Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

Childhood Cancer Lantern
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Pennsylvania program

Temporary disability parking placard (free, six months)

A free temporary parking placard can shorten the walk to care when your child has a qualifying mobility limitation.

What it is

A free temporary parking placard can shorten the walk to care when your child has a qualifying mobility limitation.

A parking placard can make clinic arrivals easier when walking is difficult during treatment. The clinician certifies the functional limit on PennDOT's form. The diagnosis alone does not establish eligibility.

Eligibility rules
  • One qualifying criterion is inability to walk 200 feet without stopping to rest. The form also lists other qualifying functional disabilities.
  • Certifiers include a physician, physician assistant, certified registered nurse practitioner, chiropractor, optometrist or podiatrist. They must act within scope and be licensed or certified in Pennsylvania or a contiguous state. A parent can sign the application for a child.
What you get
  • A temporary disability parking placard with no fee.
  • Use for up to six months, as certified.
  • Access to designated disability parking under the placard rules.
What the help includes
  • The temporary placard is limited to the certified period, up to six months. It is not an automatic permanent parking entitlement.
  • PennDOT charges no fee for the temporary placard.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the clinic whether your child's walking limitation meets a PennDOT disability criterion.
  2. Complete form MV-145A with the clinician's certification and send it to PennDOT if you choose to request the placard.

PennDOT · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • PennDOT sends the placard after accepting the application. A temporary placard cannot simply be extended.
  • Hang the placard while parked and take it down when driving; it is for trips carrying your child. When it expires, a new application and certification are needed.
Good to know

Cancer treatment or a central line alone is not the test. More time after expiration needs a new application and certification.

Other details
  • The clinician's description of the walking limit matters more than the cancer diagnosis alone.
  • A fresh certified application is needed if the qualifying limitation continues beyond the temporary period.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“If treatment limits our child's walking, would a temporary placard fit? Could you help with the certification and explain what happens if the difficulty lasts longer than six months?”

Why I’m asking: I want to make the walk into appointments manageable when treatment makes walking hard.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Bring the PennDOT form to the clinic and mail it.

Your social worker

The social worker keeps the form on hand.

The care team

Certifies the walking limit on the PennDOT form.

Who decides
PennDOT
Ask the care team
“Can you certify the PennDOT form for a temporary parking placard? My child cannot walk 200 feet without resting during treatment.”

How to apply

First step: Print the PennDOT form, have the clinician certify it, and send it to PennDOT.

  1. Have the clinic complete MV-145A and send it to PennDOT.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Form MV-145A with the clinician's certification.

What to gather

  • Form MV-145A
  • Clinician certification

How long: PennDOT processing; no fee.

What a yes looks like

A temporary placard in the mail.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Certification not accepted; ask the clinic to describe the walking limit.

Watch out

  • Diagnosis alone is not the test; the walking limit is.
  • Not extendable: a new certified form after six months.
  • Temporary permit: no fee, up to six months. Ask the clinician to document a qualifying walking limitation on MV-145A; cancer treatment or a central line alone is not a confirmed basis.
  • For more time after a temporary placard expires, submit new certification and a new application; do not assume an automatic renewal.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 10, 2026.

What it is worth

Free temporary placard, up to six months, on a clinician's certification.

  • $0 — Fee
  • $6 — Maximum temporary placard period
  • $200 — Walking distance criterion

Covers: Temporary disability parking placard

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Criterion
a qualifying functional disability, for example cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest
Certifier
physician, chiropractor, optometrist, podiatrist, physician assistant or certified registered nurse practitioner
Duration
up to six months; not extendable

The trap: It cannot be extended; a new certified application is needed after six months.

Where I read this

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