Reference & AI

DAFMAN 48-123

Air Force

MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS AND STANDARDS

Reviewed by Guilherme Correia, active-duty U.S. Air Force

DAFMAN 48-123, "MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS AND STANDARDS", is a Department of the Air Force publication, dated December 8, 2020.

Published

December 8, 2020

OPR

AF/SG

Headquarters, Department of the Air Force

Official document

Open the PDF

on static.e-publishing.af.mil

DAFMAN 48-123 — index record

NumberDAFMAN 48-123
TitleMEDICAL EXAMINATIONS AND STANDARDS
PublishedDecember 8, 2020
Certified currentDecember 8, 2020
Office of primary responsibilityAF/SG
Issued byHeadquarters, Department of the Air Force
Status on the indexCurrent
Source indexAir Force e-Publishing
Index last readOctober 20, 2026

Copied from Air Force e-Publishing (index). The publication itself is the authority; this page does not summarize or interpret it. Verify the current edition on the index before acting.

From the publication itself

Text below is lifted mechanically from the official PDF (45 pages, read October 20, 2026) with no editing or interpretation. Quote the document, not this page.

Purpose, in the publication’s words

This manual implements Department of the Air Force Policy Directive (DAFPD) 48-1, Aerospace & Operational Medicine Enterprise (AOME) and HAF MD 1-48, The Air Force Surgeon General. It prescribes procedures and references the authority for retiring, discharging, or retaining members who, because of physical disability, are unfit to perform their duties. This manual applies to all applicants for service in the Department of the Air Force (DAF). It applies to members of the Regular Air Force and Space Force (RegAF), Air Force Reserve (AFR), Air National Guard (ANG), and associated reserve components. It also applies to Pre-Trained Individual Manpower (PIM) Air Force personnel and civilian government employees engaged in flying or special operational duties as ordered by the Department of the Air Force. [Note: ANG and AFR will be collectively referred to as the Air Reserve Component (ARC)]. This manual requires the collection and or maintenance of information protected by the Privacy Act of 1974

Summary of changes, as printed

This manual has been thoroughly revised and should be reviewed in its entirety. Major changes include: incorporated the previous Guidance Memoranda, clarified certification/waiver authorities, updated references, and restructured the contents. AF Form 1042, Medical Recommendation for Flying or Special Operational Duty has been replaced with DD Form 2992, Medical Recommendation for Flying or Special Operational Duty. Chapter 6 has been completely updated to incorporate DoDI 6040.46, The Separation History and Physical Examination (SHPE) for the DoD Separation Health Assessment (SHA) Program. Introduced the concept of a flight or special operational duty (SOD) qualification exam as a unique type of exam, applicable to a subset of service members with unique medical requirements. Identified the preventive health assessment (PHA), applicable to every service member, as a requirement independent of any other medical qualification requirement. Eliminated AFMRA-retained flight and SOD waiver authority to allow flexibility. Waiver authority changes are reflected in Attachment 2. Changed Battlefield Airmen nomenclature to align with the new nomenclature Special Warfare Airmen (SWA). The ground based controller standard was renamed to air traffic controller. Consolidated medical standards applicable to remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) pilots, RPA sensor operators and missile operators under a ground based operator (GBO) standard.

Contents

  1. Chapter 1—OVERARCHING COMPLIANCE AREASp. 6
  2. Chapter 2—DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONSp. 19
  3. Chapter 5—FLYING AND SPECIAL OPERATIONAL DUTYp. 30
  4. Chapter 6—MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS FOR SEPARATION AND RETIREMENTp. 60
  5. Attachment 1—GLOSSARY OF REFERENCES AND SUPPORTING INFORMATIONp. 75
  6. Attachment 2—CERTIFICATION & WAIVER AUTHORITYp. 88
  7. Attachment 3—SAMPLE DELEGATION LETTERp. 92
All 74 contents entries
  1. Chapter 1—OVERARCHING COMPLIANCE AREASp. 6
  2. 1.1. Scopep. 6
  3. 1.2. Medical standards applicabilityp. 6
  4. 1.3. Medical Standardsp. 6
  5. 1.4. Medical Examinationsp. 7
  6. 1.5. Accomplishment and Recordingp. 12
  7. 1.6. Administrative Validityp. 13
  8. 1.7. Dispositionp. 16
  9. Chapter 2—DUTIES AND OBLIGATIONSp. 19
  10. 2.1. Roles and Responsibilitiesp. 19
  11. 2.2. The AF Surgeon General (AF/SG)p. 19
  12. 2.3. Director of Medical Operations (AF/SG3/4)p. 19
  13. 2.4. Chief Aerospace Medicine Policy & Operations AF/SG3Pp. 19
  14. 2.5. AFMRA/SG3PF Medical Standardsp. 20
  15. 2.6. MAJCOM/FLDCOM Command Surgeon (MAJCOM/SG)p. 20
  16. 2.7. MAJCOM(FLDCOM)/SGPp. 20
  17. 2.8. Accession Medical Waiver Division (AFRS/CMO)p. 21
  18. 2.10. Chief of Aerospace Medicine (SGP)p. 21
  19. 2.11. Primary Care (to include flight medicine) Staffp. 21
  20. 2.12. AF Flight and Operational Medicine Clinic (FOMC)p. 22
  21. 2.13. AF Public Health (force health management element) or equivalentp. 22
  22. 2.14. Base Operational Medicine Clinic (BOMC) or ARC equivalentp. 22
  23. 2.15. Service Member Commanderp. 22
  24. 2.17. Service member will present for scheduled medical appointments as directedp. 23
  25. 3.1. Applicabilityp. 24
  26. 3.2. Medical Standardsp. 25
  27. 3.3. Certificationp. 25
  28. 4.1. Applicabilityp. 26
  29. 4.2. Medical Standardsp. 26
  30. 4.3. Medical Examinationp. 27
  31. 4.4. Accomplishment and Recordingp. 28
  32. 4.5. Evaluation for Continued Military Service Proceduresp. 28
  33. 4.6. IDESp. 29
  34. Chapter 5—FLYING AND SPECIAL OPERATIONAL DUTYp. 30
  35. 5.1. Applicabilityp. 30
  36. 5.2. Medical Standardsp. 30
  37. 5.3. Medical Examinationsp. 33
  38. 5.4. Accomplishment and recordingp. 37
  39. 5.5. Dispositionp. 45
  40. 5.6. ACSp. 54
  41. 5.7. USAF Aircrew Corrective Lensesp. 56
  42. Chapter 6—MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS FOR SEPARATION AND RETIREMENTp. 60
  43. 6.1. This section implements the DoD SHPE in accordance with DoDI 6040.46p. 60
  44. 6.2. Law Governing Disability Evaluationp. 60
  45. 6.3. Purposep. 60
  46. 6.4. Medical Holdp. 60
  47. 6.5. SHPE Applicabilityp. 60
  48. 6.6. Examination requirementsp. 61
  49. 6.7. Additional Testing and Follow upp. 61
  50. 6.8. Dispositionp. 62
  51. 6.9. SHPE Metricsp. 62
  52. 7.1. Applicabilityp. 63
  53. 7.2. Joint Trainingp. 63
  54. 8.1. Applicabilityp. 64
  55. 8.2. Definitions and Responsibilitiesp. 64
  56. 8.4. Foreign Military Personnel Attached to DAF Unitsp. 65
  57. 8.5. Transfer of Medical Records and Informationp. 65
  58. 9.1. Purposep. 67
  59. 9.2. Applicabilityp. 67
  60. 9.3. Retention medical standards policyp. 67
  61. 9.4. Responsibilitiesp. 67
  62. 9.5. Reactivation from Inactive/Retired Reservep. 68
  63. 9.6. PALACE FRONT and PALACE CHASEp. 69
  64. 9.7. ANG General Officers and Wing CCsp. 69
  65. 9.8. AFR Wing CCsp. 69
  66. 9.9. AGR Toursp. 69
  67. 9.10. Involuntary Reactivation to EAD for participating ARC membersp. 70
  68. 9.11. Annual Training or RegAF for Training or Inactive Duty for Training (IDT)p. 71
  69. 9.12. Inactive Duty for Trainingp. 71
  70. 9.13. Medical Requirementsp. 71
  71. 9.14. IRR members with an expected entry or return to RegAFp. 74
  72. Attachment 1—GLOSSARY OF REFERENCES AND SUPPORTING INFORMATIONp. 75
  73. Attachment 2—CERTIFICATION & WAIVER AUTHORITYp. 88
  74. Attachment 3—SAMPLE DELEGATION LETTERp. 92

Other DAFMAN publications nearby in the series

204 DAFMAN records on the Air Force index. Search the full index.

Keep going

Calculators for the subject of this series

Fitness test calculator

Free calculator

Works of the United States Government are not subject to copyright (17 U.S.C. § 105). This site is not affiliated with the Department of the Air Force or any government agency.

Air Force index

REF: DAFMAN 48-123, effective December 8, 2020

Air Force e-Publishing — DAFMAN 48-123

This is an index record, not the publication. The official PDF is the authority; verify the current edition before acting.

Reviewed by Guilherme Correia · Military Toolkit editorial

Open the official PDF