WSR 07-20-111

PERMANENT RULES

DEPARTMENT OF LICENSING


[ Filed October 3, 2007, 8:17 a.m. , effective November 3, 2007 ]


     Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.

     Purpose: Rule making is required to meet the requirements of HB 1000 and HB 1505 passed during the 60th legislature 2007 regular session.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 308-96B-010 and 308-96B-020.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 46.12.381.

      Adopted under notice filed as WSR 07-16-129 on August 1, 2007.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0.

     Date Adopted: October 2, 2007.

Julie Knittle

Assistant Director

Vehicle Services

OTS-9878.1


AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-19-079, filed 9/19/06, effective 10/20/06)

WAC 308-96B-010   Definitions -- Individual with disabilities special parking privileges.   For the purposes of determining eligibility under RCW 46.16.381, for individual with disabilities special parking placards and license plates, the following definitions apply:

     (1) "Application for individual" means the form provided by the department that must be completed by the individual and physician.

     (2) "Application for organization" means the form provided by the department that must be completed by the organization.

     (3) "Identification card" means the identification card bearing the name and date of birth of the person to whom the placard/plate/tab is issued.

     (4) "Licensed physician" is a health care provider to include: Chiropractor (DC), naturopath (ND), physician or surgeon (MD or DO), podiatrist (DPM), advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP), physician's assistant (PA). Licensed physician does not include persons licensed in the professions of dentistry and optometry.

     (5) "Permanent" means a licensed physician has certified the qualifying disability condition is expected to last at least five years.

     (6) "Permit" means the eligibility for the temporary or permanent placard or special license plate(s), individual with disability license tab, and identification card.

     (7) "Private carriers" means those entities contracting with public transportation authorities to transport persons with disabilities.

     (8) "Privilege" means the right to utilize the benefits associated with the individuals with disabilities, parking placards, identification card, license plate(s) and tabs.

     (9) "Public transportation authorities" means those entities operating motor vehicles owned or leased by Washington state, or a town, city, county, municipality, or metropolitan or municipal corporation within the state, or United States government agencies or Indian nations used for the primary purpose of transporting persons with disabilities.

     (10) "Signature" means any memorandum, mark, stamp, or sign made with intent to authenticate an application for a placard/plate, or the subscription of any person.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 46.16.381. 06-19-079, § 308-96B-010, filed 9/19/06, effective 10/20/06.]


AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-19-079, filed 9/19/06, effective 10/20/06)

WAC 308-96B-020   General provisions.   (1) How do I qualify for an individual with disabilities parking privilege? To qualify for temporary or permanent individual with disabilities parking privilege, a licensed physician as defined in WAC 308-96B-010(4) must certify, on a department approved application form, that you have a disability that limits or impairs your ability to walk and that you meet the requirements listed in RCW 46.16.381(1). The physician must sign a declaration under penalty of perjury that you have a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk and that you meet one of the following criteria:

     (a) Cannot walk two hundred feet without stopping to rest;

     (b) Are severely limited in ability to walk due to arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition;

     (c) Have such a severe disability that you cannot walk without the use of or assistance from a brace, cane, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or other assistive device;

     (d) Use portable oxygen;

     (e) Are restricted by lung disease to such an extent that forced expiratory respiratory volume, when measured by spirometry, is less than one liter per second or the arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty mm/hg on room air at rest;

     (f) Are impaired by cardiovascular disease or cardiac condition to the extent that your functional limitations are classified as class III or IV under standards accepted by the American Heart Association;

     (g) Have a disability resulting from an acute sensitivity to automobile emissions which limits or impairs your ability to walk. Your personal physician as described in WAC 308-96B-010(4) must document that your disability is comparable in severity to the others listed in this subsection; or

     (h) Is legally blind and has limited mobility;

     (i) Limited by porphyria (acute sensitivity to light as defined in RCW 46.16.381).

     The medical declaration is required on all original applications for permanent and temporary disability privileges and for permanent disability privileges that have been expired more than thirty days. A declaration is not required for renewal of existing Washington privileges for an individual with disabilities.

     (2) How do I apply for an individual with disabilities parking privilege? You must complete and sign your portion of the application. Once the licensed physician portion of the application is completed, you submit it to most vehicle licensing offices or the department as noted on the application.

     (3) Who may sign the application for an individual with disabilities who is unable to sign or is a minor? An authorized representative of the individual with disabilities may sign the application. The application must be accompanied by a copy of one of the following:

     (a) A power of attorney;

     (b) A Washington state court order or certification from the clerk of court confirming the court's action; or

     (c) A declaration under penalty of perjury explaining why the applicant is unable to sign and explaining the signing person's association with the applicant. Example: Signature, Jane Doe, daughter.

     (4) When is the individual with disabilities parking privilege no longer valid?

     (a) The plates expire;

     (b) The privilege expires;

     (c) Upon death of the individual with disabilities;

     (d) If the disability no longer exists;

     (e) The special license plates have been canceled by department administrative action;

     (f) If the privilege was issued in error; or

     (g) If the individual with disability is no longer shown on the department's record as being a registered owner of the vehicle.

     (5) What do I receive when my application is approved for an individual with disabilities parking privilege? An individual with disabilities identification card and:

     (a) If you have a temporary disability, you will receive one temporary placard;

     (b) If you have a permanent disability, you receive up to two privileges. You may choose to receive:

     (i) Up to two permanent placards; or

     (ii) One permanent placard and one set of individual with disabilities license plates or individual with disabilities year tab. The year tab may only be displayed on qualifying plates. The individual with disabilities must be a registered owner of the vehicle to receive these plates or tab.

     (6) When can the individual with disabilities parking privileges be used? When transporting the person to whom the plate or placard is issued.

     (7) Why is the individual with disabilities identification card issued? The identification card is issued to identify the individual with disabilities and to ensure that only those who qualify use the parking privilege. The identification card must be available for law enforcement or parking enforcement officials.

     If you have just applied for and not yet received an individual with disabilities identification card, show the receipt you received at the time of application.

     (8) How do I display the individual with disabilities parking placard?

     (a) The placard is hung from the rearview mirror post; or

     (b) The placard may be placed on the dashboard, (in the absence of the rearview mirror post).

     The entire placard must be visible through the vehicle windshield.

     (9) How long is the individuals with disabilities parking privilege valid?

     (a) Temporary privileges are valid for up to six months from the date of issuance by the department.

     (b) Permanent privileges are issued for five years and expire on the last day of the month of issuance. The expiration date can be located on the identification card or as marked on the placard. For example: If your expiration date is May 2008, your privilege will expire on May 31, 2008.

Note: License plates carry the expiration date of your vehicle registration and must be renewed annually.

     (10) How do I renew or extend my individual with disabilities parking privilege?

     (a) You cannot renew a temporary privilege. If your condition continues beyond the expiration date, you can obtain a new temporary individual with disabilities parking placard and identification card by submitting a new application completed and certified by a licensed physician ((or ARNP)), an advanced registered nurse practitioner, or a physician's assistant, as described in WAC 308-96B-010(4).

     (b) You can renew a permanent privilege. The department will mail you a renewal notice before your privilege expires. Submit the completed renewal notice or a new application to most vehicle licensing offices to renew. You will receive your new parking placard(s) and new identification card through the mail.

     (c) If permanent privilege has been expired more than thirty days you must submit a new application completed and certified by a licensed physician ((or ARNP)), an advanced registered nurse practitioner, or a physician's assistant, as described in WAC 308-96B-010.

     (11) What if the individual with disabilities parking placard or identification card is lost, mutilated, destroyed, or stolen? To replace your individual with disabilities parking placard or identification card, complete and sign a statement explaining what happened to the placard or identification card. A new individual with disabilities parking placard or identification card will be issued, indicating the original expiration date. The placard or identification card being replaced are no longer valid and should be destroyed if located.

     (12) What should I do with my placard and identification card when they are no longer valid? When your placard and identification card are no longer valid, they should be destroyed.

Note: If the vehicle has been reported stolen or if the department record indicates the vehicle has been stolen, the same number/letter combination will not be used. This is a law enforcement issue and is for the protection of the public.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 46.16.381. 06-19-079, § 308-96B-020, filed 9/19/06, effective 10/20/06.]

© Washington State Code Reviser's Office