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Mountain Valley Transit warns Medicaid changes and broker switch threaten service capacity
Summary
Mountain Valley Transit told Chaffee County commissioners it’s facing steep Medicaid reimbursement cuts and a state move to a single broker that will require new software and training. Staff say they are already turning down roughly 40% of ride requests and need additional local support to stabilize operations.
Mountain Valley Transit updated the board on a series of funding and operational shocks that staff say are already constraining service. Kate of Mountain Valley Transit told commissioners the agency saw a 54% drop in Medicaid reimbursement last year and “we're dropping another, 12% starting with the last week on the 1st,” which staff say will reduce pay-per-ride revenue and add new administrative burdens.
Transit staff also warned that the state is consolidating nonemergency Medicaid transportation into a single broker model (referred to in the meeting as MedDrive/Medidrive). That change will centralize trip booking and dispatch and requires local providers to adopt compatible scheduling and dispatch software. Randy, who provided fleet and operations data, said, “We have 8 vehicles in our operation right now, and 2 of them are well over 200,000 miles,” and added that the service is turning down “around 40% of the people who call us” because funding and driver availability limit how many trips they can provide.
Staff described a layered response: pursuing grants to replace lost Medicaid revenue, studying electric vehicle pilots to modernize the fleet, and coordinating with navigators and the county health department to simplify booking for riders who lack smartphones or detailed provider information. Commissioners encouraged transit staff to document specific “pitfalls” encountered under the new broker system so the county can share examples with state officials and grant partners.
Next steps: transit staff will continue pursuing grant matches, finalize software demos within weeks, and return with a funding-stabilization plan. The board did not take formal action during the meeting.
