Transit Agency Participation in Medicaid Transportation Programs

This synthesis documents and summarizes the tasks necessary for a public transit–Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) partnership to be successful. The purpose is to report on the real and perceived barriers to NEMT and public transit coordination and to describe case studies of Medicaid transportation program participation by transit agencies. This topic is of interest to transit agency staff at the local level. They might use this report to learn from and compare their experiences with the experiences of other agencies. Opportunities exist for public transit agencies to participate in the NEMT program as providers of service or as brokers. Findings in this report are based on a literature review; surveys of selected transit agencies, corresponding state department of transportation transit divisions, and state Medicaid agencies; analysis of documentation submitted; interviews; and site visits. Case study descriptions were prepared to reflect geographical diversity; urban, small urban, and rural agencies; and different service delivery models. The case studies are: Broward County, Florida; North Georgia Community Action Agency, Georgia; TriMet, Portland, Oregon; Texoma Area Paratransit System, Texas; and Chittenden County Transportation Authority, Vermont.