The Placard Is Decided by a State Board, Not the County — and Needs a Six-Year Prognosis

What this benefit is

Who is entitled to it

• You served, so it is worth knowing which office decides this and what it will actually accept.
• You are in this state.

1. 1Get the definition in front of the clinician before they sign. "Person with a disability" in §291-51 means someone whose ability to walk is limited or impaired and who, as determined by the practitioner, cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest AND has been diagnosed with an arthritic, neurological, orthopaedic, renal, vascular or oncological condition, a specified severity of lung disease, or a Class III or Class IV cardiac condition — and who because of that cannot walk 200 feet unaided, cannot walk without a brace, cane, crutch, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair or other assistive device, or uses portable oxygen.
2. 2Ask for the right permit for the problem you actually have. The definition of "disability parking permit" covers four things: a removable windshield placard, a special licence plate, a temporary removable windshield placard, and a disabled paid parking exemption permit.
3. 3That fourth one is easy to miss and is the one for meters. The disabled paid parking exemption permit is for a person who is licensed to drive but not able to reach or operate a parking meter or unattended pay station because of a physical disability.
4. 4Understand the six-year test on the permanent placard. The definition of "removable windshield placard" requires a certificate of disability verifying that the disability is expected to last at least six years. A shorter prognosis puts you on the temporary track.
5. 5Take a VA rating letter as background, not as the certificate. The certificate of disability is defined as a medical statement issued by a licensed practising physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse verifying that a person is disabled, limited or impaired in the ability to walk.
6. 6Know who to appeal to. The issuing agency is the disability and communication access board established by chapter 348F. A county clerk refusing a permit is not the decision-maker.
7. 7Do not ask a practitioner to stretch it. §291-51.4 makes a fraudulent verification by a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse a petty misdemeanour, and each verification is a separate offence.

Form

Certificate of disability signed by a licensed practising physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse

File with

Disability and communication access board, with the county taking the transaction

Periodic recertification

Confirmed at intervals rather than annually.