Narrative:

A medevac aircraft was flying; initially on a direct route; level at 21;000 feet. Because of weather along the route of flight; the radar controller rerouted aircraft X direct [to destination]. I called the TRACON at least 15 minutes prior to the aircraft estimated at the TRACON boundary to coordinate this priority routing at 16;000 feet. The controller denied my request without stating a reason or issuing an alternative (such as a higher altitude for possible traffic or a request for control). After a pause; I asked for a suggestion as to how to get the medevac routing to [their destination]. The controller's response was to take the aircraft north or south over the arrival routing; which we were forced to do.we turned the aircraft to the northeast and issued the STAR. This routing added many miles and several minutes to the aircraft's flight. As aircraft X approached our boundary with denver approach; only one aircraft departed out the west departure gate. Only one aircraft could have been a factor with the inbound medevac.denying some sort of priority to a medevac flight is inconceivable! Especially in an instance of extremely low traffic flow and complexity. Every single controller at the TRACON should be capable of providing priority services and separation to aircraft requesting it; especially when it could involve someone's health. My recommendation is that the controllers at the TRACON be held accountable for their actions or inactions. Rerouting a medevac as in this instance (and this is certainly not the first time this has occurred) does not meet our requirement of expeditious handling of aircraft.a possible tool to prevent unnecessary rerouting of medevac aircraft would be to add/change the letter of agreement with denver approach. Medevac flights and other aircraft requesting priority (such as emergencies) should not need TRACON approval; but coordinated in advance. If the receiving controller cannot take an aircraft on requested routing; then an alternate routing or altitude should be suggested/coordinated/assigned that does not take the aircraft on an extreme course change away from their destination airport.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ZDV Controller reported the D01 TRACON Controller would not allow an expedited routing for a Medevac Lifeguard aircraft.

Narrative: A Medevac aircraft was flying; initially on a direct route; level at 21;000 feet. Because of weather along the route of flight; the Radar controller rerouted Aircraft X direct [to destination]. I called the TRACON at least 15 minutes prior to the aircraft estimated at the TRACON boundary to coordinate this priority routing at 16;000 feet. The controller denied my request without stating a reason or issuing an alternative (such as a higher altitude for possible traffic or a request for control). After a pause; I asked for a suggestion as to how to get the Medevac routing to [their destination]. The controller's response was to take the aircraft north or south over the arrival routing; which we were forced to do.We turned the aircraft to the northeast and issued the STAR. This routing added many miles and several minutes to the aircraft's flight. As Aircraft X approached our boundary with Denver Approach; only one aircraft departed out the west departure gate. Only one aircraft could have been a factor with the inbound medevac.Denying some sort of priority to a medevac flight is inconceivable! Especially in an instance of extremely low traffic flow and complexity. Every single controller at the TRACON should be capable of providing priority services and separation to aircraft requesting it; especially when it could involve someone's health. My recommendation is that the controllers at the TRACON be held accountable for their actions or inactions. Rerouting a Medevac as in this instance (and this is certainly not the first time this has occurred) does not meet our requirement of expeditious handling of aircraft.A possible tool to prevent unnecessary rerouting of Medevac aircraft would be to add/change the Letter Of Agreement with Denver Approach. Medevac flights and other aircraft requesting priority (such as emergencies) should not need TRACON approval; but coordinated in advance. If the receiving controller cannot take an aircraft on requested routing; then an alternate routing or altitude should be suggested/coordinated/assigned that does not take the aircraft on an extreme course change away from their destination airport.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.