Challenge
Historically, the County of Hawai’i Mass Transit Agency (MTA) used manual spreadsheets for managing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit eligibility assessments, resulting in less-than-ideal recordkeeping, increased administrative workload, and a lack of standardization across assessments.
Solution
To ensure fair, consistent, and accurate ADA paratransit eligibility determinations, MTA partnered with MTM Transit. We deployed our Mobility Direct platform to automate and manage all aspects of the eligibility process, reducing administrative workload and costs while maintaining compliance with ADA and HIPAA guidelines.
Results
Since implementing Mobility Direct for MTA, MTM Transit has completed approximately 185 annual paratransit eligibility determinations. In doing so, we have standardized the assessment process, integrated seamlessly with the agency’s scheduling platform, and reduced administrative workload, ultimately revolutionizing the agency’s paratransit eligibility process.
Challenge
Before partnering with MTM Transit, the County of Hawai’i Mass Transit Agency (MTA) faced considerable challenges in managing the eligibility assessment process for their Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit service, Hele-On Kako‘o. MTA relied on manual spreadsheets for performing and tracking these assessments. This method was cumbersome and inefficient, leading to less-than-ideal recordkeeping, increased administrative workload, and a lack of standardization across assessments. The reliance on manual processes also increased the risk of errors and inconsistencies, which could compromise the accuracy and fairness of eligibility determinations.
Solution
Having a fair, consistent, and accurate eligibility determination process is imperative to transit agencies that operate complementary ADA paratransit services. To help address challenges and introduce a higher level of consistency to their eligibility process, MTA contracted with MTM Transit. On behalf of MTA, MTM Transit manages every aspect of the agency’s paratransit service, including eligibility assessments, travel training, and actual transportation provision.
MTM Transit deployed our proprietary Mobility Direct platform to support the eligibility assessment portion of the contract, transitioning MTA from unreliable spreadsheet management to a robust, all-in-one solution. Mobility Direct is specifically designed to manage paratransit eligibility determinations and travel training functions. The platform automates the eligibility certification process, offering varying levels of support to achieve impartial ADA eligibility determinations and compliance. Mobility Direct minimizes administrative workload, reduces evaluation and paratransit costs, and prevents fraud, waste, and abuse while maintaining 100% compliance with ADA and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines.
MTM Transit uses Mobility Direct to manage all aspects of eligibility determinations and travel training processes for MTA, including:
- Application intake and processing
- Appointment scheduling and notifications
- Documenting information from interviews, functional assessments, and medical verifications
- Documenting final eligibility determinations and generating letters
- Documenting travel training functions
Results
Since implementing Mobility Direct for MTA in March 2023, MTM Transit has completed an average of 185 assessments annually for Hele-On Kako‘o eligibility. The implementation of Mobility Direct delivered significant results for MTA, including:
- Standardized Assessment Process: Online applications, intake scripts, interview guides, mobility guides, medical verifications, and assessment tools are built into Mobility Direct, ensuring a consistent and reliable assessment experience for every applicant.
- Improved Applicant Options: Through Mobility Direct, MTM Transit now provides an online application process, allowing paratransit applicants to complete and submit their forms at their convenience from any location. This significantly enhances accessibility for individuals with disabilities. The flexibility of the online application eliminates the need for mailing paper forms, saving time and effort for both applicants and staff. User-friendly digital interfaces guide applicants through the process with clear instructions and automated checks, ensuring all required information is provided.
- More Eligibility Options: Prior to MTM Transit and Mobility Direct, MTA only issued fully eligible or ineligible determinations. With MTM Transit’s interview and functional assessment process, we are able to also evaluate for temporary and conditional eligibility, bringing flexibility and cost savings to the paratransit system.
Hele-On Kako‘o Eligiblity Breakdown
Unconditional 23%
Temporary 16%
Not Eligible 10%
- Seamless Integration: Integration with the paratransit scheduling platform ensures that eligibility determinations are appropriately enforced, supporting operational efficiency.
- Comprehensive Assessments: MTM Transit conducts in-person ADA paratransit eligibility assessments to evaluate applicants’ physical, cognitive, and/or visual abilities to use the Hele-On fixed route system safely and independently. This confirms the passenger’s disability and matches them with the most appropriate mode of travel based on their actual abilities, ensuring the best use of ADA funding.
- Enhanced Data Integrity: Mobility Direct offers industry-leading tracking and auditing capabilities, ensuring precise and easily retrievable data records. The platform supports enhanced compliance by facilitating the management of electronic records to meet legal and regulatory requirements, including data retention and privacy standards. Advanced security measures, such as secure access controls, safeguard sensitive information from unauthorized access.
The Benefits MTA Has Experienced
- Management of all eligibility functions, from initial application through determination, mailings, appeals, reporting, and tracking
- Accurate determination of conditional and unconditional eligibility
- 100% compliance with ADA guidelines, including the 21-day determination timeline
- Eliminated internal administrative workload and the need for specialized, trained staff
- Created an efficient and informative process for both applicants and Mobility Assessment Evaluators
- Meets all access and usability standards
- Maintains HIPAA compliance
- Provides impartial application review and determination
- Reduces evaluation and paratransit costs
- Prevents fraud, waste, and abuse
- Enables applicants to manage their entire paratransit certification process online
The Mobility Direct platform revolutionized MTA’s ADA paratransit eligibility process, ensuring that only truly eligible passengers are certified to use the costly paratransit services, ultimately enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and fairness in eligibility determinations.
Copyright © 2024 MTM, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Choices | CA Notice of Collection | MTM Inc. | Wanda Coming Soon!
Copyright © 2024 MTM, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Choices | CA Notice of Collection | MTM Inc. | Wanda Coming Soon!
Copyright © 2024 MTM, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Choices | CA Notice of Collection | MTM Inc. | Wanda Coming Soon!
