Phanatical
⭐SuperStar
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If you don’t have one, reach out to your ARVP and see what guidance they have for you. IIRC, any non delegated positions fall to them.
Hardships
- Thread starter X-Ray Lima
- Start date
Blockairspaceisfake
Member
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- 7
Best of luck. They approve ones you’d think they wouldn’t but then God forbid your wife needs brain surgery.
Problem is the FAA person who “denied” it on the denial letter never responds, and they’re not obligated to. You’re just another barcode that they magically said “no” to at the mystical round table. They roll a d20 and if you don’t get a 20, you’re not approved. That’s the rumor I’ve heard.
My hardship letter went something along the lines of this:
*Patient* requires *Hardship Requester* to relocate to *destination* in order to be the primary caregiver. *Patient* has been diagnosed with *disease* and has *issues*. *Patient* would benefit with a caregiver present to assist on an ongoing basis. *Patient* also has *other issues*.
*Patient's* treatment plan includes *thing 1*, *thing 2, *thing 3*. A bunch of other things that might be important or at least sound important.
*Hardship requester* is an appropriate caregiver for *Patient* due to *reasons* (say you're the only relative nearby that can assist or something.)
*Doctors contact*
I also had some cover letter that explained the situation and sounded very formal. Attached some medical reports on the condition that had all types of words that are well above my education and any desk jockey in the FAA. Also hard to argue with a doctor from one of the top hospitals in the world, not some local county hospital. Basically stress that you're the only person that can care for the patient. Do not tell the FAA anything else. Don't let them know if they're married, that they have roommates, have other relatives helping. All of that could lessen your case imo.
Wizard
Legendary Member
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Some people are pretty dumb
the inquirer
Forum Sage
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Oh_Horizon I have a guy from facility who came from ZOA with a similar situation. I'm sure your facrep has some insight and knows how to word it.
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- FFZ Falcon Tower
Thanks for the advice guys. I'm not far off already from some of what's been said so far. But I know so little of what the operation looks like once it leaves the building that I'm not sure what else to do. I wrote something up yesterday trying to answer their questions and also asked for what, specifically, they were looking for from the doctor since that part was vague imo. I'll probably post again for posterity if I have success or not, so others can find it in the future. That's the other crazy part of this, if I didnt have this forum to search, I would know almost nothing about this process. H in FAA must also stand for 'helpful'.
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- 234
- Facility
- FFZ Falcon Tower
Posting an update like I said I would. Not sure exactly why, but without having to provide any additional information up the chain, my hardship was approved at the service level at the end of July. Didn't think a statement from me alone would change anything but maybe it did. Good luck to anyone else in this process, it is undeniably stressful.
I feel like with a lot of hardships they literally have no idea what they're looking for when they ask for more information, they're just trying to make the process more difficult to try to dissuade some from using it, or at least acting like they are just to please their own higher ups.
Posting my experience and a question.
I submitted a hardship request citing medical issues which will eventually disqualify me. I submitted a letter in accordance with a99 as well as a short letter from my doctor explaining why moving back home was a necessity. I also submitted ALL of my medical history which showed that the issue was diagnosed after I got to my current facility. Everything was submitted January 2nd to my ATM, who reviewed it and passed it along a week later on 1/9. 3 weeks ago my rep called me and told me that he had spoken to the RVP who said that Natca had approved it but that the FAA needed clarification on certain things. They asked me to answer some question which I did. A week later my rep let me know that it had been approved but that apparently I was not supposed to know yet, which my ATM confirmed. Today, 8 weeks after I submitted my package, I finally received official confirmation that it has been approved and a facility assignment.
On to my question, the facility that I was assigned was my third choice. My first choice has a much lower projected staffing that any of the other facilities in the area, however, according to my manager, the FAA is worried about the fact that I will be losing my medical so they did not want to send me to a facility that needed people. Logic would then follow that they would send me to the best staffed facility then, which was my second choice. However, didn’t get my second choice either. So the question is, has anyone had any experience with negotiating the facility after your hardship has been approved? If so, how did you go about it?
Before people call me a scammer, I will be accepting regardless, however, my second choice facility would be a much better situation for me and my family.
I submitted a hardship request citing medical issues which will eventually disqualify me. I submitted a letter in accordance with a99 as well as a short letter from my doctor explaining why moving back home was a necessity. I also submitted ALL of my medical history which showed that the issue was diagnosed after I got to my current facility. Everything was submitted January 2nd to my ATM, who reviewed it and passed it along a week later on 1/9. 3 weeks ago my rep called me and told me that he had spoken to the RVP who said that Natca had approved it but that the FAA needed clarification on certain things. They asked me to answer some question which I did. A week later my rep let me know that it had been approved but that apparently I was not supposed to know yet, which my ATM confirmed. Today, 8 weeks after I submitted my package, I finally received official confirmation that it has been approved and a facility assignment.
On to my question, the facility that I was assigned was my third choice. My first choice has a much lower projected staffing that any of the other facilities in the area, however, according to my manager, the FAA is worried about the fact that I will be losing my medical so they did not want to send me to a facility that needed people. Logic would then follow that they would send me to the best staffed facility then, which was my second choice. However, didn’t get my second choice either. So the question is, has anyone had any experience with negotiating the facility after your hardship has been approved? If so, how did you go about it?
Before people call me a scammer, I will be accepting regardless, however, my second choice facility would be a much better situation for me and my family.
I provided like 3-5 facilities that were acceptable for me. I'm not really sure what happened behind the scenes but I preemptively reached out to the facrep and other people I knew at the facility to express my need to be there location-wise and I think that may have helped, but can't confirm bc I dont really know who makes the decisions and how.
SadlyAUnionMember
Active Member
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- 119
How do you get notified if a hardship is denied or approved? My request was approved by the district over 3 weeks ago, but I haven’t heard any updates since then. Do they end up reaching out to my ATM to let me know or do they reach out to me directly?
- Messages
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- ZDV Denver Center
reach out to
1. Regional NATCA hardship POC
2. Fac Rep
3. ATM
OM told me on my way into the control room in my case.
FloridaMan
Member
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- 6
Depends on how your local management and NATCA communicates. In my case, I was called by my ARVP because they were the only one willing to help.
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- ZJX Jacksonville Center
Can hardship be denied because of staffing?
Not on the losing end. The gaining end must have a vacancy.
Mine was. They literally told me if I wasn’t CPC, my hardship would have gotten approved.
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What??? When
Who’s they
It was a few years ago. I’m not trying to throw names out. But it came from Natca and some higher level management
few years ago. During Covid. We were still 5/5. So around 2020?
Phanatical
⭐SuperStar
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Did you grieve this?
