Transportation

Inform USA is holding a webinar on senior transportation disparities and options. The webinar will include an overview of transportation equity and key findings from a nationwide survey on transportation DEI conducted by the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center in 2021. The Detroit Area Agency on Aging (DAAA) will present and examine ways to leverage a potential Specialized Services Transportation Program to provide services and enable essential trips for target populations. This webinar is for staff who make transportation referrals, database curators seeking transportation resources in communities, and I&R managers who are looking for transportation collaboration efforts in their service areas.

On September 28, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a State Medicaid Director Letter which introduces the Medicaid Transportation Coverage Guide. The guidance highlights existing policies and also includes new policies to address scenarios for extended wait times and long-distance trips, and scenarios where non-Medicaid eligible parents, family members, or other caregivers may require transportation to participate in a Medicaid-eligible child’s care. CMS encourages states to use the document as a guide when developing and updating policies and procedures that facilitate robust transportation programs, noting that Medicaid transportation is a critical service that has a direct impact on health outcomes.

Join Transit Planning 4 All for two upcoming webinars centered around inclusive transportation planning. The first session will introduce inclusive planning through Transit Planning 4 All's coordinated projects, offering practical examples spanning a decade. The second webinar will explore strategies and lessons learned for establishing steering committees that enhance trust, strengthen communication, and ultimately improve coordinated transportation services for older adults and adults with disabilities. Transit 4 All’s Inclusive Planning Webinar will take place on Thursday, August 24 at 1:00 p.m. Transit 4 All’s Steering Committees for Inclusive Transit Planning Webinar will take place on Thursday, August 31 at 1:00 p.m.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted an expanded Report to Congress for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) in Medicaid. This new report supplies data from the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) from 2018-2021. This report provides a detailed analysis of Medicaid coverage of NEMT such as the types of medical services accessed when using NEMT by beneficiary subgroup, a comparison by delivery model of the volume of NEMT services used by states, and monthly trends in the use of NEMT versus telehealth services.

The Washington Post recently covered the Mobility Aids on Board Improve Lives and Empower All Act, which was introduced on Friday. The legislation requires the Transportation Department to provide public reports on damage to mobility aids during air travel and mandates airlines to inform passengers how to ensure their mobility aids fit safely on a plane. Additionally, the act orders the Transportation Department to study the feasibility of letting passengers board flights in their wheelchairs instead of transferring to a regular seat.

The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) has published a comprehensive resource guide that offers guidance to transportation providers on how to better serve older passengers with vision loss. The guide addresses the pervasive and often unrecognized issue of age-related vision changes, the unique challenges that older adults with vision loss face when using transportation services, and effective strategies that transportation providers can use to improve their services. This resource also discusses the critical role of effective communication in addressing these challenges and provides travel training and orientation and mobility (O&M) to help older riders with vision loss navigate the transportation system.

The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) has released an article in conjunction with FEMA to provide information and resources that help people with disabilities before, during and after disasters. This article highlights the importance of ensuring that people with disabilities and older adults have accessible public transportation options during these emergencies, and provides guidance to help transportation providers better serve these communities.

The National Indian Council on Aging has released a toolkit dedicated to increasing awareness and knowledge of the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native persons living with disabilities. The resource is divided into sections for healthy living, education, independent living, vocational rehabilitation and employment resources, assistive technology, housing and facilities, and transportation. It includes suggestions for improving services, providing protections, and utilizing resources in local tribal communities for people with disabilities. Additional information provides overviews on federal disabilities laws, initiatives, agencies, and organizations that support work with Native individuals with disabilities and communities.

Since the early ninties the Eldercare Locator has connected older adults, caregivers, families, and professionals to local services that support healthy aging at home. This new infographic illustrates the top needs of individuals who contacted the Eldercare Locator in 2021. Requests were mostly related to transportation (22%), in-home services (12%) and housing (11%).

ACL is announcing a new grant award to develop a NTAC. The grant of $485,000 over a one-year period has been awarded to the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), which will be partnering with the UMass Boston Institute for Community Inclusion, USAging, and DJB Consulting. NTAC also will work closely with people who need or use transportation services, the transportation sector, and an array of national, state and local organizations throughout the country. This award seeks to expand access to transportation for people with disabilities and older adults by increasing awareness and adoption of transportation accessibility strategies, inclusive planning, and mobility on demand transportation systems.