The Prudential                      Arthur D. Woods, III
                                    Assistant General Counsel
                                    Law Department

                                    The Prudential Insurance Company of America
                                    213 Washington Street
                                    Newark, NJ 07102-2992
                                    (201) 802-8020 fax: (201) 802-9560


                                                              May 5, 1997


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


          Re: Prudential Variable Appreciable Account
              (Registration No. 33-20000)


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. 19 and (ii) that the text of
Post-Effective Amendment No. 19 was filed electronically on April 28, 1997.
(Accession No. 0000950110-97-000715)



                                 By: /s/
                                     -------------------------------------------
                                     Arthur D. Woods, III
                                     Assistant General Counsel
                                     The Prudential Insurance Company of America