MATTER: Driver’s License Suspension Restored — “Physical or Mental Disability” (Rhode Island DMV)
When the Rhode Island DMV suspends a license for a medical or physical disability, the burden flips onto the driver to prove they are safe to be back behind the wheel — and until they do, they cannot legally drive at all. We represented a client whose license had been suspended on those grounds since the previous summer. After we stepped in, we built the medical record the DMV was looking for, secured an on-the-road driving evaluation, and got the client’s full driving privileges restored — so they could get back to earning a living.
What the Client Was Facing
The DMV suspended our client’s license in August 2025 for a “physical or mental disability” after three accidents within an eight-month period. The client completed an initial evaluation, but the suspension stayed in place — leaving no clear path back to driving.
The stakes were not abstract. Our client is a contractor who has to drive to and from job sites to work. A medical suspension is not like a suspended-license charge tied to a ticket or a court date — it has no fixed end date. It remains in effect indefinitely until the driver satisfies the DMV that they are fit to drive. Every week the suspension dragged on was another week of lost income and a career put on hold.
This was an administrative matter, not a criminal one — which means the rules, the decision-makers, and the strategy are completely different from a traffic or driving offense. Many people in this position assume the suspension is permanent, or try to navigate the DMV’s medical review alone and get nowhere. That is exactly where our client was when they came to us.
What Attorney Alger Did
We got involved in February 2026 and started by reviewing the DMV file to pinpoint the precise basis for the suspension and — more importantly — what the DMV actually needed to lift it.
The answer was twofold: credible medical documentation and an objective demonstration of driving ability. We worked directly with the client’s physicians to obtain doctor’s notes supporting the client’s fitness to drive and supporting the client’s request to take an on-the-road driving evaluation administered through the DMV’s process. We then advanced the matter so that evaluation actually happened — instead of the file sitting idle, as it had for months.
The evaluation results came back positive. On June 12, 2026, the Rhode Island DMV restored our client’s driver’s license in full. The client can drive to job sites again, and the income loss has stopped.
Why a Medical License Suspension Is Different — and Why People Get Stuck
A suspension for “physical or mental disability” is one of the most frustrating actions the DMV can take, because there is no automatic reinstatement date. With a typical suspension, you wait out a period, pay a reinstatement fee, and you are done. With a medical suspension, the clock does not run on its own — the suspension lasts until you affirmatively prove to the DMV that you can safely operate a vehicle.
That is why so many drivers stay suspended far longer than they should. They do not know what evidence the DMV wants, who needs to provide it, or how to trigger a road evaluation. A single inconclusive doctor’s visit — like our client’s first evaluation — can leave the suspension exactly where it was. The path back exists, but it has to be built deliberately, with the right medical support and the right administrative steps in the right order.
If driving is essential to your work, it is also worth understanding your options while a matter is pending — including whether a conditional hardship license may apply to your situation.
If Your Rhode Island License Was Suspended for Medical Reasons
Do not assume the suspension is permanent — and do not assume one failed evaluation is the end of the road. The DMV’s medical review process can be navigated, but it rewards drivers who come prepared with the right documentation and a clear strategy.
Our firm helps Rhode Island drivers challenge and resolve license suspensions, including DMV medical and physical-disability suspensions. See more of our case results, or contact us online or call (401) 228-8271 to talk through your situation directly with an attorney.
CASE RESULT: Rhode Island driver’s license suspended in August 2025 for a “physical or mental disability” after three accidents in an eight-month period. After an initial evaluation left the suspension in place, Attorney Morgan Alger obtained supporting medical documentation, secured an on-the-road driving evaluation, and restored the client’s full driving privileges.
Practice area(s): Suspended License
Agency: Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
Resolved: 6/15/26
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is evaluated on its own facts and circumstances. This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Morgan Alger, Esq.
Attorney Morgan Alger is a Rhode Island criminal defense and traffic court attorney with Marin & Murphy Law Firm. She earned her J.D. and Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Roger Williams University School of Law, where she was a finalist in the 2022 Esther Clark Moot Court Competition, arguing before justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court, and was selected as an ABA Legal Education Police Practices Consortium Fellow. Prior to joining Marin & Murphy, Attorney Alger interned with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office and provided legal services representation to low-income clients in civil matters. She was admitted to the Rhode Island Bar in 2024 and represents clients in the Rhode Island District Courts, Superior Court, Traffic Tribunal, and Family Court across a range of criminal defense, traffic, and family law matters.
