Improving Mobility for Veterans (2011) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 39-54
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From page 39... ...
provides public transportation services in rural western Colorado using funds from FTA (Sections 5310, 5311, and 5316) ; several HHS programs (Medicaid and aging)
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From page 40... ...
As a professional transportation agency, they are experts in scheduling, routing, coordinating with other human service agencies as well as providing rides. A Memorandum of Understanding has been executed between APT, the Grand Junction Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the Disabled American Veterans Transportation Program to describe the responsibilities of all parties in scheduling medical trips for veterans.
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From page 41... ...
Key Features This human service private nonprofit organization: Receives calls and schedules trips for DAV's long-distance and local volunteer transportation services using paratransit scheduling software Provides coordinated local transportation for veterans, seniors, and persons with disabilities living in their rural service area Ocean Ride, Ocean County, New Jersey Description The Ocean County (New Jersey) Department of Transportation Services sponsors Ocean Ride, a county transportation program.
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From page 42... ...
While Ocean Ride handles client eligibility screening for its other Specialized Transportation Services, eligibility screening for its veterans' transportation program is determined by the Ocean County Veterans Service Bureau, which is a separate office within the county government. Once eligibility requirements are met, veterans contact the Ocean County Veterans Service Bureau to request trips.
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From page 43... ...
serves the transportation needs of veterans by coordinating with the Price County Human Service Commission on Aging Office (COA) , which has a pool of volunteer drivers that was established for its senior transportation program.
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The Price County transportation program acknowledges that their transportation program does more than transport people: transportation helps the veterans feel confident that they can get to their medical appointments. Key Features There is no public transportation in Price County and major destinations are several hours away.
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From page 45... ...
According to DART's Director of Paratransit Services, both DART and Bus Plus now transport large numbers of veterans on a daily basis. The Veterans Hospital is a major stop on both the DART and Bus Plus daily routes: in the past 12 months, there were 774 trips in and out of the VA Hospital in Des Moines using the Bus Plus paratransit service and an estimated 16,584 boardings and alightings at the hospital.
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From page 46... ...
Key Features Providing information about existing transportation benefits and services helps veterans continue to access their medical services and other important destinations. The Olympic Peninsula, Washington Description The scenic Olympic Peninsula of Washington State is home to a growing population, including a large number of veterans who have chosen to retire in the area.
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From page 47... ...
State and County Quick Facts available at http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/53000.html , accessed on May 5, 2010. Sensing a looming problem for local veterans seeking medical care, Washington State DOT staff came up with a solution: let veterans heading to mainland services access the existing DOT-funded rural public transportation routes, which would then connect on the mainland with DAV vehicles which would supply the last link to VA medical facilities.
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From page 48... ...
According to the feedback from veterans who used the coordinated transportation services, they appreciated additional help they received: for example, the coordination team assisted veterans who applied for voucher programs through the VA. When the construction mitigation program ceased, a group of stakeholders created a plan to use the local NonEmergency Medical Transportation Broker as a Regional Mobility Manager for veterans' transportation and to add veterans to existing Medicaid trips.
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From page 49... ...
Like Houston, the local MTA offers complementary paratransit, known as ADA Access (for ambulatory persons) and Lift-Van (for persons who use wheelchairs)
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From page 50... ...
The local ADA paratransit service, known as The Lift, regularly uses taxicabs in its service and pays a flat mileage rate to the contracted taxi company. Other El Paso contracting agencies use the same method, and the result is that most El Paso cab drivers are accustomed to being paid these flat rates.
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From page 51... ...
Because Fort Bliss as a whole is one of Sun City Cab's largest accounts, and because its primarily catchment area is contiguous to El Paso's business district, Sun City's drivers are well positioned throughout the base and service to all base locations, including the VA Hospital, is usually quite prompt. Sun City Cab regularly dispatches demand-response calls to pick up veteran clients since a good percentage of the taxi fleet is on or near the base throughout the entire business day.
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From page 52... ...
Key Features El Paso, Little Rock, and Indianapolis each provide examples of how service contracts can be used to generate high-quality, cost-effective transportation services for veterans. All three cases involve contracts with local taxi operators that have devised special rate structures not based on taxi meter rates for the trips involving veterans.
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From page 53... ...
OVERALL OBSERVATIONS Open Communication Between VAMCs and Transportation Providers Expands Options and Reduces Problems Some of the examples of the positive results from open communication include the following: Clinical staff can do their best to minimize delays for treatment when they are informed which veterans use shared ride services to access their medical services. When county transportation providers let VAMC travel office employees know who their passengers are, VA travel office employees know which riders are eligible for VA's Beneficiary Travel reimbursement program.
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From page 54... ...
In another state, the Department of Transportation integrated rural public transit services with DAV volunteer services. A local small-community transportation service helps the local DAV schedule their volunteer rides.
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