The Disability Certificate is not just a document for a person with disability but a proof of his/her disability and an important tool for availing the benefits / facilities / rights that they are entitled to, from the Central as well as State Government under various appropriate enabling legislations.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment had notified procedures for the Medical Boards of District Civil hospitals for issuance, assessments and the format of Disability Certificate. Details of the existing procedures are listed below.
However in view of the difficulties faced by people across the country in availing of Disability Certificates and the procedural problems, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, is currently reviewing the matter and has sought comments and suggestions from the concerned agencies/users.

☻ Conditions for obtaining Disability Certificate

☻ Process of Certifications

☻ Permanent / Temporary Certificate

☻ Procedure for obtaining Disability Card

☻ Advantages granted to the Owner of Disability Card

In order to become eligible for obtaining the Disability Certificate, a person with disability should fulfill the following conditions:

☻ To be an Indian citizen.

☻ To possess medical reports explaining type of his/her disability.

☻ The minimum degree of disability

Conditions for obtaining Disability Certificate

<>Parent of a person with disability, or a person himself, should approach to the District hospital with his request for obtaining Disability Certificate providing the following documents:-

☻ Copy of I.D. of the person with disability and 2 photographs showing the disability part.

☻ Copy of all medical and psychological reports available.

☻ Medical Board distributes the cases to the medical sub-committees specialized for different types of disabilities, according to the medical diagnosis of the person with disability.

☻ Medical Board issues the Disability Certificate to the person with disability that he should receive from the District Hospital, after its verification by the Head of the Medical Board.

☻ The State Governments / UT Administrations may constitute the medical boards

☻ The Director General of Health Services Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will be the final authority, should there arise any Controversy/doubt regarding the interpretation of the definitions/classifications/evaluations tests etc.

Mental Retardation

A disability certificate shall be issued by a Medical Board consisting of three members duly constituted by the Central/State Government. At least, one shall be a Specialist in the area of mental retardation, namely, Psychiatrist, Paediatrician and clinical Psychologist.
The examination process will consist of three components, namely, clinical assessment, assessment of adaptive behaviour and intellectual functioning.

Visual Disability

A disability certificate shall be issued by a Medical Board duly constituted by the Central/State Government having, at least three members. Out of which, at least one member shall be a specialist in ophthalmology.

Speech and Hearing Disability

A disability certificate shall be issued by a Medical Board duly constituted by the Central and the State Government. Out of which, at least, one member shall be a specialist in the field of ENT.

Locomotor Disability

A disability certificate shall be issued by a Medical Board of three members duly constituted by the Central and the State Government, out of which, at least, one member shall be a specialist from either the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation or Orthopedics.

Multiple Disability

The procedure will remain the same as of various single disabilities. The final disability certificate for multiple disability will be issued by Disability Board which has given higher score of disability by combining the score of different disabilities using the combining formula, i.e., a + b (90-a).
90
In case, where two scores of disability are equal, the final certificate of multiple disability will be issued by any one of them as decided by Local authority

The certificate would be valid for a period of five years for those whose disability is temporary. For those who acquire permanent disability, the validity can be shown as 'Permanent'.
If permanent disability certificate is not issued, then the Medical Board has to specifically mention whether the condition is progressive/non-progressive/likely to improve/not likely to improve and the Re-assessment is not recommended or re-assessment is recommended after a given period.

A parent of the person with disability, or that person himself, will approach to the District Hospital providing all necessary documents and reports as following

☻ Copy of the Disability Certificate.

☻ Two (2) personal photos.

☻ Copy of I.D. of the person with disability.

☻ Copy of the Residence.

Disabled Welfare Department/ District hospital should issue the disability card to the person at the same time, after the sighing authority has signed it.

 

After perusal of the disability certificate, issued in any manner, should be a certificate valid for all practical and theoretical purposes, where the factor of an individual being a person with a disability is material.

All these schemes and services provided to Persons with disabilities differ from state wise. Some services are common but this need to standardize for every individual.

☻ Assistance for prosthetic aids and appliances to disabled

☻ Scholarship to the disabled students

☻ Free travels in state transport buses for disabled, issue of free bus pass

☻ Provision for loans for self-employment

☻ Programme for assistance for higher education to disabled

☻ Grant of Incentive for Marriage between Disabled and normal persons.

☻ Grant of Fuel subsidy to disabled person who own motorized vehicle.

☻ Payment of unemployment allowance to educated disabled persons

☻ Financial assistance to totally disabled persons

☻ Award of scholarships to disabled students

☻ Incentive for eye donors

☻ Reimbursement of maintenance cost of tricycles

☻ Supply of sarees and dhoties to disabled persons

☻ Reimbursement of maintenance cost of tricycles

☻ Supply of sarees and dhoties to disabled persons

☻ State award for the welfare of the handicapped

☻ Supply of prosthetic appliances to disabled persons

☻ Supply of cooling glasses, Braille watches and walking sticks

☻ Annual tour for disabled persons

☻ International day for the disabled

☻ Group insurance for disabled government employees

☻ Group insurance for disabled other than government employees

☻ The scheme for financial assistance towards funeral expenses of the disabled

☻ Supply of invalid carriages (motorized tri-cycles) to the persons with disabilities

☻ Supply of musical / sports items to ph welfare associations group insurance for disabled