The fourth meeting of the Subcommittee on Transportation of the Special Advisory Commission of Senior Citizens was held on Thursday, November 5, 2009, at 2:30 PM, in the Kentucky Room II at the Capital Plaza Hotel. Fred Smith, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Fred Smith, Chair; Rufus Fugate, Margaret Gilland, Bobby Hazen, Eleanor Holbrook, Gayle King, Gina Loxley, Norman Pallarito, Mary Lou Perry, Jean Phelps, Ted Smith, Paul Steenbergen, Joe Wahlen, Lillian Weston, and Lillian Wheeler.
Guests Appearing Before the Subcommittee: Kerry Conlee, Medicaid Specialist III, Department of Medicaid Services, Cabinet for Health and Family Services; Gail Mayeux, Project Manager, Eric Perez, Executive Staff Advisor, and Jeremy Thompson, Office of Transportation Delivery, Transportation Cabinet; and John Dudinskie, Program coordinator, Division of Highway Safety, Transportation Cabinet.
LRC Staff: Brandon White and Linda Hughes.
Mr. Hazen moved to approve the minutes from the Subcommittee’s May 2009 meeting. Mr. Fugate seconded the motion, which passed by voice vote.
The Subcommittee heard testimony on the accessibility of transportation opportunities from representatives from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Transportation Cabinet.
A representative from the Office of Transportation Delivery within the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet stated that the Office’s goals of accessibility and mobility remained the same. There were over 29 million one-way trips and over 28 million round-trips offered last year, with only 150 complaints registered.
In the past several years, the Office of Transportation Delivery was only able to purchase 30 new vans due to lack of funds, even though it receives on average 150 requests per year.
Mr. Perez said that transportation funding comes from a number of sources, such as federal, state, and local. Grants can be for different uses, such as for urban, rural, operational, primary usage, incidental usage, and meal delivery. Grants usually depend upon certain requirements being met. Not all areas are eligible for the same type of services as other areas because of local financing. Some areas provide more funds to match federal money and thus receive more grant money.
A representative from the Department for Medicaid Services within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services said that his Office contracts with the Transportation Cabinet to manage the daily transportation needs for the state’s Medicaid recipients.
Mr. Conley said that it is Medicaid’s policy that all Medicaid recipients receive medical treatment as long as it is medically necessary and verified by their doctor. Medicaid would play for the transportation to and from treatment if a doctor deems it necessary, including out-of-state travel.
Mr. Conley said that the Medicaid transportation program costs approximately $55 million (70% federal funds and 30% state funds). Before the current system was enacted by the General Assembly, it was estimated that the cost would be over $72 million to run by 2003. He said that while nothing is perfect, in his estimation this program is highly efficient.
The Subcommittee recessed until 8:30 a.m. on November 5, 2009.
Present were:
Members: Fred Smith, Chair; Rufus Fugate, Margaret Gilland, Bobby Hazen, Eleanor Holbrook, Gayle King, Gina Loxley, Norman Pallarito, Mary Lou Perry, Jean Phelps, Ted Smith, Paul Steenbergen, Joe Wahlen, Lillian Weston, and Lillian Wheeler.
The Subcommittee heard testimony on the possibility of re-enacting the motorcycle helmet law. John Dudinskie, Division of Highway Safety, Transportation Cabinet, stated that the only persons who are required to wear a helmet are persons under 21 years of age, a person with a learner’s permit, and a person holding a motorcycle license for under one year. Motorcycle accidents from 2004 to 2008 rose over 73%, deaths due to not wearing a helmet rose 71%. The largest motorcycle crash age group is older persons on touring bikes. According to a federal survey, 83% of women bikers and over 70% of men bikers endorse a universal helmet law.
The Subcommittee adopted two recommendations:
1. Prohibit the use of hand-held communication devices with the
exclusion of emergency personnel.
2. Recommend that the General Assembly appropriate sufficient funds
to ensure available federal matching funds for the use in the state’s
public transportation programs, state funding for Area Agencies on
Aging support Senior Programs, and for Area Agencies on Aging
that support Senior Programs.
With no further business before the Subcommittee, the meeting adjourned at 9:45 a.m.