SB 1034

SB1034:v98#DOCUMENT

Bill Start

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 1034

An act to amend Sections 295.7 and 5007 of the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1034, as amended, McNerney. Vehicles: special license plates.

Existing law defines “disabled veteran” for purposes of the Vehicle Code as, among other things, a person who, as a result of injury or disease suffered while on active service with the Armed Forces of the United States, has a disability that has been rated at 100% by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Existing law also defines a “disabled veteran” as a veteran who is unable to move without the aid of an assistant device. Existing law defines a “disabled person” as a person who has lost, or has lost the use of, one or more lower extremities or both hands, or who has significant limitation in the use of lower extremities, or who has a diagnosed disease or disorder which substantially impairs or interferes with mobility, or who is so severely disabled as to be unable to move without the aid of an assistant device, among other conditions.

This bill would instead define a disabled veteran as a veteran who cannot walk without the use of an assistant device. The bill would expand the definition of “disabled veteran” to include a veteran who cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest, a veteran who is severely limited in the ability to walk because of an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition, or a veteran who has visual acuity of 20/200 or less, among other conditions, as specified. a person who has a condition that meets the eligibility requirements for a disabled person, as specified above.

Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles, upon application and without additional fees, to issue a special license plate or plates to a disabled person, disabled veteran, or an organization or agency involved in the transportation of disabled persons or veterans, as specified, in accordance with procedures adopted by the department. Existing law authorizes a disabled person or disabled veteran to apply to the department for the issuance of a distinguishing placard in lieu of the special license plate or plates for parking purposes, as specified. Existing law authorizes the department to establish procedures for the issuance and renewal of the placards.

This bill would require the department to issue a special license plate or plates to a disabled veteran rated 100% permanent and total if the veteran also qualifies for the placard mentioned above, regardless of whether the qualifying mobility condition is service connected.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 295.7 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

295.7.

A “disabled veteran” is a person who, as a result of injury or disease suffered while on active service with the armed forces of the United States, suffers any of the following:

(a) Has a disability which has been rated at 100 percent by the Department of Veterans Affairs or the military service from which the veteran was discharged, due to a diagnosed disease or disorder which substantially impairs or interferes with mobility.

(b)Cannot walk without the use of, or assistance from, an assistant device, including a brace, cane, crutch, another person, or a prosthetic device, wheelchair, or similar device.

(b) Is so severely disabled as to be unable to move without the aid of an assistant device.

(c) Has lost, or has lost use of, one or more limbs.

(d) Has suffered permanent blindness, as defined in Section 19153 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(e)Has visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses or visual acuity of more than 20/200 but with a limited field of vision in which the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle of 20 degrees or less.

(f)Cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest.

(g)Is restricted by lung disease to the extent that the person’s forced (respiratory) expiratory volume for one second when measured by spirometry is less than one liter, or the person’s arterial oxygen tension (pO2) is less than 60 mm/Hg on room air while the person is at rest.

(h)Has a cardiac condition to the extent that the person’s functional limitations are classified in severity as Class III or Class IV according to standards set by the American Heart Association.

(i)Is severely limited in the ability to walk because of an arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition.

(j)Has a disorder of the foot that, in the opinion of a physician, limits or impairs the person’s ability to walk, or has another debilitating condition that, in the opinion of a physician or a person authorized by applicable law to practice medicine in a hospital or other health facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs, limits or impairs the person’s ability to walk.

(k)Uses portable oxygen.

(e) Has a condition that meets the eligibility requirements for a disabled person pursuant to Section 295.5.

SEC. 2.

Section 5007 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

5007.

(a) The department shall, upon application and without additional fees, issue a special license plate or plates pursuant to procedures adopted by the department to all of the following:

(1) A disabled person.

(2) A disabled veteran. Notwithstanding Section 295.7, a disabled veteran rated 100 percent permanent and total qualifies for a plate pursuant to this section if the veteran also qualifies for a placard issued under Section 22511.55 or 22511.59, regardless of whether the qualifying mobility condition is service connected.

(3) An organization or agency involved in the transportation of disabled persons or disabled veterans if the motor vehicle that will have the special license plate is used solely for the purpose of transporting those persons.

(b) The special license plates issued under subdivision (a) shall run in a regular numerical series that shall include one or more unique two-letter codes reserved for disabled person license plates or disabled veteran license plates. The International Symbol of Access adopted pursuant to Section 3 of Public Law 100-641, commonly known as the “wheelchair symbol,” shall be depicted on each plate.

(c) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), before issuing a special license plate to a disabled person or disabled veteran, the department shall require the submission of a certificate, in accordance with paragraph (2), signed by the physician and surgeon, or to the extent that it does not cause a reduction in the receipt of federal aid highway funds, by a nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or physician assistant, substantiating the disability, unless the applicant’s disability is readily observable and uncontested. The disability of a person who has lost, or has lost the use of, one or more lower extremities or one hand, for a disabled veteran, or both hands for a disabled person, or who has significant limitation in the use of lower extremities, may also be certified by a licensed chiropractor. The disability of a person related to the foot or ankle may be certified by a licensed podiatrist. The blindness of an applicant shall be certified by a licensed physician and surgeon who specializes in diseases of the eye or a licensed optometrist. The physician and surgeon, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, physician assistant, chiropractor, or optometrist certifying the qualifying disability shall provide a full description of the illness or disability on the form submitted to the department.

(2) The physician and surgeon, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, physician assistant, chiropractor, podiatrist, or optometrist who signs a certificate submitted under this subdivision shall retain information sufficient to substantiate that certificate and, upon request of the department, shall make that information available for inspection by the Medical Board of California or the appropriate regulatory board.

(3) For a disabled veteran, the department shall accept, in lieu of the certificate described in paragraph (1), a certificate from a county veterans service officer, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the United States Department of Veterans Affairs that certifies that the applicant is a disabled veteran as described in Section 295.7.

(d) A disabled person or disabled veteran who is issued a license plate or plates under this section shall, upon request, present to a peace officer, or person authorized to enforce parking laws, ordinances, or regulations, a certification form that substantiates the eligibility of the disabled person or veteran to possess the plate or plates. The certification shall be on a form prescribed by the department and contain the name of the disabled person or disabled veteran to whom the plate or plates were issued, and the name, address, and telephone number of the medical professional described in subdivision (c) who certified the eligibility of the person or veteran for the plate or plates.

(e) The certification requirements of subdivisions (c) and (d) do not apply to an organization or agency that is issued a special license plate or plates under paragraph (3) of subdivision (a).

(f) The special license plate shall, upon the death of the disabled person or disabled veteran, be returned to the department within 60 days or upon the expiration of the vehicle registration, whichever occurs first.

(g) When a motor vehicle subject to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) is sold or transferred, the special license plate or plates issued to an organization or agency under paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) for that motor vehicle shall be immediately returned to the department.

(h) The department shall require a person who applies for a special license plate pursuant to this section to provide proof of the applicant’s true full name and date of birth that shall be established by submitting one of the following to the department:

(1) A copy or facsimile of the applicant’s state issued driver’s license or identification card.

(2) A copy or facsimile of the document required for an applicant for a driver’s license or identification card to establish the applicant’s true full name.

(3) An applicant unable to establish legal presence in the United States may fulfill the true full name and date of birth requirement by providing the department a copy or facsimile of the documents used to establish identity pursuant to Section 12801.9.