Transportation

	The Issue	The Latest Scoop	Action Steps	Lead Contacts	More Information

The Issue

The Specialized Transportation Assistance Program (85.21) can only serve 10% of the people that are eligible for this program.

• The Elderly and Disabled Transportation Aids to Counties program (85.21) provides funding to all 72 Wisconsin counties to provide trips to many of Wisconsin’s most vulnerable citizens.
• Availability of accessible, affordable transportation plays a major role in determining how independent, productive and integrated the elderly and people with disabilities can be in Wisconsin communities.
• Elderly and disabled transportation lowers health care costs as patients can get to medical facilities rather than needing in-home care.
• It increases participation in the work force by providing access to jobs, especially for people with disabilities.
• Where sufficient funding is available, it allows important segments of our population to be more involved in many aspects of community life.
• It is estimated that Elderly and Disabled Transportation provides trips to less than 10% of people eligible for them.
• Currently, many counties are limited to providing only medical and nutritional trips because of insufficient funding.
• Some counties have had to refuse trips to individuals needing such medical treatments as dialysis and chemotherapy.
• Many counties are only able to provide trips during limited hours on weekdays.
• Wisconsin’s population over 65 years old is projected to increase more than 90% in the next 25 years from 13% of the overall population to 21%.
• It estimated that more than one in five persons over 65 do not drive.

There are three main reasons why the Specialized Transportation Assistance Program is under utilized:

1. Services are limited: The program has not met the broad range of intended purposes
   • Although limited, medical and nutrition trips are the primary rides disregarding socialization;
   • Many counties must cap the number of rides per person and/or have waiting lists, including rides for medical services such as dialysis and chemo and radiation therapies;
   • Rural counties are facing the biggest challenge;
   • Transportation for employment is limited or nonexistent;
   • Many counties cannot provide evening and weekend services;
   • Few counties can provide long-distance rides.
2. It is difficult to find drivers: Wisconsin depends heavily on volunteer drivers. High insurance and fuel costs make it more difficult to recruit volunteer drivers.
3. The system is fragmented: Uncoordinated transportation resources has led to inefficient and limited services.

The Latest Scoop (Updated: 02/08/2006)

As part of his 2005-2007 budget proposal Governor Doyle included a $6 million increase over the two-year budget period to Elderly and Disabled Transportation Aids to Counties (85.21) Program. This represents a 23.9% increase in the first year and a 19.3% increase in the second year of the budget.

The proposal was approved by the Legislature and became law when the Governor approved the final 2005-07 state budget this past summer. Now that the increase in transportation aids to counties is state law, the issue is how will the counties spend it? Each county has eligible funding for 2006.

Action Steps

1. Contact your county supervisor or county 85.21 (specialized transportation) coordinator and ask how the increase is being used in your county. If it is not being used for the intended purpose of enhancing transportation services for the elderly and people with disabilities, please take action on the local level and report what you have found to Michael Blumenfeld.

Lead Contacts

Michael Blumenfeld
Blumenfeld and Associates
Co-Chair, Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability Organizations
16 N. Carroll Street, Suite 800
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 257-1888
Fax: (608) 257-2172
Email: mblumenfeld@mblumenfeld.com

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More Information

• Issue alerts:
  1. Search DAWN alerts on this topic
• Plain Talk
• Advocacy Resources:
• Background Papers:
  1. Legislative Fiscal Bureau Paper on Elderly and Disabled Transportation Aid, April 26, 2005.
• Fiscal Information:
• Stories of Wisconsin's citizens with disabilities:
• Links to relevant disability information: