The Texas DL-40 form is a medical questionnaire the Department of Public Safety mails to a driver whose physical or mental fitness to drive has been called into question, and a licensed physician must complete the clinical sections before you return the form to the Medical Advisory Board for review.1Texas Department of Public Safety. Section 11: Medical Advisory Board (MAB) Treat the letter as a deadline, not a suggestion. Texas law requires DPS to revoke your license if you fail to provide the requested records or undergo the required examination.2State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 521.294 – Departments Determination for License Revocation
Why You Received a DL-40
DPS sends the form when it receives information suggesting a driver may have a disorder or disability that could prevent safe vehicle operation.1Texas Department of Public Safety. Section 11: Medical Advisory Board (MAB) Under 37 Texas Administrative Code §15.58, applicants and current license holders with a condition the department can’t evaluate on its own get referred to the Medical Advisory Board.3Legal Information Institute. 37 Texas Admin Code 15.58 – Medical Advisory Board Referrals
The trigger can be something you disclosed at renewal, an officer’s referral after a crash or traffic stop, or a report from your own doctor. Texas law lets any licensed physician report a patient older than 15 who has been diagnosed with a condition covered by DPS rules, and the statute carves this out as an exception to physician-patient privilege.4Texas Public Law. Texas Health and Safety Code Section 12.096 – Physician Report A member of the public can also submit a written concern anonymously, giving the driver’s name, date of birth, address, and the reason they believe the person is unsafe behind the wheel.1Texas Department of Public Safety. Section 11: Medical Advisory Board (MAB) Conditions that most often prompt a DL-40 include seizure disorders, episodes of loss of consciousness, cardiovascular conditions that can cause sudden incapacitation, and significant vision impairment.
The Deadline and What Happens If You Miss It
Your packet includes a letter stating when the completed form must be back. If you don’t return it, or you refuse the required examination, DPS has statutory grounds to revoke your license outright.2State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 521.294 – Departments Determination for License Revocation A revocation that comes out of a Medical Advisory Board matter also closes the door on an occupational license as a workaround.1Texas Department of Public Safety. Section 11: Medical Advisory Board (MAB)
If you lose the paperwork, DL-series forms are available for download on the DPS Internet Forms page under the Driver License section; you’ll need Adobe Reader to open the PDF.5Texas Department of Public Safety. DPS Internet Forms Book the doctor’s appointment as soon as you can. Incomplete or illegible forms get sent back, which eats whatever cushion the deadline gave you.
What Your Doctor Fills Out
Only a licensed Medical Doctor (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) can perform the examination and complete the clinical sections. You fill in the top: full legal name, date of birth, and driver license number. Bring a current list of every medication you take so the physician can assess side effects that could affect driving.
Your physician documents your relevant medical history, including neurological, cardiovascular, or metabolic diagnoses with the applicable diagnosis codes. The form also calls for an assessment of your physical coordination and motor control as they relate to operating a vehicle, visual acuity and field-of-vision results, and the physician’s professional opinion on whether your condition is stable enough for safe driving, along with any recommended restrictions. The doctor signs the form and provides a medical license number and contact information.
Two things slow cases down more than anything else: missing sections and handwriting the board can’t read. Make sure the examination itself is current; the board expects a recent evaluation, not old records copied onto a new form.
Where to Send the Completed Form
Return the finished form to the Texas Department of State Health Services Medical Advisory Board using the mailing address and fax number printed in your referral letter.1Texas Department of Public Safety. Section 11: Medical Advisory Board (MAB) The DPS Enforcement and Compliance Service in Austin (PO Box 4087, Austin, TX 78773-0320) handles related driver license enforcement matters and can be reached by fax at (512) 424-2501. Keep a full copy of everything you submit. If the packet is lost in the mail, you’ll be starting over at the doctor’s office.
Who Pays for the Evaluation
The visit comes out of your pocket. If the board later orders additional testing, Texas Health and Safety Code §12.095 states expressly that any exam the panel requires is performed at the applicant’s expense.6State of Texas. Texas Health and Safety Code 12.095 – Board Panels Powers and Duties
Insurance usually won’t help. Medicare excludes evaluations performed solely to assess a person’s ability to drive, treating them as third-party examinations outside any benefit category.7Noridian Healthcare Solutions. Therapy Driving Evaluations Most private policies take the same position. If your doctor combines the DL-40 with a regular office visit for an existing condition, part of the visit may be billable, but the driving evaluation itself generally isn’t.
What the Board Decides
Once the form reaches the Medical Advisory Board, a panel of at least three board physicians reviews your case. Each panel member independently examines your medical records and prepares a separate written report with an opinion on your ability to drive safely.6State of Texas. Texas Health and Safety Code 12.095 – Board Panels Powers and Duties The panel can review any medical record it considers relevant and can require you to undergo an additional examination at your own expense. The board sends a recommendation to DPS, which then mails you an official notification letter.8Texas Department of Public Safety. Texas Medical Evaluation Process for Driver Licensing
The letter will tell you one of several things. If the board finds no significant safety concern, your driving privileges continue unchanged. Often the outcome is a middle ground: you’re cleared to drive, but with restrictions tailored to your condition. Texas Transportation Code §521.221 gives DPS broad authority to impose restrictions, which can include limits on the class of vehicle you may drive, required adaptive equipment such as hand controls or a left-foot accelerator, mandated corrective lenses, hearing aids, or prosthetic limbs, daylight-only driving, and geographic limits to certain areas or roads.9State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 521.221 – Imposition of Special Restrictions and Endorsements Restrictions are printed on your license, and violating one is a misdemeanor. The board may also require periodic medical updates for a progressive condition, meaning you’ll go through this process again at a set interval.
In the most serious cases, DPS determines that the risk to public safety is too high and revokes the license. The department must revoke if it concludes you’re incapable of safely operating a motor vehicle.2State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 521.294 – Departments Determination for License Revocation
If Your License Is Revoked
You may be eligible to request an administrative hearing to contest the decision; the notification letter will say whether a hearing is available in your situation.1Texas Department of Public Safety. Section 11: Medical Advisory Board (MAB) If you disagree with the ruling, you can appeal by filing a petition in a county or district court within 30 days of the hearing decision’s start date.10Texas Department of Public Safety. Appealing an Administrative Hearing Decision In practice, the strongest path to reversing a revocation is new medical evidence: a specialist’s report showing your condition has stabilized, successful treatment outcomes, or documentation that the original evaluation was incomplete. Simply disputing the board’s reading of the same records rarely changes the result.
Reinstatement after a medical revocation means satisfying whatever conditions DPS set and paying a $100 reinstatement fee, most easily handled online through the DPS license eligibility page.11Texas Department of Public Safety. Reinstating Your Driver License or Driving Privilege Any other outstanding fees or surcharges on your record also have to be cleared. The revocation itself stays on your driving record permanently, even after your license is reinstated.1Texas Department of Public Safety. Section 11: Medical Advisory Board (MAB)
A Note for CDL Holders
If you hold a commercial driver license, the DL-40 process runs alongside your federal medical certification; it does not replace it. CDL holders operating vehicles over 10,000 pounds in interstate commerce must maintain a valid Medical Examiner’s Certificate and provide a copy to DPS as their State Driver Licensing Agency. Letting that certificate lapse downgrades your commercial privileges regardless of the DL-40 outcome. Drivers with an impaired or missing limb need a Skill Performance Evaluation certificate.12Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical A medical revocation through the board would end both your personal and commercial driving at once, so a prompt response to the DL-40 matters even more if you drive for a living.