3304-6-01 Motor vehicle modifications scope, limitations, policy, and documents.

(A) Scope. Rules 3304-6-01 to 3304-6-15 of the Administrative Code shall apply to automotive adaptive equipment and motor vehicle modifications purchased in whole or in part by RSC including existing equipment and modifications on a vehicle titled to the consumer or an immediate family member, to which additional modifications will be purchased in whole or in part by RSC. Rules 3304-6-01 to 3304-6-15 of the Administrative Code shall not apply to repairs of standard “Original Equipment Manufacturer” (OEM) or adaptive equipment. Rules 3304-6-01 to 3304-6-15 of the Administrative Code shall apply to such purchases made under the vocational rehabilitation program, as described in rules 3304-2-21, 3304-2-23, and 3304-2-51 to 3304-2-62 of the Administrative Code.

(1) Rules 3304-6-01 to 3304-6-15 of the Administrative Code cover all devices, mechanisms, and additions to a vehicle that are or can be installed as an after-manufacturer purchase item, including devices and provisions for entering and leaving a vehicle, for operating a vehicle or the components of a vehicle, and for restraining the driver and passengers and equipment associated with those persons, such as wheelchairs, canes, walkers, etc.

(2) Rules 3304-6-01 to 3304-6-15 of the Administrative Code also cover modifications to the existing subsystems of a vehicle in order to effect adaptation for the driver or passenger, including but not limited to electrical, mechanical, control and display, and structural members.

(3) RSC does not purchase vehicles in whole or in part.

(B) Limitations. Modifications excluded from coverage under these rules are adaptive equipment or modifications to any vehicle not defined as a passenger automobile, passenger van, or truck by the Ohio Revised Code, “Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws.”

(C) Eligibility. RSC shall only fund vehicle modifications if they are necessary to enable a consumer to reach or maintain the employment outcome as defined in his/her individualized plan for employment (IPE) in accordance with the following:

(1) Driver competency. Before RSC will authorize vehicle modifications for the purpose of independent adaptive driving, the consumer shall:

(a) Participate in a driver evaluation by a qualified driver rehabilitation specialist (i.e., ADED CDRS or on CDRS eligible track) approved by RSC:

(b) Complete any driver training prescribed by the driver rehabilitation specialist. Such training must be provided by a qualified driver trainer who meets the requirements as defined in Chapter 4508 of the Revised Code and those of the department of public safety, as defined in Chapter 4501-7 of the Administrative Code, and who has been approved by RSC:

(c) Demonstrate driving competency with adaptive driving equipment equivalent to that recommended by the driver rehabilitation specialist by:

(i) Procuring a valid driver’s license with appropriate restrictions as required by the Ohio Revised Code; or

(ii) Obtaining a written certification of driver competency from a driver rehabilitation specialist in order to meet the requirements of the Ohio’s graduated licensing law for drivers under eighteen years of age; and

(d) Sign the vehicle modification consumer agreement form.

(2) Transport vehicles. Before RSC shall authorize vehicle modifications for the purpose of consumer transport, the consumer shall:

(a) Participate in a vehicle modification consultation provided by a qualified driver rehabilitation specialist approved by RSC; and

(b) Sign the vehicle modification consumer agreement form.

(3) Replacement modifications. An RSC consumer is only eligible to receive a replacement modification once every seven years, must have accumulated at least seventy-thousand miles, and must have demonstrated at least two consecutive years of involvement in an employment outcome. Exceptions to this are as follows:

(a) A consumer with a progressive disability (for example, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy) shall be provided with an upgradable modification whenever possible. Should such a consumer experience a deterioration of function such that he/she is no longer able to safely drive or be transported with the provided level of adaptive driving technology, then he/she is eligible to receive an additional modification in which the technology has been upgraded to match his/her current needs. If an upgradable modification is available at the time of the initial modification to meet the vehicle modification needs of a consumer with a progressive disability and he/she chooses not to accept such an upgradable modification, then he/she is no longer eligible for this waiver.

(b) A consumer who experiences an additional disability, such that he/she is no longer able to safely drive or be transported using the provided modification, is eligible to receive a new modification in which the adaptations match his/her current needs.

(D) General specifications and practices. The most current version of the following specifications shall be met.

(1) Documents from the U.S. veterans’ administration (VA) prosthetics assessment and information center (VAPC):

(a) VAPC-A-7708-3 “VA Standard Design and Test Criteria for Safety and Quality of Automatic Wheelchair Lift Systems for Passenger Motor Vehicles.”

(b) VAPC-A-7505-8 “VA Standard Design and Test Criteria for Safety and Quality of Special Automotive Driving Aids (Adaptive Equipment) for Standard Passenger Automobiles.”

(2) Documents from the U.S. veterans’ administration rehabilitation engineering center (VAREC):

(a) VAREC-A-8209-1 (DRAFT) “VA Standard Design and Test Criteria for Safety and Quality of Power Assisted Brake Modifications for Passenger Motor Vehicles.”

(b) VAREC-A-8210-1 (DRAFT) “VA Standard Design and Test Criteria for Safety and Quality of Power Assisted Steering Modification for Passenger Motor Vehicles.”

(3) Documentation from the U.S. veterans’ health administration (VHA) department of veterans affairs: VHA directive 97-034 (dated July 9, 1997 or as subsequently revised as of date of purchase) “Department of Veterans Approval Add-on Automobile Adaptive Equipment.”

(4) Documentation from the national mobility equipment dealers association:

(a) “Guidelines.”

(b) “Raised Roof and Doors – Ford E150 – Guidelines Manual.”

(c) “Lowered Floor Ford – E150 and E250 – Guidelines Manual.”

(5) The Texas A&M university system: “Adaptive Control Equipped Vehicle 2000 Mile Test” (recommended test plan).

(6) National highway traffic safety administration’s (NHTSA) federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) contained in federal regulations at 49 C.F.R. 571:

(a) Section 571.101, standard number 101: “Controls and Displays.”

(b) Section 571.102, standard number 102: “Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect.”

(c) Section 571.104, standard number 104: “Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems.”

(d) Section 571.105, standard number 105: “Hydraulic Brake Systems.”

(e) Section 571.106, standard number 106: “Brake Hoses.”

(f) Section 571.118, standard number 118: “Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems.”

(g) Section 571.124, standard number 124: “Accelerator Control Systems.”

(h) Section 571.201, standard number 201: “Occupant Protection in Interior Impact.”

(i) Section 571.203, standard number 203: “Impact Protection for the Driver from the Steering System Control.”

(j) Section 571.204, standard number 204: “Steering Control Rearward Displacement.”

(k) Section 571.207, standard number 207: “Seating Systems.”

(l) Section 571.208, standard number 208: “Occupant Crash Protection.”

(m) Section 571.209, standard number 209: “Seat Belt Assemblies.”

(n) Section 571.210, standard number 210: “Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages.”

(o) Section 571.214, standard number 214: “Side Impact Protection.”

(p) Section 571.216, standard number 216: “Roof Crush.”

(q) Section 571.301, standard number 301: “Fuel System Integrity.”

(r) Section 571.302, standard number 302: “Flammability of Interior Materials.”

(7) National highway traffic safety administration’s (NHTSA) exemption from the make inoperative prohibition contained in federal regulations at 49 C.F.R. 595.

(8) American welding society (AWS):

(a) AWS D1.1-94 or most current version of “Structural Welding Code – Steel.”

(b) AWS D10.7-86R or most current version of “Recommended Practices for Gas Shielded Arc Welding of Aluminum and Aluminum Alloy Pipe.”

(9) Society of automotive engineers (SAE):

(a) SAE J140: “Seat Belt Hardware Test Procedure.”

(b) SAE J188: “Power Steering Pressure Hose.”

(c) SAE J189: “Power Steering Return Hose.”

(d) SAE J190-J191: “Power Steering Pressure Hose Assemblies.”

(e) SAE J384: “Motor Vehicle Seat Belt Anchorages-Test Procedure.”

(f) SAE J385: “Motor Vehicle Seat Belt Anchorages.”

(g) SAE J514: “Hydraulic Tube Fittings.”

(h) SAE J516: “Hydraulic Hose Fittings.”

(i) SAE J517: “Hydraulic Hose.”

(j) SAE J518: “Hydraulic Flanged Tube, Pipe, and Hose Connections 4-Bolt Split Flange Type.”

(k) SAE J1138: “Design Criteria – Driver Hand Controls Location for Passenger Cars, Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles and Trucks, (10,000 GVW and Under).”

(l) SAE J1139: “Direction of Motion Stereotypes for Automatic Hand Controls

(m) SAE TSB002: “Preparation of SAE Technical Reports

(n) SAE J1176: “External Leakage Classifications for Hydraulic System.”

(o) SAE J1211: “Recommended Environmental Practices for Electronic Equipment Design.”

(p) SAE J1273: Recommended Practices for Hydraulic Hose Assemblies.”

(q) SAE J1292: “Automotive, Truck, Truck-Tractor, Trailer, and Motor Coach Wiring.”

(r) SAE J1402: “Automotive Air Brake Hose and Hose Assemblies.”

(s) SAE J1403: “Vacuum Brake Hose.”

(t) SAE J1903: “Automobile Adaptive Driver Controls, Manual.”

(u) SAE J2094: “Vehicle and Control Modifications for Driving with Physical Disabilities Terminology.”

(v) SAE J1725: “Structural Modification for Personally Licensed Vehicles to Meet the Transportation Needs of Persons with Disabilities.”

(w) SAE J2092: “Testing of Wheelchair Lifts for Entry to or Exit from a Personally Licensed Vehicle.”

(x) SAE J2093: “Design Considerations for Wheelchair Lifts for Entry to or Exit from a Personally Licensed Vehicle.”

(y) SAE J2249: “Wheelchair Tie-down and Occupant Restraint Systems for Use in Motor Vehicles.”

(10) Ohio department of highway safety: Ohio Revised Code, “Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws.”

(11) Military standards (MIL-STD): 1472D “Human Engineering Design Criteria for Military Systems, Equipment and Facilities:” 5.4.1.8 “Prevention of Inadvertent Operation.”

(12) Driver training schools: Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 4508.

(13) Ohio department of public safety: Ohio Administrative Code 4501-7. “Commercial Driver Training Schools.”

(E) Rebates. The consumer must apply for all applicable mobility rebates. If a consumer receives a rebate from an original equipment manufacturer because of modifications made to a vehicle, that rebate shall be returned to RSC to defray the costs of the modifications.

R.C. 119.032 review dates: 05/24/2007 and 05/24/2012

Promulgated Under: 119.03

Statutory Authority: 3304.16(A)

Rule Amplifies: 3304.16(H)

Prior Effective Dates: 05/10/1995, 08/02/1999, 06/03/2002