Medical Evaluation Program for Drivers with Disabilities

TriHealth offers a program to evaluate the impact of injury or illness (new or old) on your ability to drive safely. Skilled evaluation leading to physician approval to drive is appropriate for drivers of all ages who have medical conditions that may impair ability to safely operate a vehicle. Clinical driving assessments are most appropriate if you have a broad spectrum of physical and cognitive disabilities, including dementia, stroke, arthritis, low vision, learning disabilities, limb amputations, neuromuscular disorders, spinal cord injuries, mental health problems, cardiovascular diseases and other causes of functional deficits.

TriHealth offers evidence based objective evaluation of the skills necessary for driving. Disabled drivers may be tested both in-clinic and behind-the-wheel. The in-clinic test must be completed prior to participating in the behind-the-wheel evaluation. In order for the behind-the-wheel evaluation to take place, the testing individual must have a valid driver’s license or temporary permit and have a physician’s prescription. The following parts of the program follow strictCOVID-19 guidelines for the safety of everyone involved. A written report is made following the following two steps and a decision is made by the individual’s doctor that prescribed the evaluation.

STEP 1: The in-clinic test is conducted by a licensed occupational therapist and evaluates the following:

• Upper and lower extremity motor function
• Functional visual abilities
• Perception (processing what your eye sees)
• Cognition (choosing how to respond to what the eye sees)
• Brake reaction time

STEP 2: The behind-the-wheel evaluation is done with a specially trained local driver school in a state-certified vehicle. Driving skills will be evaluated on the following:

• Residential roads
• Two- and four-lane highways
• Interstate highway (optional—at evaluator’s discretion)

Insurance plans, including Medicare, may or may not pay for the in-clinic evaluation. The behind-the-wheel test is not paid for by insurance – you will pay the driving school directly For more cost information, call 513-862-2481.