Qualifying conditions for a medical card in Ohio
Ohio law lists 21 qualifying conditions. To get a card you need a diagnosis of at least one, which your physician makes or confirms during your visit.
Check if you qualifyThe 21 conditions
- Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Cancer
- Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
- Crohn’s disease
- Epilepsy or another seizure disorder
- Fibromyalgia
- Glaucoma
- Hepatitis C
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Pain that is chronic and severe, or intractable
- Parkinson’s disease
- Positive status for HIV
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Sickle cell anemia
- Spinal cord disease or injury
- Tourette’s syndrome
- Traumatic brain injury
- Ulcerative colitis
Worded as in Ohio Revised Code 3796.01, current version effective 20 March 2026.
How your physician confirms a condition
Your physician reviews your medical history, examines you and decides whether you have a qualifying diagnosis. If another doctor already diagnosed you, your physician can confirm it from your records. What happens in your visit.
Common questions
Does anxiety qualify for a medical card in Ohio?
Anxiety is not on Ohio’s list of qualifying conditions. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is. Your physician decides whether you have a qualifying diagnosis.
Does insomnia or depression qualify?
Neither is on Ohio’s list. If you also have a listed condition, such as chronic and severe pain, your physician can evaluate you for that.
What counts as chronic pain?
Ohio law lists “pain that is either chronic and severe, or intractable.” Your physician assesses your pain, your history and the treatments you’ve tried.
Can Ohio add new conditions?
Yes. The State Medical Board of Ohio can add conditions. We check the list at every content review.
Sources
- Ohio Revised Code 3796.01: qualifying medical conditions
- Ohio Administrative Code 4731-32-03: confirming a prior diagnosis
Checked 13 Oct 2026.
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