than an unrelated roommate.

Any services used through the EAP do not need to be reported on FAA form 8500 at your flight physical. Question 18 under Medical History asks, "HAVE YOU EVER IN YOUR LIFE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH, HAD, OR DO YOU PRESENTLY HAVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING?"

On page 35 second paragraph, it says, "Routine dental, eye, and FAA periodic medical examinations and consultations with an employer-sponsored employee assistance program (EAP) may be excluded unless the consultations were for the applicant's substance abuse or unless the consultations resulted in referral for psychiatric evaluation or treatment.

The only exception is when there is a "duty to report". Duty to report is when there is a threat of harm to yourself, a threat of harm to others, or a threat of child or elder abuse.

While a large portion of the EAP revolves around counseling (both individual and couples/group) and therapy the program goes exponentially further than that. You can acess all of the services via the Magellan Ascend website. Simply click "find my company" and search Federal Aviation Administration. Beyond therapists and counselors the EAP offers access to lifestyle coaches, legal services, financial wellbeing, community resources, senior care management, identity theft resolution and a discount center offering both local and national discounts on everything from pet insurance to theme park tickets to childcare to food delivery to travel arrangements.
 
Why try and undermine a program that can provide help to some of our coworkers who may be struggling?
I'll bite.
I used to help find a place to live after the academy-they basically told me there was nowhere in my budget and I could check Craigslist.

Tried again with Magellan health or whatever and it was a complete wash.

This was years ago though so I'm assuming they've done some updates.

Some people have had good success with pregnant people stuff
 
Why try and undermine a program that can provide help to some of our coworkers who may be struggling?
I am a facilitator for recurrent and generally that is the reaction most have to the topic. There is usually someone in the group with a story of “I went to EAP and had to sign a disclosure with the FAA, blah blah blah”. This spreads to others who now don’t want to call. But those who had to sign a disclosure were REFERRED to EAP by the FAA for drug/alcohol reasons. Completely different than Joe Schmo calling because something is going on in life and he needs help.
 
Several of my peers have used EAP for marital issues/counseling. Others have used it for personal reasons. But it’s definitely a good thing overall even if your results may vary.
 
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