NEET UG 2026 PwBD Category: NMC Disability Certificate Rules, Assessment Board List & Appeal Process Explained

Two connected notices have gone out for NEET UG 2026 candidates who want to claim the 5% Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) reservation in MBBS/BDS admissions. First, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Uttarakhand Medical Education University (HNBUMU), which runs Uttarakhand's state counselling, has warned that only disability certificates from centres authorised by the National Medical Commission (NMC) will be accepted. Second, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of India has circulated an NMC Addendum dated 5 August 2026 clarifying how temporary UDID (Unique Disability Identity) cards will be treated, along with the full list of 65 Primary Medical Assessment Boards across the country and a Supreme Court-mandated Appellate Body system for candidates who are declared ineligible. This is not a new exam or counselling round — it is procedural guidance that affects how your disability documents will be checked and, if rejected, how you can appeal.

What HNBUMU says for Uttarakhand candidates

HNBUMU, which conducts the Uttarakhand State Centralised Counselling for NEET UG 2026, has issued a specific notice (uploaded 12 August 2026) telling all MBBS and BDS applicants that Disability Certificates will be accepted ONLY if they are issued by centres designated/authorised by the National Medical Commission.

This means if you are applying for a seat in Uttarakhand under the PwD/PwBD category, your certificate cannot come from just any hospital or doctor — it must come from one of the NMC-recognised Assessment Boards. For Uttarakhand candidates, the relevant centres named in the national list are Dr Sushila Tiwari Memorial Government Hospital (under Government Medical College, Haldwani) and Government Doon Medical College, Dehradun.

The bigger picture: NMC's Addendum on temporary UDID cards

The MCC notice (dated 7 August 2026) forwards an NMC Addendum dated 5 August 2026 to the 'Guidelines on Assessment of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) for Admission to the MBBS Course, 2026' originally issued on 27 July 2026.

The original guideline (Clause 9.2) said every PwBD candidate must have a valid PERMANENT UDID Card. Many candidates only have a TEMPORARY UDID card or certificate, and were worried this would disqualify them. The Addendum clarifies that this is not automatically the case.

• A candidate cannot be denied consideration only because the UDID Card or Disability Certificate is temporary — provided the Assessment Board verifies the disability is 'progressive, non-progressive, or not likely to improve'.
• If your temporary UDID records the condition as 'likely to improve', the Medical Assessment Board will re-assess your benchmark disability using the methodology in DEPwD's Notification dated 12 March 2024.
• In every case, the Assessment Board will independently check your functional competency (your ability to perform the practical tasks of an MBBS course) as per the 27 July 2026 Guidelines before issuing the final Eligibility Certificate.
• This clarification is now treated as part of the main Guidelines — it applies to all candidates seeking PwBD admission to MBBS in 2026.

Where to get your Eligibility Certificate: the Primary Medical Assessment Boards

To claim the 5% PwBD reservation, you need an Eligibility Certificate issued by one of the 65 Primary Medical Assessment Boards notified across India. Eleven of these boards can only certify specific disability categories — using the wrong centre for your disability type will get your certificate rejected.

The remaining boards on the list are authorised for all disability categories mentioned in the Eligibility Certificate unless stated otherwise. Pick a centre in or near your state, and double-check it covers your specific disability before you travel there.

• All India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AIIPMR), Mumbai — Locomotor Disability ONLY
• Goa Medical College, Goa — all disabilities EXCEPT Speech Disability
• SMS Medical College, Jaipur — all disabilities EXCEPT Neurology-Genetic Testing and ENT Speech & Language testing; limited orthopaedic/PMR equipment
• Ali Yavar Jung National Institute of Speech and Hearing Disabilities, Mumbai — Hearing Disabilities ONLY
• ABVIMS & RML Hospital, New Delhi — all disabilities EXCEPT ENT (candidates using low-vision aids/LVAs may bring their own for checking)
• All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysuru — Speech & Hearing Disabilities ONLY
• Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram — all disabilities, but ophthalmology tests are done at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology under the same college
• All other listed boards — authorised for all disability categories as mentioned in the Eligibility Certificate, unless the certificate itself restricts it

Declared ineligible? Here is how to appeal

If a Primary Medical Assessment Board declares you ineligible for the PwBD category, you are not stuck with that decision. In compliance with a Supreme Court order (M.A. No. 378/2025 in CA No. 14333/2024), the government has set up five Appellate Disability Assessment Boards. Each of the Primary Boards has also been instructed to include at least one PwBD doctor/health professional as a member.

The appeal process has seven clear steps, and the timing rule is critical: you must file your appeal BEFORE your respective round of NEET counselling begins. There is no provision here for filing late.

• Step 1 — Submit your appeal by email to disabilityappeal-chair@gov.in and disabilityappeal-convener@gov.in, stating which Appellate Board you want to appear before, before your counselling round starts.
• Step 2 — The nodal officer of your chosen Appellate Board will inform you of the date, time and venue.
• Step 3 — You report to that Appellate Board with all your medical and disability-related documents for verification.
• Step 4 — The Board conducts the assessment as per the 2024 DEPwD 'Guidelines for assessing the extent of specified disabilities'; it may co-opt extra specialists if needed.
• Step 5 — The Board issues a final, speaking (reasoned) decision stating your disability percentage and PwBD eligibility. This decision is final.
• Step 6 — The decision is sent to the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), with a copy to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
• Step 7 — You then proceed with NEET counselling strictly as per that final decision.

Traps that can cost you your PwBD seat

These notices exist precisely because certificates from the wrong place, or filed at the wrong time, keep getting candidates disqualified from the PwBD quota during counselling document verification. Read this section carefully.

• ⚠️ Certificate from a non-NMC-designated centre: HNBUMU has explicitly warned Uttarakhand candidates that certificates from centres NOT on the NMC-authorised list will not be accepted, no matter how genuine the disability.
• ⚠️ Wrong specialty at the wrong board: If you have a Locomotor disability, going to AIIPMR Mumbai is fine, but if you have a Speech disability, going there is not — that board only certifies Locomotor cases. Match your disability type to the board's authorised specialities before you travel.
• ⚠️ Missing the appeal deadline: The appeal must be filed BEFORE your round of counselling begins. If you wait until after your round starts, there is no provision in this notice for a late appeal.
• ⚠️ Assuming a temporary UDID automatically disqualifies you: It does not — but you must still get the Assessment Board to verify your condition as progressive/non-progressive/not likely to improve, and pass the separate functional competency check. Don't skip either step.
• ✅ Always carry your Low Vision Aid (LVA), if you use one, when appearing at ABVIMS & RML Hospital, Delhi — you're permitted to bring and use your own device during the check.

Frequently asked questions

If you are applying under the PwBD category for NEET UG 2026, get your Eligibility Certificate only from a board on the NMC-authorised list that covers your specific disability type, and keep a copy safe for verification during counselling. If you are declared ineligible, file your appeal — by email, with your chosen Appellate Board named — before your counselling round starts; there is no scope to do this later. Uttarakhand candidates should specifically note that HNBUMU will reject certificates from centres outside this authorised list.