New Electronic Disability Parking Application/Recertification Process

As you are probably aware, chiropractic physicians are able to certify disability for parking placards on behalf of patients (more). Just this week, the Secretary of State (SoS) announced that previously issued disabled parking placards will be expiring throughout 2018 with notices being mailed now, and they have created a new online recertification process for chiropractic physicians and other health care providers. Below is the announcement from the SoS:

The Secretary of State’s Office has developed a new electronic application process to help medical professionals and their patients renew their disabled parking placards, which will be expiring throughout the calendar 2018.

Our office has already begun mailing renewal notices to those individuals with disabled parking placards expiring in January 2018 and you may soon start seeing patients in your office for recertification.

The old, paper process can be cumbersome for patients and medical professionals. This new process allows medical professionals to sign in on the Secretary of State’s website using their Illinois professional license number, their last name and the last four digits of their social security number. They are then prompted to supply the required patient information. When finished, the renewal application can be electronically submitted to our office.

The old paper process for renewing disabled parking placards is still in place and can be used by patients and medical professionals; however, using the paper process may lengthen the amount of time it takes for our office to mail the new placard to the patient.

Here are the instructions for accessing the Disability Parking Electronic Renewal Application:

• Go to www.cyberdriveillinois.com
• In the search box that appears at the top of the screen, type in “disability placard verification” and click on the search button (magnifying glass)
• Select “disability placard verification” in the search results that appear and it will take you to the medical professional’s verification section.
• Read the instructions and, where indicated, type in the following to log on:

o   Illinois Medical Professional License Number

o   Last Name

o   Last Four Digits of Social Security Number

• Read the fraud warning and click on the “Submit” button.  NOTE:  Your name, license number, and SSN will be checked against the records of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation before you are allowed to proceed.
• Once you have been allowed access to the system, type in the patient’s current disability placard number and their PIN, then click on “Submit.”  NOTE:  The patient has already been advised to bring their renewal letter with them to their medical professional visit.  The letter contains the placard number and the PIN.
• Verify patient information that appears on the computer screen and provide the required medical information about the patient.  NOTE:  If the required fields of the medical information are not filled in correctly, the electronic application will be rejected.
• Read and click on the “Attestation” at the bottom of the screen once the medical information has been provided.
• If the application is accepted, a confirmation will appear on the screen which can be printed and placed in the patient’s file or given to the patient to take home.
• For any problems submitting the electronic application, please call the Secretary of State’s Office at 217-782-2258.

The following is a list of FAQs released by SoS for this process:

How do I sign on to use the electronic application program?

Medical professionals who are statutorily qualified to certify a disability can sign onto the electronic process by typing in their Illinois professional license number, their last name and the last four digits of their social security number.

The medical professional can then type in the requested information to pull up their patient’s record in the Secretary of State’s system and put in the requested medical information on their patient’s disability.  They must read and electronically sign the attestation at the end of the application and then electronically submit to the Secretary of State’s Office.

The medical professional will get an electronic confirmation from the Secretary of State’s Office that can be printed and put in the patient’s file or given to the patient.

Can my staff fill out the electronic application process on my behalf or on behalf of the patient?

Illinois law allows Advanced Practical Nurses and Physician’s Assistants to fill out the medical information regarding a patient.  They would sign into the electronic application program using their own license number, name and social security number.  However, the supervising physician would still have to electronically sign the application before it could be submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office for processing.

What are the benefits of using the electronic application process?

Medical professionals will not have to keep track of the paper application provided by their patients during the renewal process.  Once the electronic application is completed and electronically submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office, no more work is required.

The electronic process also allows applicants and medical professionals to check the status of their renewal application once the application has been submitted by the medical professional.

How secure is my personal information if I use the electronic process?

The system is very secure.  When a medical professional electronically sign in to insert the patient’s medical information, he/she uses their medical license number, their last name and the last four digits of their social security number.  This information is instantly confirmed with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) before the medical professional can proceed with the application.

If the medical professional is not licensed within the State of Illinois or his/her license is not in good standing with IDFPR, the application process will not move forward.

Why do I have to supply the last four digits of my social security number when I sign in to the electronic application?

A medical professional’s state license number and name is public information and can be obtained by anyone through the IDFPR web site. The social security number is something that is not public information and would be known only to the holder.  By providing these three pieces of information, the Secretary of State’s Office is ensured that identity theft has not occurred.

Can I still use the old written application process?

Yes.  The written application process is still in place and can be used by any applicant and medical professional renewing a disabled parking placard.  The applicant will receive the renewal information in the mail, make an appointment with their medical professional and he/she will provide the needed medical information to obtain a new parking placard.  The application can then be mailed by either the applicant or the medical professional to the Secretary of State’s office.

Is the electronic application process open for any patient needed a disability parking placard?

At this time, the electronic process is only available to those individuals who are renewing their blue (permanent) or yellow/grey (permanent and meter-exempt) placard.  Persons with red (temporary) placards, patients requesting a placard for the first time or patients with a disabled child will have to utilize the paper application process.  We hope to have the electronic program open to placard holders sometime in the future. 

I currently have a patient that has a blue (permanent) disability placard but their diagnosis now qualifies them for a yellow/grey (permanent and meter-exempt) parking placard.  Can I use the electronic process to renew?

No.  An applicant moving from one category of disabled parking placard to another is considered a new applicant and must utilize the paper application process. 

What number can I call with any questions about the placard renewal process?

Anyone with questions about the process may call the Disabled Parking Program at 217-782-2885.