Where To Apply For A Handicap Parking Permit

Handicap parking permits are a godsend to many people. They massively improve the lives of millions of Americans. People who suffer from one or more of a wide range of disabilities, both physical and mental, are entitled to use a handicap parking placard on the vehicle they travel in. But many Americans who are entitled to use a disabled parking permit do not yet do so. This is mainly because they are not aware that their specific disability qualifies them to use disabled parking. It is now easier than ever before to apply to use handicap parking. But where to apply for a handicap parking permit?

Advances in modern technology, and in the telemedicine arena in particular, have made it simpler and less of a hassle than ever before to apply for a handicap parking permit. The whole process can now be done from the comfort of a person’s own home.

Telemedicine is the marriage of traditional medicine with cutting-edge information and communications technology. More and more people, both doctors and patients, are now choosing to use telemedicine. Telemedicine enables patients to consult with medical professionals, in all areas of medicine, from the comfort of their own home. They achieve this life-enhancing feat using modern communications technologies like online video calls, apps such as Skype, and devices including smartphones and tablets. Super-fast broadband technology has made rapid, efficient communication between doctors and patients totally reliable and very fast.

So how do you apply for a handicap parking permit using telemedicine?

There is a list of qualifying medical conditions that entitle a person to use disabled parking in every US state. This core list is made up of the following disabilities: an inability to walk 200 feet without needing to stop for rest; a heart condition classified Class III or Class IV by the American Heart Association; a lung disease; any condition that requires the use of a portable oxygen tank; legal blindness; any condition that necessitates the use of a wheelchair, Zimmer frame, crutch, cane, other person, or brace in order to get around; being an amputee; severe arthritis; and rheumatoid arthritis.

While these conditions qualify a person in all states, certain states also designate various other conditions as necessitating the use of a disabled permit. For example, both New York State and Virginia treat mental illness and developmental disabilities as qualifying conditions, and various other states treat acute sensitivity to sunlight as qualifying conditions for handicap parking.

Using telemedicine to apply for a handicap parking permit is well worth it. Holders of any state’s handicap permits are entitled to park in any designated disabled parking space in every state in the entire country. In many states – for example, California, Texas, Maryland, and South Carolina – handicap placard holders may park in any metered on-street spaces for free.

Once you have established that you have a condition that may qualify you for disabled parking in America, you need to book a telemedicine consultation with a medical professional. The type of medical professional that qualifies to verify disabilities varies state by state. In all states, registered physicians are qualified. In many states, optometrists, nurse practitioners, podiatrists, and chiropractors are also qualified. All states have numerous medical professionals that offer telemedicine consultations. It is very easy to use Google to find medical professionals using telemedicine in your state.

When you find a suitable telemedicine doctor, book an appointment. The telemedicine consultation will be carried out online from the comfort of your own home. Once your disability has been verified the medical professional will need to fill in a section of your state’s disabled parking permit application form. They can then send the partially filled-in application form to you via email.

All you need to do then is fill in the remainder of the form and post it to your local Department of Motor Vehicles office to be processed. (In the vast majority of states, the local DMV processes disabled parking applications; however, in a few states it is the local tax office or county hall.)

In the application package, you should include the completed application form, a photocopy of your ID card or driver’s license, and any required fees.

Once the application has been processed, your placard or license plate (depending on which of these you applied for) will be sent to you by mail.

Replacement placards and plates (when the original has been lost, damaged, or stolen), as well as renewed placards and plates (when the original has expired), can both been applied for remotely using telemedicine also. With temporary placards, a new telemedicine consultation will be necessary. But with permanent placards or plates, no new doctor’s verification is required and a new application form filled in by the applicant only is sufficient.

As you can see, thanks to telemedicine, it is now easier than ever to apply for a handicap parking permit!