Council confirms $7 million in nonemergency medical transportation contracts and reappoints Metro as broker

Summit County’s Health and Human Services committee confirmed awards for nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) providers for federal fiscal year 2026 and authorized the executive to disperse funds to providers in an aggregate amount not to exceed $7 million. The committee also confirmed a separate one-year contract with Metro Regional Transit Authority to continue serving as the county’s NEMT broker in 2026 for an amount not to exceed $500,000. Tom Jalbert of the Executive’s Department of Job and Family Services said the county expanded the vendor list from five to nine providers after a recent request-for-bids process and that demand for the service has risen about 15% over the last two years. “This service…is for providing transportation for our Medicaid-eligible clients to nonemergency Medicaid appointments, doctor’s visits, pharmacy trips,” Jalbert said. He added that the funding for the provider contracts is entirely state and federal pass-through. Jalbert described the broker model used by the county: Metro schedules roughly 120,000 rides per year, checks vehicle and driver licensure, and handles administrative tasks. The broker distributes trips by order to available vendors and submits detailed monthly invoices; county staff sample invoices to verify client eligibility, addresses and appointment legitimacy, Jalbert said in response to council questions about accountability and quality. Council members asked about eligibility, program age ranges and invoice verification procedures. Jalbert said youth employment program ages vary by program, and that for NEMT each provider invoices monthly with detailed line items that county staff sample for eligibility verification. Council moved and carried both measures in committee for the provider aggregate award and the Metro broker contract.