Bill Text: VA SB692 | 2019 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Disabled parking placards; certification by mental health professional to DMV a person's disability.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-11-30 - Left in Transportation [SB692 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-SB692-Prefiled.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §46.2-1241 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§46.2-1241. Issuance of disabled parking placards.
A. Upon application of a person with a disability that limits
or impairs his ability to walk or that creates a concern for his safety while
walking, the Commissioner shall issue a permanent removable windshield placard
for use on a passenger car or pickup or panel truck. The Commissioner shall
require that each original application be accompanied by a certification signed
by a licensed physician, licensed podiatrist, licensed chiropractor, licensed
nurse practitioner, or
licensed physician assistant, or licensed
mental health professional on
forms prescribed by the Commissioner that the applicant meets the definition of
"person with a disability that limits or impairs his ability to walk or
that creates a concern for his safety while walking" contained in §
46.2-1240.
1. The Commissioner shall provide for the renewal of such
placards every five years. Applications for renewals may require the applicant
to certify that his disability is a permanent disability, but renewal
applications need not be accompanied by a physician's, podiatrist's,
chiropractor's, nurse practitioner's, or
physician assistant's, or mental
health professional's certification of the
applicant's disability. The Commissioner shall work in consultation with the
Medical Advisory Board for the Department to develop a definition of
"permanent disability" as used in this subdivision. Notwithstanding
any contrary provision of this chapter, no physician's, podiatrist's,
chiropractor's, nurse practitioner's, or
physician assistant's, or mental
health professional's certification of an
applicant's disability shall be required for the renewal of any disabled
parking placard of an applicant to whom disabled parking license plates have
been issued under §46.2-731.
2. The Commissioner shall charge a reasonable fee for each placard, but no fee shall be charged any person exempted from fees in § 46.2-739.
3. The placards shall be of a design approved by the Commissioner pursuant to the specifications and definitions contained in § 46.2-1240.
B. Upon the application of a person with a disability that
limits or impairs his ability to walk and whose disability is temporary, the
Commissioner shall issue a temporary removable windshield placard. The
application for a temporary removable windshield placard shall be accompanied
by a certification signed by a licensed physician,
licensed nurse practitioner,
licensed physician assistant,
licensed podiatrist, or licensed chiropractor, or licensed mental
health professional on forms prescribed by the Commissioner
that the applicant meets the definition of "person with a condition that
limits or impairs his ability to walk" contained in §46.2-1240 and shall
also include the period of time that the physician, podiatrist, or chiropractor, nurse
practitioner, physician assistant, or mental
health professional determines the applicant will have the
disability, not to exceed six months.
1. A licensed physician,
licensed nurse practitioner, licensed physician assistant, licensed podiatrist, or licensed chiropractor may
certify up to 15 days in advance of an applicant's medical procedure that an applicant
will meet the definition of "person with a condition that limits or
impairs his ability to walk" and that the disability will be temporary. Any licensed The physician, nurse
practitioner, physician assistant, podiatrist, or chiropractor who certifies an
applicant's disability in advance of a medical procedure shall provide the
period of time for which the physician, nurse practitioner, physician
assistant, podiatrist, or chiropractor has determined that the applicant will
have the disability, not to exceed six months. The Commissioner will mail the
temporary placard to the applicant.
2. The temporary removable windshield placard shall be valid
for the period of time for which the physician, podiatrist, or
chiropractor, nurse
practitioner, physician assistant, or mental
health professional has determined that the applicant will
have the disability, not to exceed six months from the date of issuance.
3. The Commissioner shall provide for a reasonable fee to be charged for the placard. The placards shall be of a design approved by the Commissioner pursuant to the specifications and definitions contained in § 46.2-1240.
C. On application, the Commissioner shall issue to hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and other institutions and organizations meeting criteria determined by the Commissioner organizational removable windshield placards, as provided for in the foregoing provisions of this section, for use by volunteers when transporting disabled persons in passenger vehicles and pickup or panel trucks owned by such volunteers. The provisions of this section relating to other windshield placards issued under this section shall also apply, mutatis mutandis, to windshield placards issued to these institutions and organizations, except that windshield placards issued to institutions and agencies, in addition to their expiration date, shall bear the name of the institution or organization whose volunteers will be using the windshield placards rather than the name, age, and sex of the person to whom issued.
1. The Commissioner shall provide for the renewal of such placards every five years.
2. The placards shall be of a design approved by the Commissioner pursuant to the specifications and definitions contained in § 46.2-1240.
D. No person shall use or display an organizational removable windshield placard, permanent removable windshield placard or temporary removable windshield placard beyond its expiration date.
E. Organizational removable windshield placards, permanent removable windshield placards and temporary removable windshield placards shall be displayed in such a manner that they may be viewed from the front and rear of the vehicle and be hanging from the rearview mirror of a vehicle utilizing a parking space reserved for persons with disabilities that limit or impair their ability to walk. When there is no rearview mirror, the placard shall be displayed on the vehicle's dashboard. No placard shall be displayed from the rearview mirror while a vehicle is in motion.
F. For purposes of this section, "mental health professional" has the same meaning as specified in §54.1-2400.1.
