The Prudential Insurance Company of America   Thomas C. Castano
                                              Assistant General Counsel
                                              Law Department


                                              The Prudential Insurance Company
                                              of America
                                              213 Washington Street
                                              Newark, NJ 07102-2992
                                              (973) 802-4708 fax: (973) 802-9560


                                              May 5, 2000

Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20549

                           Re:      Prudential Variable Appreciable Account
                                    (Registration No. 33-61079)

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     Pursuant to subparagraph  (j) of Rule 497 under the Securities Act of 1933,
the Registrant  hereby  certifies:  (i) that its Prospectus that would have been
filed  pursuant  to Rule  497(b)  would not have  differed  from the  Prospectus
contained  in  Post-Effective  Amendment  No.  5  and  (ii)  that  the  text  of
Post-Effective  Amendment  No. 5 was  filed  electronically  on April  25,  2000
(Accession No. 0000950130-00-002286).

                                            By:/s/________________
                                                Thomas C. Castano
                                                Assistant General Counsel
                                                The Prudential Insurance Company
                                                of America