The Lebanon County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP) participation grant agreement and related provider contracts for fiscal year 2025-26, county staff and the Community Action Partnership told the board.

Christine Hartman, administrator for Lebanon County Community Action Partnership, briefed commissioners that the county projects about $1,564,000 in MATP spending next fiscal year and that the program handled about 10,500 trips and served nearly 600 consumers through three quarters of the current year. Hartman said the program averages 125 to 130 trips daily and relies on a fleet of approximately 25 private drivers plus four contracted companies: Lebanon Transit, Central Med, First Aid and Safety, and Yellow Cab.

Hartman described the program as entitlement-based: quarterly payments are issued on a projected-basis and year-end settlements reconcile under- or over-spending. She cautioned that changes in Medicaid eligibility could reduce participation and affect program volume.

Board members asked whether there was a cap on allocations; Hartman replied the program is entitlement-based and not capped, and she provided the current projection and usage figures. Commissioners moved and unanimously approved both the grant participation agreement and the FY25-26 contracts for transportation providers.

Hartman said provider contracts are renewed annually and that private drivers are local residents who use personal vehicles for trips beyond the county transit footprint; the program coordinates out-of-county trips to medical centers such as Hershey when covered by medical assistance.

No contract dollar limits or provider-level compliance questions were recorded in the meeting discussion beyond a commissioner's remark accepting the staff's vetting of vendors. The board approved the agreements by voice vote.