General Requirements and Eligibility Standards

(1) Choice of Plate or Placard. Apersonwho satisfies the qualifications of540 CMR 17.03(2) shall be entitled to either a plate or a placard. A person may choose to have a placard; but a plate shall be available only to a person who is a registered owner of the motor vehicle to which the plate is to be attached. The rights, privileges and obligations associated with a plate and a placard are the same. The Registrar may issue both a plate and a placard upon application and for good cause shown by the applicant. 17.03: continued (2) Medical Standards. To qualify for a plate or a placard, the applicant must meet one or more of the following standards: (a) cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, or cannot walk without the assistance of another person, prosthetic aid, or otherassistive device,as a result of a described clinical diagnosis; (b) has a cardiovascular disease to the extent that his or her functionallimitations are classified in severity as Class III or Class IV by the American Heart Association; (c) has a pulmonary disease to the extent that forced expiratory volume (FEV-1) in one second when measured by spirometryis less thanone liter, or requires continuous oxygen therapy, or has an O2 saturation level of 88% at rest or with minimal exertion even with supplemental oxygen; (d) is blind to the extent that his or her central visual acuity does not exceed 20/200 (Snellen) in the better eye, with corrective lenses, or has a visual acuity that is greater than 20/200 in the better eye but with a limitation in the field of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle not greater than 20°; (e) has lost, or permanently lost the use of, one or more limbs. (3) Medical Certification. The applicant's medical condition must be certified by a health care provider, by completion of the relevant sections of the prescribed application form. The health care provider shall also provide an opinion regarding the applicant's ability to safely operate a motor vehicle in light ofthe medicalconditioncertified. If the medical certification contains insufficient information to enable the Registry reasonably to determine whether the medical qualifications have been satisfied, it may request supplemental medical documentation, but is under no obligation to do so. (4) Effect on Driving Privileges. If the health care provider is unable to certify that the applicant is medically qualified to operate a motor vehicle safely, the Registry may require the applicant to successfully undergo a competency road skills test as a condition for retaining driving privileges. Applicants who qualify for a plate or placard as a result of a functional Class IV cardiac condition according to the standards set by the American Heart Association, legal blindness, an O2 saturation level of 88% at rest or with minimal exertion even with supplemental oxygen, or any other medical condition that the Registry determines, based on an individual risk assessment, is likely to impede the safe operation of a motor vehicle, shall be required to surrender their license to operate. Upon surrender, such individuals shall have an opportunity for a hearing, at which time they may present further medical qualification testimony. (5) Temporary Placards. If, in the opinionofthe health care provider, the duration of the applicant's disability is at least two months but less than 24 months, the applicant shall be issued a Temporary Placard, with an expiration date coincident with the expected duration of the disability. (6) Re-certification of Disability. The Registry may require a holder of a plate or placard to submit a re-certification ofthe person's disability by a health care provider at such intervals and in such form as the Registrar may determine.