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Tags Posts tagged with "Transportation"

Transportation

PennDOT recently published Phase 1 of the Shared-Ride Transportation Study. The shared-ride public transportation system is available in all 67 Pennsylvania counties. As the 40-year-old system is currently designed, service providers rely on passenger fares to pay for their operating costs. By sharing a vehicle, the average fare per passenger is lower than it would be if the passenger rode alone. Passengers are commonly seniors, Persons with Disabilities, and low-income recipients of Medical Assistance (MA, Medicaid). Shared-ride provides Pennsylvanians with more than four million passenger trips annually to life-sustaining community services. The executive summary can be found here, and the complete text of the Phase 1 study can be found here.

This phase of the study concluded that the status quo is unsustainable. The most vulnerable citizens of Pennsylvania rely on shared-ride service, which is often the only form of public transportation in rural counties. A solution that ensures its sustainability must balance the needs and limitations of the customer, service provider, and funding partner.

The Shared-Ride Transportation Study Phase 2 will build on this effort to identify and evaluate a range of funding, service delivery, and customer experience alternatives, their tradeoffs, and the likelihood of remaking shared-ride service into a sustainable model.

PennDOT proposes to reconvene the Shared-Ride Pilot Steering Committee created by Act 89 of 2013 to evaluate alternative shared-ride models considering experiences over the last decade. The Steering Committee has representation from customer advocacy groups, service providers, the state legislature, and executive branch funding agencies. These perspectives will be necessary to find and implement tomorrow’s sustainable shared-ride funding and service delivery model.

If you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has updated the AAW Provider Information Table to reflect the following updates:

  • The addition of the American Sign Language (ASL)-English Interpreter Service. This new service has been added to ensure effective communication for those participants that utilize ASL.
  • Residential Habilitation Provider Qualifications have been updated to reflect additions designed to ensure all residential providers are financially prepared, new providers have prior experience before delivering residential services, and services will continue without interruption when organizational changes occur at the executive level.
  • Assistive Technology devices that cost less than $750 do not require an independent evaluation by a professional certified by SHIFT, an online education and accreditation platform, but may be completed if the service plan team believes it to be beneficial.
  • Transportation service limit has been increased to $10,000 per participant’s service plan year, which includes both Transportation-Trip and Transportation-Public.
  • The Transportation service section has also been updated to include guidance previously released in ODP Announcement 24-005: Adding the Transportation Service to an Individual Support Plan (ISP) in the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW). The information also includes a change to how Transportation-Public is added to the ISP.
  • The Community Transition service has been updated to allow for non-recurring set-up expenses for individuals who are transitioning from another provider-operated living arrangement to a living arrangement in a private residence where the person is directly responsible for their living expenses.
  • The Career Planning and Supported Employment services sections have been updated to include information previously released in ODP Announcement 20-004: Clarifications and Training Requirements for Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) Employment Services.
  • Other updates and changes to AAW services due to the January 1, 2025, Waiver Amendment.

Please view the announcement and table for additional information and details. New services, updated language, and changes to services are highlighted in gray in the table.

Today the Department of Human Services (Department) published final notice of Fee Schedule Rates for services funded through the Consolidated, Community Living, Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS), and Adult Autism Waivers and the Department-established fees for base-funded services as a correction to the rates previously published August 1, 2024.

Due to a calculation error, the Department has made corrections to the Fee Schedule Rates for the following services funded through the Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS Waivers and base-funding:

  • Community Participation Support, effective July 1, 2024; and
  • Life Sharing Without Day 1-person needs group 3 and 4, effective October 1, 2024.

Additionally, due to a mistake in aligning the procedure code with the correct Statewide fee, the Department is republishing the Fee Schedule Rates for the following services funded through the Adult Autism Waiver effective July 1, 2024:

  • Residential Habilitation
  • Specialized Skill Development
  • Supported Employment
  • Career Planning
  • Therapies
  • Day Unit Respite
  • 15-Minute Unit Respite
  • Supports Coordination
  • Transportation — Trip

This publication presents an opportunity for providers to appeal these specific rates. The deadline for filing an appeal for these rates is December 2, 2024.

For further information, view ODPANN 24-107 or contact Carol Ferenz, IDD Division Director.

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced they will be hosting Transportation Summit 3 (via Zoom) on September 17, 2024, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm.

The Transportation Summit is an open forum for anyone interested in discussing transportation-related issues in the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Program. There will be staff from various programs on the call, including the managed care organizations (MCO) and transportation brokers, Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP), and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). They will be on the call to listen to feedback and answer questions as they can.

During the webinar, there will be three ways for individuals to ask questions.

  1. You can submit your questions to OLTL in advance by emailing Cortney Alvord.
  2. They can be read during the meeting, where you will use the “Raise Hand” feature during the meeting, be unmuted, and ask your question.
  3. You can type your question into the “Chat” box located on the right side of your screen during the meeting.

To participate in the Transportation Summit, please register using this registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced they will be hosting Transportation Summit 3 (via Zoom) on September 17, 2024, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm.

The Transportation Summit is an open forum for anyone interested in discussing transportation-related issues in the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Program. There will be staff from various programs on the call, including the managed care organizations (MCO) and transportation brokers, Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP), and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). They will be on the call to listen to feedback and answer questions as they can.

During the webinar, there will be three ways for individuals to ask questions.

  1. You can submit your questions to OLTL in advance by emailing Cortney Alvord.
  2. They can be read during the meeting, where you will use the “Raise Hand” feature during the meeting, be unmuted, and ask your question.
  3. You can type your question into the “Chat” box located on the right side of your screen during the meeting.

To participate in the Transportation Summit, please register using this registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) hosted a virtual Transportation Summit on December 11, 2023. Answers to questions asked during that webinar can be found on the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Communications to CHC Participants web page under the heading “Community Meetings/Information Sessions.” The Q&A document is also available here.

Questions about CHC transportation provided through a CHC managed care organization (MCO) should be directed to the CHC-MCO through one of these methods:

AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania Website
Phone: 1-855-235-5115 (TTY 1-800-235-5112)
Questions? Submit inquiries through this contact form.

Keystone First Website
Phone: 1-855-332-0729 (TTY 1-855-235-4976)
Questions? Submit inquiries through this contact form.

PA Health & Wellness Website
Phone: 1-844-626-6813 (TTY 711)
Questions? Submit inquiries through this contact form.

UPMC Community HealthChoices Website
Phone: 1-844-833-0523 (TTY 711)
Email

Questions about the Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP), including how to contact your local MATP provider, information is found on the MATP website.

For information on the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Shared-Ride Program, please visit the Seniors and Persons With Disabilities web page.

Information was issued on January 11, 2024, regarding a second virtual transportation summit that has been planned for February 7, 2024.

Due to the original webinar not being accessible to everyone, the decision was made to change the format of the summit to a Teams virtual meeting. The meeting is open to the public, transportation providers, and anyone interested in transportation issues in the Community HealthChoices (CHC) program.

The purpose of the meeting is to have a full and robust discussion about transportation concerns and needs. There will be staff from various programs on the call, including the CHC Managed Care Organizations (MCO) and transportation brokers, MATP, and PennDOT. They will be on the call to listen to the issues and answer questions as they can.

This is a follow-up to the meeting held on December 11, 2023. This meeting will not have any formal presentations but will allow for participants, providers, and attendees to discuss their transportation issues, difficulties, or positive experiences. Participants can also ask questions during the webinar by either raising their hand and waiting until they are unmuted or by asking their question in the chat.

Attendees are encouraged to send questions or requests to speak in advance of the meeting to Cortney Alvord via email.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 24-001: Notice of a Change to the Federal Reimbursement of Transportation Costs Effective January 1, 2024. The purpose of this communication is to share that the United States General Services Administration announced a change for the rate of Transportation Mile reimbursement rate, procedure code W7271, beginning January 1, 2024. The new rate is $0.67 per mile. This communication provides notice of the rate change, as well as instructions for Supports Coordination Organizations (SCO) on how to add transportation mileage to the vendor screen. It also instructs direct service providers on how to submit claim adjustments, if applicable. This communication obsoletes ODP Announcement 23-005.

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced an upcoming transportation summit planned for December 11, 2023, from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.

The purpose of this meeting is to have a full and robust discussion about transportation issues and needs. There will be staff from various programs on the call, including the Managed Care Organizations (MCO) and transportation brokers, Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP), and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). They will be discussing their programs and will be available to answer any questions.

Attendees are encouraged to send questions in advance of the meeting and should be sent to Cortney Alvord via email. Attendees can also ask questions during the webinar by either raising their hand, at which point they will be unmuted, or by asking their question in the chat box.

This meeting is open to the public, transportation providers, and anyone interested in transportation issues in the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Program.

To participate in the meeting, the call information is provided below:

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Meeting ID: 244 282 417 805
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ODP Announcement 23-005 is to inform stakeholders that the United States General Services Administration announced a change to the Transportation Mile reimbursement rate, procedure code W7271, beginning January 1, 2023.

The new rate is $0.655 per mile. This communication provides notice of the rate change, as well as provides instructions for Supports Coordination Organizations (SCOs) on how to add transportation mileage to the vendor screen. It also instructs direct service providers on how to submit claim adjustments, if applicable.

Questions regarding this announcement should be addressed to the appropriate ODP Regional Program Managers.