How to apply for handicap parking permit online

The Engineering Division receives many requests to install reserved handicap parking spaces along City streets. While the City does not allow on-street non-handicap parking spaces to be reserved, the City does have a Handicap Parking Policy that outlines the process and procedures to create reserved on-street handicap parking spaces for qualifying residents. To begin the process, residents should call the office of the City Engineer at (301) 739-8577 ext. City's policy. If it does, then you will be directed to visit the MVA's Complaints and Investigations webpage and download an Application for Personal Residential Permit for Reserved Parking Space. After you submit the application to MVA, they will contact your doctor to verify your medical condition, and will then complete an investigation to determine whether or not a reserved space is warranted. If MVA feels that your request has merit, they will notify you, the State Highway Administration, and the City that they have approved the request; the City will then install the required handicap parking sign.

Note: With many patients, there are some days a person might be able to walk the 200 feet, but then suffer substantial after-effects—including relapse of substantial symptoms—so walking the distance is medically too risky. Again, the person might be able to walk the distance on some days and not on others, so the person should have the placard; or the distance might be walked but only under conditions of suffering. All these points should be taken up with the persons physician before submitting the Registry form. Nothing should be submitted to the Registry which might be construed as a medical reason for questioning the persons ability to drive safely. When the application arrives, follow all the directions and have your doctor write a letter, on his/her letterhead, answering all the questions. Note: it is best not to indicate symptoms like dizziness, fainting, or memory loss because these suggest that you are not capable of driving safely. Also, it is best not to include breathing difficulty, because then the Registry will think you have pulmonary disease, for which they have specific measures and standards.

When you have to indicate how far you can walk, remember that you will mostly need the placard on your bad days. Estimate your walking ability based on a bad day, not on a good day (because if you don’t need it on a good day you won’t use it anyway). Think about the days when you can barely stand or walk to the bathroom. Those are the days you will really need this placard. You can even ask your doctor to describe these day-to-day mobility issues. Also there is a section where you are asked how far you can walk without rest, and how far with intermittent rest. To the Registry, “rest” does not mean sitting down or lying down, it means standing! Since standing is not rest for a person with CFIDS, I recommend either putting the same range for both sections, or describing in the doctor’s letter what “resting” means for you.

The Registry has recently begun to issue temporary placards. Make sure to indicate whether you are seeking a permanent or temporary placard. If you have been sick for less than five years, you should request a temporary placard. A temporary placard is good for one year, and then must be reapplied for. If you have been sick five or more years, make sure that your doctor indicates that your disability is permanent. Make sure that you keep copies of your application and your doctor’s letter. Later, if you get denied, it will be important to refer to them. You should hear back from the Registry within a month. If you get denied after your first application, you have ten days to appeal. I strongly recommend appealing. Call the Registry and ask why you were denied. Make them cite the specific reason(s). Ask what information they would need to have clarified in order for you to obtain a placard. Take notes on everything they tell you, including the date you called, and the name of the person with whom you spoke. If anything is unclear to you, ask the person to repeat of clarify the information.

Call the MA MAE/CFS Association and tell them what is happening. The Association can help advocate with you and is compiling information on this issue. Call your local representative’s office and/or the Governor’s office. Explain your situation to them. Ask for their help. If you applied for a placard in the past, but were denied, you can still apply again. I would suggest calling the Registry and asking them why you were denied the last time (they should still have your file). In your new application, follow the same guidelines as above, but explain which part of the process you didn’t understand before. Provide a clarification of that issue. If your appeal is denied, there are further steps you can take. Although this process can be stressful, tiring, and frustrating (especially if you are very sick), it is not necessarily a hopeless case. Generally, the longer you persevere with state agencies, the more likely you will win in the end. A copy of the state guidelines governing the issuance of Handicapped Parking Plates and Placards — 540CMR (Code of Massachusetts Regulations), section 1700 — can be obtained for free from your library. This document probably will be useful to you only after you have applied and been denied.