Sleep Apnea and Railroad Employment

[Acela150]

Back in March of 2017 I was diagnosed with severe Sleep Apnea. At the time I was working for Septa as an AC. I went to my boss to inform them that I was being evaluated for Sleep Apnea and the Doctors advice was to remove me from service until they confirmed my diagnoses and started me on a CPAP machine and got it under control. The Doctor gave me an estimate of 3 to 5 weeks. This was just as Sleep Apnea was coming to the forefront of being an issue. The Septa boss didn't care that I was being evaluated for it and basically said "Work or you're fired". I left Septa due to them not willing to put the safety of their employees and passengers first. That's another story.

I have a contact at Amtrak HR who understands that I have previous RR experience, rules training, etc. I'm hoping that in time I'll be able to interview for an AC job with Amtrak and be selected.

My question is: Does anyone know the process of getting cleared for duty with a diagnosis of Sleep Apnea? I have talked with my Doctor who has agreed that I can work such a job and is willing to write a letter and provide documentation that would clear me.

Thanks in advance!

[AmtrakLocomotiveEngineer]

I'm pretty certain that Amtrak will chose the doctor or program. In today's climate I very highly doubt that your doctor can just write a note saying that in his/her opinion, you're able to work, unless you are actually being treated for the condition right now. I know of 2 coworkers that are engineers and were diagnosed with SA in 2017 during their annual physicals. I never asked anything about the procedure/process as it really wasn't my concern and they were already caught off guard with being informed of their diagnosis.

[Acela150]

I'm pretty certain that Amtrak will chose the doctor or program. In today's climate I very highly doubt that your doctor can just write a note saying that in his/her opinion, you're able to work, unless you are actually being treated for the condition right now. I know of 2 coworkers that are engineers and were diagnosed with SA in 2017 during their annual physicals. I never asked anything about the procedure/process as it really wasn't my concern and they were already caught off guard with being informed of their diagnosis.

What do you mean by Doctor or Program?

[8th Notch]

Since you already have it they most likely will just send you to sleep lab to do testing under an Amtrak contracted Dr. You probably should have pushed the issue under Septa since that is a condition that should be covered by taking a medical leave of absence.