Disabled parking placard applications, the doctor’s part
A patient asks for a parking placard at the end of the visit. In Missouri the statement is one page and takes two minutes, but it is a misdemeanor to sign it for a condition that is not on the printed list, and every state’s list is different.
- Forms
- one for each state and the District of Columbia, from that state’s motor vehicle office
- The rule
- each state’s own statute, and the list printed on its form
- State walkthroughs
- California, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York and Texas
Key points
- The state issues the placard. It relies on your statement, not its own exam.
- Your patient must meet a condition on that state’s list.
- The walking distance is usually 200 feet. Missouri uses 50.
- Sign it yourself, and keep the note that supports it in the chart.
What the state is asking you
The placard comes from the state, and nobody at the motor vehicle office examines your patient. What the office relies on is a clinician’s statement that the patient meets one of the conditions in the state’s law. So when a patient asks you for one, the question is not whether a closer parking space would make life easier. It is whether they fit a definition the legislature wrote, and in most states that definition is printed on the form you are signing.
That is why I treat it differently from most paperwork. Several states print a penalty for a false statement on the form itself. Missouri makes it a misdemeanor to certify someone who does not meet the list, and New York’s form warns that a false statement on the application is a crime. So the habit I would suggest is the same everywhere. Read the list on the form in front of you, check only what your examination supports, and put the note that supports it in the chart.
The rule: each state’s own statute. The state walkthroughs below cite theirs.
What changes at the state line
Every state and the District of Columbia has its own form, and the list printed on it is that state’s law. The walking distance changes the most. Of the state forms I have read that print one, 35 say 200 feet, three say 100, and Missouri alone says 50. After that, what changes is whether the state wants a diagnosis or only a check, whether it offers a temporary placard and for how long, who may sign, and whether your part is a box on the state’s form, a letter, or a signature in front of a notary.
Twelve states side by side
| State | Your part | Walking distance |
|---|---|---|
| California | Sections 6 and 6A of the REG 195 | None, it lists conditions instead |
| Florida | The Statement of Certification on page 1 of the HSMV 83039 | 200 feet |
| Georgia | Section D of the MV-9D, notarized or on security paper | 200 feet |
| Illinois | Part 3 of the VSD 62, and Part 4 for a meter-exempt placard | 200 feet |
| Missouri | Form 1776, good for 90 days | 50 feet |
| New Jersey | A letter, attached to the SP-41 | 200 feet |
| New York | Part 2 of the MV-664.1 | 200 feet |
| North Carolina | The Medical Provider’s Section of the MVR-37A | 200 feet |
| Ohio | A prescription sent with the BMV 4826, not a box on the form | 200 feet |
| Pennsylvania | Section B of the MV-145A, with a reason code | 200 feet |
| Texas | The VTR-214, notarized or with a prescription | 200 feet |
| Virginia | Page 2 of the MED 10 | 200 feet |
Who may sign, how long a temporary placard lasts, and where the patient takes the form differ too, and each state’s walkthrough covers them. For the other states and the District of Columbia, the form is on the state’s motor vehicle office website, and the same habit applies.
Questions the office asks
What does a doctor certify on a handicap placard form?
The placard comes from the state, and nobody at the motor vehicle office examines your patient. What the office relies on is a clinician’s statement that the patient meets one of the conditions in the state’s law.
How far must a patient be unable to walk for a handicap placard?
The walking distance is usually 200 feet. Missouri uses 50. Of the state forms I have read that print one, 35 say 200 feet, three say 100, and Missouri alone says 50.
Can a doctor get in trouble for signing a handicap placard form?
Several states print a penalty for a false statement on the form itself. Missouri makes it a misdemeanor to certify someone who does not meet the list, and New York’s form warns that a false statement on the application is a crime.
Is the handicap placard form the same in every state?
Every state and the District of Columbia has its own form, and the list printed on it is that state’s law. Your patient must meet a condition on that state’s list.
PatientPapers makes completing the parking placard form faster and easier, in every state
I created PatientPapers to make it easier and faster for you to complete this paperwork, because as a physician myself, I understand the burden of this paperwork and wanted to do something to decrease it. It is my own product, built through the same company as this site, so weigh this accordingly. It carries the placard statement for every state and the District of Columbia, asks the questions that state’s list actually asks, and fills in that state’s own form for you, or writes the letter where the state asks for one. You review it before you sign. The pricing and the full description are on the PatientPapers site.
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