Conference committee examines Medicaid nonemergency transport contract, $600,000 volunteer coordinator proposal and background‑check barriers

Conference conferees discussed several related items affecting demand‑response transportation: a Senate proposal to appropriate $600,000 one‑time for grants to support volunteer coordinators, a requested DVHA report on the Medicaid nonemergency medical transportation contract, and a DVHA concern that report language could conflict with federal Medicaid contracting rules.

Damien Leonard summarized the package. He said the Senate reallocated funds from a pilot‑fund balance (about $1,150,000 moved earlier in the bill) and proposed $600,000 in one‑time transportation funds for grants to public transit agencies to hire coordinators to recruit and manage volunteer drivers.

Why it matters: Several committee members and public‑transit stakeholders told conferees that volunteer drivers provide lower‑cost rides and that recruitment and retention have lagged since COVID. DVHA objected to certain report requirements and said federal Medicaid procurement rules limit the factors the department may lawfully consider when awarding a Medicaid nonemergency transport contract.

Details from the discussion

- Funding and origin: The Senate’s proposal would use $600,000 in one‑time transportation funds freed up by an earlier $1,150,000 pilot‑fund transfer; conferees noted this is a one‑time appropriation and asked how successor funding would be handled in future budgets.

- DVHA concerns: DVHA told the committee that asking the department to certify that a Medicaid contract will preserve the financial stability of public transit systems may exceed what federal Medicaid rules allow the department to consider in procurement. Conferees said DVHA and human services chairs are convening to find alternative language.

- Volunteer driver barriers: Committee members discussed difficulties recruiting volunteer drivers because of multiple background checks tied to Medicaid work; section 28 in the draft would ask DVHA in consultation with VPTA and AOT to report whether specific background‑check requirements are preventing volunteers from serving and to recommend fixes.

Next steps

Conferees said the language would be worked on to address DVHA’s federal‑regulation concerns and that the committee would consider whether to keep the $600,000 appropriation, seek agency briefings on cost and outcome metrics, and review options for sustaining any successful pilot beyond one year.