Posted by Ellen on June 30, 2003 at 17:16:18:
Diabetic in a flap with DMV
Vance Kennedy, 80, is driven to the DMV office Thursday by his grandson Michael Kennedy, 16.
ADRIAN MENDOZA/THE BEE
By PATRICK GIBLIN
BEE STAFF WRITER
Published: June 29, 2003, 08:40:35 AM PDT
Vance Kennedy is 80 years old and has been driving for 64 years. He has never been in an accident.
Imagine his surprise when he received a letter from the California Department of Motor Vehicles that his license was being suspended.
Not because of his age. He didn't have unpaid tickets. Nor did he fail the driving test or the eye exam.
Instead, the DMV suspended Kennedy's license because he has diabetes and a DMV worker overlooked a doctor's statement attesting to his ability to drive.
Kennedy said he had sent the DMV a form signed by his doctor saying he was healthy enough to drive despite the diabetes. A DMV representative told Kennedy the form didn't arrive.
It's not as if Kennedy procrastinated. His license was to expire May 18, his birthday, so on April 16 he went to the DMV, took the written exam and passed it. He then took the eye exam and passed that. He also filled out a form and checked the box that said he is diabetic.
He was told his new license would be on the way.
His license arrived about three weeks later. About a week after that, he received a letter and the form from the DMV saying that because he is diabetic, he had to get a form filled out by his doctor.
"I saw my doctor and he filled out the form, confirming that my diabetes isn't severe enough to cause me to pass out while driving," Kennedy said. "I took the form and mailed it to the DMV May 28th."
End of story, he thought. Wrong.
"On June 18th I received a letter from the DMV saying my license would be suspended on June 24th because I never turned in the form," Kennedy said.
The next day, he went to his doctor's office and got a copy of the form that had been placed in his medical file. His doctor faxed a copy to the DMV.
He then called the local DMV office several times to make sure the fax had been received. He was told his license was being suspended anyway, but that he could appeal at a hearing on July 23. As ordered, he turned in his driver's license to the DMV on June 24. His grandson had to drive him home.
60 days to wait
While at the DMV office, he inquired about getting an identification card. He filled out the paperwork and was told it would be 60 days before he received it.
"I couldn't go anywhere or do anything," Kennedy said. "And I couldn't do some basic things like write a check at the store because I didn't have a license."
He called the DMV several more times to get someone to reconsider the suspension. He finally reached a supervisor, who rescheduled his hearing for July 3.
Then on Wednesday, he called Assemblyman Dave Cogdill's office. A representative there called the DMV.
The next day the DMV reinstated Kennedy's license.
"Apparently, the Sacramento Department of Safety Office failed to notice that a Driver Medical Evaluation was submitted prior to the due date and mailed the suspension order," DMV spokesman Steve Haskin wrote in an e-mail to The Bee. "Our error; we have called Mr. Kennedy and have hopefully straightened out the matter."
Not quite, Kennedy said. He has to use a temporary license until the real one comes. The DMV has scheduled a "re-examination interview" for Kennedy on Wednesday.
"Anyone with diabetes really needs to know that this can easily happen to them," Kennedy said. "They need to get their doctor to write on the form that there is no obvious sign of a problem with the diabetes and driving. I think if I had done that, this wouldn't have happened to me."
Bee staff writer Patrick Giblin can be reached at 578-2347 or pgiblin@modbee.com.