HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION

 Why this legislative item is requested:

Transportation is one of the top five issues facing older Georgians, according to a survey conducted by Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) Division of Aging Services (DAS). With the increase in Georgia’s aging population and persons with disabilities, the need for human services transportation is growing. The Governor’s Office on Highway Safety, Older Drivers Task Force Recommendations Report states that the shifting demographic has serious implications for highway safety and recommends increasing transportation alternatives for the elderly as a top priority. Legislative awareness of the subject has been recognized in the Final Report of the General Assembly’s Joint Transportation Funding Study Committee Report and now needs to be acted upon in a strong concerted manner.

Georgia is one of the fastest growing states in the country for the older adult population but one of the few states that does not have legislation, executive order or other measures to require coordination of human services transportation for state agencies who receive federal or state transportation funds. The lack of coordination in Georgia has serious negative implications for service efficiency and economies of scale: taxpayer dollars can be wasted and transportation opportunities can be lost without effective coordination among state agencies which provide funding for seniors.

What Other State Do:

As of 2005, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) identified 21 states that have comprehensive coordination efforts. Thirteen had comprehensive coordination statutes, six had executive orders for coordinated human services transportation and four tried comprehensive coordination without statutes or executive order. Florida has one of the best examples of legislatively mandated state-wide coordinated transportation efforts and it has been in existence since 1979.

What This Legislation Would Do:

• State legislation would require all state agencies that receive state or federal funding for transportation to examine and determine how to better coordinate services resulting in a more cost-efficient and effective delivery of services to the elderly, low income and persons with disabilities, and other transportation disadvantaged individuals, including general transit service. It would also require the Council to report to the Governor and General Assembly once per year and make specific recommendations for improving coordination, addressing both cost implications and impact on client service