DALLAS — This year, a new law was implemented that states disabled veterans who only possess DV license plates can no longer park in handicapped parking spaces. Disabled veterans now need to apply for a disabled parking license plate or placard in order to be allowed to park in those spots.
Senate Bill 792 established that only vehicles displaying a license plate or placard with the International Symbol of Access (ISA) may park in handicapped parking spaces. Current disabled veteran license plates do not feature the ISA, and not all disabilities that qualify a veteran for DV plates qualify them for plates or a placard with the ISA.
The bill’s author, Texas Senator Donna Campbell — a previous chair of the Veterans Affairs and Border Security Committee — said organizations like Paralyzed Veterans of America urgently requested this change of because of a lack of handicapped parking availability, especially at VA facilities.
“Before SB 792 was put in place, any person with a disabled veteran license plate could utilize handicapped parking regardless of whether or not they are mobility impaired,” Campbell said.
While Campbell has stated they wrote the law to make it easier for mobility impaired veterans to get to the front door of a building, a veteran in Dallas says he’s having to jump through hoops just to get the placard.
“It used to be that you were able to park with your Disabled Veteran plates, just with that DV in itself and that marker stating that you’re a disabled veteran. But now, you actually have to have that license plate with a DV designator on it and a placard that you have to hang from your rearview mirror,” said disabled veteran Louis Medina. “I totally disagree with this new law. I think it’s obtuse and cumbersome and has more red tape than anything that I have encountered regarding disabled veterans.”
Medina served for several years in the Marines. During that time, he sustained injuries to his knees, ankles and lower back. Medina currently has DV plates on his vehicle, meaning the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has certified his service-connected disability rating as 50 percent or more. He’s been trying since the start of 2022 to be approved for the newly required disabled parking placard, but his doctor initially denied his application. He said she stated his condition did not warrant the placard. He’s since received an arthritis diagnosis, which he believes will help his case with the application.
“I don’t use [disabled parking spaces] all the time. Mostly I park in regular spots, but it’s just that one day where you really need it, and you can’t use it now because the VA decided, ’Oh no, you don’t get it because X, Y, Z, because you haven’t proved that you deserve it,’” Medina said. “She just said that my condition was not was not sufficient to warrant the placard, that there’s basically — in certain words — veterans that are worse. Which, I mean, they are and I absolutely agree. But there’s some other times that hey, I do need the help because it just hurts. I’d rather have a Vietnam veteran or a Korean veteran have the use of spot because I’m still a little bit abled, but it’s nice to have it just in case for that one day. It’s better to need it than not have it.”
Medina says he’s seen more people who are not veterans abuse the handicapped parking spots outside of Kroger or Walmart, which he says is irritating.
“They’re abusing the system. I’m not saying that they’re not disabled, but who knows? So it’s a toss up,” Medina said. “We don’t know if the person is disabled. At least with us [veterans], you know that you have to go through the process of battling the VA and having them say yes, you’re over 60% disabled [to get DV plates]. But nowadays, you have to pretty much prove that you have [DV plates] on top of being able to articulate to your doctor, ‘Hey, this is why I need [the placard],’ and then the doctor have to say yes you do deserve the placard.”
Medical conditions that meet the legal definition of a disability — that determine the eligibility for a disabled person placard or license plate — are visual impairments and mobility problems that substantially impair the ability of the person to move around, like wheelchair confinement and foot disorders. See the full list here. Medina says this unfairly excludes veterans who may deal with mental disabilities or a mobility impairment that are aggravated during cold weather.
“There’s mental disabilities where they might be having a bad day with PTSD and they just want to park up front and go get their groceries instead of having to loop around the parking lot and try to find a parking space which is further down. And maybe they were having a bad episode of their PTSD and that could aggravate into something else where they lash out at somebody and it could just be that simple thing where it triggered a combat veteran to, I don’t know, create harm to somebody — which would be not the best idea,” Medina said.
The next steps for Medina are to contact his doctor and make a follow-up appointment to argue his case and show her his surgical information that he believes will be enough proof to get a decision reversal.
“They need hard paperwork with the surgical information from the VA that says, ‘Hey, yes, this guy deserves or needs the disabled veteran placard.’ I’m really hoping. It’s a toss up because if it doesn’t work, then I have to go back to square one and try to figure out what I can do,” Medina said. “It’s just more red tape on a veteran. We’re already dealing with enough red tape with the VA as it is, having them giving us all types of grief of like, ‘Well, you know, we don’t think that you have this condition.’”
Campbell encourages any veterans who have questions regarding the recent change in the law to contact her office at 512-463-0125.
“There is no more honorable profession, and no greater title of valor than to be called a veteran. I began each Veteran Affairs and Border Security Committee hearing with that statement to serve as a reminder of how much we owe and appreciate our veterans. I was born on a naval base and grew up with a great respect for the military. Every legislative session, I work hard to ensure that we keep our obligations to our veterans not only in word but also in deed,” Campbell said. “We are indebted to our veterans for protecting our national security and defending our freedom. It is an honor to serve those who have so selfless served our nation.”
Download forms necessary to get new disabled parking placards, or read more about the requirements here.