Middle Tennessee RTA Coordinated Human Services - transportation plans, SAFETEA-LU, people with disabilities, fairness, FTA, TN RTA

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In August of 2005, legislation was signed for the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) which requires a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan (CHSTP). The purpose of a plan is to improve transportation services for persons with disabilities, older adults, and individuals with lower incomes by ensuring that communities coordinate transportation resources provided through multiple federal programs. Coordination will enhance transportation access, minimize duplication of services, and facilitate the most appropriate and cost-effective transportation possible with available resources.

The plan has been developed through the coordinating partnership of Nashville MTA, RTA, Nashville MPO, TDOT, Greater Nashville Regional Council (GNRC) Neighborhoods Resource Center, Center for Independent Living, Council on Aging of Greater Nashville, The TMA Group, and In Shuttle Transportation. The plan applies to the urbanized areas within Davidson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson counties and will also provide for coordination with Springfield, Tennessee in Robertson County and Spring Hill in Maury County.

The Plan
The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is the designated recipient for the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) and New Freedom funds for the Nashville Urbanized Area. As the designated recipient for JARC and New Freedom funds, MTA is required to have a coordinated human services transportation plan on file with FTA. It is on file with FTA. MTA has contracted with RTA to develop, coordinate, and implement the plan in order to provide greater regional coordination.

RTA and MTA will continue to work closely with other transportation providers, consumers and advocates, human service agencies/providers and others to assess available transportation services, identify transportation gaps, and look for innovative strategies and solutions.

In summary, the CHSTP process indicates a need for the following:

JARC Program History
The Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program has had a dramatic impact on the lives of thousands of welfare recipients and low-income families, helping individuals successfully transition from welfare to work and reach needed employment support services such as childcare and job training activities. JARC was established as part of TEA�21 to address the unique transportation challenges faced by welfare recipients and low-income persons seeking to get and keep jobs. With many new entry-level jobs located in suburban areas, low-income and/or welfare recipients have found it difficult to access these jobs from their inner city, urban and rural neighborhoods on a daily basis. Further, many entry-level jobs require working late at night or on weekends when conventional transit services in many communities are either reduced or non-existent. Finally, many employment-related trips are complex for low-income persons, often involving multiple destinations, including reaching childcare facilities and other services as part of the work trip.

JARC Program Goal
SAFETEA-LU has been developed through the coordinating partnership of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and the The goal of the JARC program is to improve access to transportation services to employment and employment related activities for welfare recipients and eligible low-income individuals and to transport residents of urbanized areas and non-urbanized areas to suburban employment opportunities. Toward this goal, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provides financial assistance for transportation services planned, designed, and carried out to meet the transportation needs of eligible low-income individuals, and of reverse commuters regardless of income. The program requires coordination of Federally-assisted programs and services in order to make the most efficient use of Federal resources.

JARC Program Measures
Under the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA), FTA is required by law to "establish performance goals to define the level of performance" and to also "establish performance indicators to be used in measuring relevant outputs, service levels, and outcomes" for each of its programs. The performance measures described here are designed to fulfill FTA's obligations under this Act. These measures will be used at a program level, and will not be used to assess individual grants.

FTA will be capturing overall program measures to be used with the GPRA and the Performance Assessment Rating Tool process for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). FTA will conduct independent evaluations of the program focused on specific data elements in order to better understand the implementation strategies and related outcomes associated with the program. The following indicators are targeted to capture overarching program information as part of the Annual Report that each grantee submits to FTA. Specific reporting requirements for recipients can be found in Chapter VI.

The two measures established for the JARC Program are:

New Freedom Program History
The New Freedom Program is a new program authorized in SAFETEA�LU to support new public transportation services and public transportation alternatives beyond those required by the ADA of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et. seq.). This program is codified at 49 U.S.C. 5317.

The New Freedom Program grew out of the New Freedom Initiative introduced by the Administration under Executive Order 13217, "Community-Based Alternatives for Individuals with Disabilities," on June 18, 2001. The Order states: "The United States is committed to community-based alternatives for individuals with disabilities and recognizes that such services advance the best interests of the United States" and calls upon the Federal government to assist States and localities to swiftly implement the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Olmstead v. L.C.

Executive Order 13217 directed six Federal agencies, including the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, Housing and Urban Development and the Social Security Administration to "evaluate the policies, programs, statutes and regulations of their respective agencies to determine whether any should be revised or modified to improve the availability of community-based services for qualified individuals with disabilities." The Departments of Transportation and Veterans Affairs, the Small Business Administration, and the Office of Personnel Management, though not named in the Executive Order, also joined in the implementation effort. Together, these agencies formed the Interagency Council on Community Living under the leadership of the DHHS.

Individuals who are transportation-disadvantaged face different challenges in accessing services depending on whether they live in urban, rural, or suburban areas. The geographic dispersion of transportation-disadvantaged populations also creates challenges for human service programs hoping to deliver transportation for their passengers.

Over the years, in response to these challenges, Federal, State and local governments, and community-based organizations created specialized programs to meet particular transportation needs. At the Federal level alone, there are at least 62 separate programs, administered by eight Federal departments, and even more agencies, that provide special transportation services to individuals with disabilities, older adults, and people with low incomes. Most of these are human service programs that fund limited transportation services to provide eligible participants with access to particular services, such as job training, health care, senior centers, or rehabilitation programs.

The President has included funds for the New Freedom Program in the annual budget request to Congress since FY 2003; however, it was not until the enactment of SAFETEA�LU that funding was authorized by Congress. Funding was first appropriated for the transportation provision in FY 2006. The New Freedom Program is intended to fill the gaps between human service and public transportation services previously available and to facilitate the integration of individuals with disabilities into the workforce and full participation in the community.

New Freedom Program Goal
The New Freedom formula grant program aims to provide additional tools to overcome existing barriers facing Americans with disabilities seeking integration into the work force and full participation in society. Lack of adequate transportation is a primary barrier to work for individuals with disabilities. The 2000 Census showed that only 60 percent of people between the ages of 16 and 64 with disabilities are employed. The New Freedom formula grant program seeks to reduce barriers to transportation services and expand the transportation mobility options available to people with disabilities beyond the requirements of the ADA of 1990.

New Freedom Program Measures
Under the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA), The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is required by law to "establish performance goals to define the level of performance" and to also "establish performance indicators to be used in measuring relevant outputs, service levels, and outcomes" for each of its programs. The performance measures described here are designed to fulfill FTA's obligations under this Act. These measures will be used at our program level. They are as follows:

Increases or enhancements related to geographic coverage, service quality and/or service times that impact availability of transportation services for individuals with disabilities as a result of the New Freedom projects implemented in the current reporting year.

Additions or changes to environmental infrastructure (e.g., transportation facilities, side-walks, etc), technology, and vehicles that impact availability of transportation services as a result of the New Freedom projects implemented in the current reporting year.

Actual or estimated number of rides (as measured by one-way trips) provided for individuals with disabilities as a result of the New Freedom projects implemented in the current reporting year.