12.3 TSA Cares, Religion, Disability, Children, Seniors

12.3 TSA Cares, Religion, Disability, Children, Seniors

Quick answer: TSA Cares publishes support for disabilities and medical conditions, religion, tribal/indigenous passengers, passenger support, military, children, seniors 75 and older, law enforcement, and civil rights. Request assistance with the TSA Cares form or by calling (855) 787-2227 at least 72 hours before departure. The TSA Notification Card is optional. Do not remove hearing aids or cochlear implants. Do not separate a person from a service animal. Kirpans are No carry-on / Yes checked. Passengers 75+ in a wheelchair may remain seated for an explosives-trace (ETD) test of the hands.

This section trains public passenger-support logic for the TAB, for English/situational items, and for the job. Chapter 9 covered medical devices and medically necessary liquids. Chapter 11 covered pat-downs and private screening. This section covers who TSA Cares is for, how to request a Passenger Support Specialist (PSS), and the published rules for religion, disability, children, and seniors. It does not teach SSI exemption codes.

What TSA Cares is

TSA Cares exists so passengers with disabilities, medical conditions, and others who need additional assistance can prepare for screening. It does not cancel screening. A Passenger Support Specialist is a TSA officer with extra training in assisting and communicating with people who have disabilities or medical conditions and with passengers who need additional screening help. Requesting PSS service does not exempt anyone from security screening and does not provide expedited screening. Expedited screening is PreCheck, not Cares.

Contact TSA Cares at least 72 hours before departure. Airport wheelchair service is provided by the airline, not by TSA. Examples TSA lists for PSS requests include difficulty following instructions because of a disability or medical condition; internal or external devices that affect technology screening; medically necessary liquids over 3.4 ounces; a child with a disability; a service animal; difficulty communicating in English; religious, cultural, sacred, or spiritual items and ceremonial regalia; and crematory remains.

Civil Rights states that screening policies must not discriminate on those bases. Complaints can go to a supervisor at the checkpoint, the TSA Contact Center, or the civil-rights complaint form. Traveler Redress (TRIP) is the path for repeated screening or watchlist-mismatch problems.

Disability and medical — the floor rules

All passengers and their property are screened. Inform the officer of a disability or medical condition verbally, with the optional Notification Card, or with medical documentation. The card is a communication aid. It is not a mandatory ticket and not a screening waiver.

Hearing: Travelers are not required to remove hearing aids or cochlear implants. Additional screening, including a pat-down or inspection of a device, may be required if the device alarms WTMD or AIT.

Service animals: Inform the officer. TSA will not separate you from your service animal. You and the animal are screened at the WTMD together or the animal is led through separately on a leash. If you alarm, both receive additional screening, which may include a pat-down. Harnesses, vests, and leashes with little metal help. The officer asks for assistance before touching the animal. Control items needed to maintain the animal do not have to come off. If the team leaves the checkpoint to relieve the animal, both rescreen on return; request the front of the line. Medication and food for the animal go through X-ray or inspection.

Mobility and age 75+: Walkers, crutches, and canes go through X-ray, or are inspected if they will not fit. Wheelchairs and scooters are screened, including cushions and non-removable pouches, with ETD on items as published. If the traveler is 75 or older in a wheelchair or scooter, they may remain seated and the officer conducts a test of the hands for traces of explosives. In PreCheck lanes, a traveler unable to stand or walk may remain seated for an ETD of the hands. AIT requires the ability to stand unassisted, feet apart, arms up, for five to seven seconds; otherwise the public alternative is a pat-down.

Non-visible disabilities such as Alzheimer's, autism spectrum disorder, and dementia: passengers can be screened without being separated from a traveling companion. If the companion provides assistance during screening, the companion is rescreened.

Private screening: available at any time, with a companion of the traveler's choice. A second officer of the same sex is always present. That is the same public rule Chapter 11 taught; it still applies in Cares cases.

Religion, tribal items, and kirpans

TSA's Religion page trains officers to screen religious items with respect. Talk to the officer about concerns. Ask for a supervisor if needed.

Head coverings and bulky religious clothing may be subject to additional screening, including a pat-down. That is not a license to mock the covering, and it is not a cabin exemption from screening.

Pack religious items in carry-on in a container that can be separated and placed by itself in a bin. TSA recommends a clear plastic container or bag that opens easily. Do not use a metal container. If technology cannot screen the item, tell the officer.

Published examples: Hajj holy water in carry-on must follow 3-1-1 or go in checked baggage. Palm branches, citrons, myrtle, and willow twigs used during Sukkot are allowed and will be screened. Religious figurines and books are listed as examples.

Kirpans are already a Sharp Objects rule from Chapter 6: No carry-on / Yes checked. Religion does not create a cabin exception. Sheath or wrap the item in checked baggage. The same logic applies to other cutting or thrusting weapons on that list.

Tribal and Indigenous screening: separate regalia, head bonnets, eagle feathers, peyote, herbs, and ceremonial items into a bin and say so if they cannot go through technology. Federally recognized Tribal photo IDs are acceptable; if the ID will not scan, TSA may ask for a second scannable ID or inspect the Tribal ID manually and cross-reference the Federal Register.

Children and seniors 75+

Traveling with Children: all passengers are screened. TSA uses modified procedures for children who appear 12 and younger. Officers consult the parent or guardian. Ages 13 and older follow standard screening. Carry-on property of every age is screened. Alarms still require additional screening.

Children 12 and under may leave shoes, light jackets, and headwear on, except that AIT still requires light jackets off. Children will not be separated from the parent or guardian. Infants and small children may be carried through the WTMD; if it alarms, additional screening follows. Multiple passes through technology are used to reduce the need for a pat-down. Strollers, car seats, and baby carriers go through X-ray or get a visual/physical inspection if they will not fit. Formula, breast milk, toddler drinks, and baby/toddler food (including puree pouches) may exceed 3.4 ounces as medically necessary liquids; declare them; the child does not have to be present for breast milk. Ice packs and gel packs are allowed.

Seniors 75+ may leave shoes on. Light jackets still come off for AIT. An alarm may mean shoes off or a pat-down; the traveler may request a chair. Passengers 75+ who cannot stand are screened by other methods, including the seated ETD-of-hands path when they are in a wheelchair.

Realistic scenario

A family requests TSA Cares 72 hours out. A PSS meets them; they still receive full screening, not PreCheck-by-default. Grandparent, 78, uses a wheelchair and remains seated for an ETD of the hands. A traveler who is deaf keeps hearing aids on. A veteran arrives with a service dog; the team is not separated. A Sikh traveler's dastar may receive additional screening, including a pat-down; the kirpan is not a carry-on item and belongs sheathed in checked baggage. A parent carries a toddler through the WTMD and keeps the child with them. A companion who helps a traveler with dementia is rescreened. If screening feels discriminatory, ask for a supervisor and use the civil-rights complaint path. The final decision rests with the TSA officer.