The Community Transportation Association of America

Chambers of Commerce and Public Transportation: Perfect Partners

Scott Bogren, CTAA Communications Director Successful commerce has always required effective transportation. Typically, in discussions of business and transportation, the transportation of goods and materials is considered paramount. This focus, however, often obscures the significant impact that the transportation of people -- both customers and employees -- can have on commerce, on a company's bottom line and on the overall economic viability of a city and/or region.

Around the country, Chambers of Commerce are often found today at the leading edge of a paradigm shift when it comes to public transportation and harnessing its potential impact on local economies and businesses. Many chambers, in fact, are taking a second look at public transportation and seeing it as a vital tool in attracting and sustaining local businesses.

To read more, visit On the Move

The Alliance for Transit Operating Assistance consists of transit agencies and advocacy groups focused on increasing operating assistance for transit systems around the nation.

Members of the Alliance seek to communicate the nature of the current transit operating assistance crisis to policy makers and elected officials and to assist in the development on short- and long-term strategies to ease this investment gap.

Web Site: www.operatingassistance.org
Join the Alliance: Read and sign the ATOA Charter
Who's E-signed the ATOA Charter: Charter Signees (180 agencies and counting)
The Map: Mapping the Transit Funding Crisis
What if: How would you like to see this on your transit system's website?

Medicaid Relief to Continue at ARRA Rates

Federal spending on Medicaid will continue at the higher rates established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, or the "stimulus bill"), under legislation passed by the Senate and the House and signed by President Obama into law.

This temporary increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), which is the rate at which the federal government reimburses states for their medical expenses under Medicaid, has been slated to expire Dec. 31, 2010.

However, the budgets in almost every state are such that they simply cannot absorb Medicaid expenses at the lower, pre-ARRA, reimbursement rates. The legislation extends that FMAP increase for six months to June 30, 2011.

For more, visit Capitol Clips

An Exciting Member Benefit: Take control of your insurance

As part of what we do, we try not just to represent our members in Washington, but we also try to help them and part of our help is to try to make complicated parts of our business simpler and better. One of the greatest challenges for all parts of our membership is insurance protection, a subject that is made more difficult because our membership base is so diverse. The Insurance Store at CTAA is our way of helping with the complicated insurance situation. Developed in partnership with the Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Company, our Store has the ability to match products in the insurance world with the individual needs of our members. Whether you're a governmental agency, a nonprofit corporation or a small business, the insurance Store can be your one-stop resource on all insurance needs and services.

For more information, visit The Insurance Store at CTAA

Transportation to Work Toolkit for the Business Community: Get Started

First and foremost among many Americans' daily transportation needs is getting to and from work. Accessible, reliable, and affordable transportation is key to maintaining employment and thus a critical component of America's economic recovery. Furthermore, for members of the community with specialized transit needs, such as people with disabilities, older workers, youth, and low-income earners, such transportation is the link that actually makes employment possible.

The Transportation Toolkit for the Business Community gives businesses the information they need now to assist their employees in achieving a timely, cost-efficient commute that promotes productivity and job satisfaction. Explore the toolkit's flyers, fact sheets, resources and examples of transportation initiatives undertaken by employers nationwide. Each approach is straightforward to launch and simple to manage.

The Transportation Toolkit for the Business Community

Fast Mail for RAIL: The Newsletter of the Passenger Rail Industry

Fast Mail for RAIL is a regular compilation of the latest news and updates from the passenger rail industry that delivers timely information, resources, and announcements to RAIL Magazine subscribers, colleagues and friends.

We chronicle the resurgence and revitalization of the passenger rail in all its forms -- intercity, commuter, subways and metros, light rail, streetcars and trolleys, and more - across North America. We focus on how communities of all sizes build innovative, cost-efficient and successful rail operations to better mobilize people. The stories of these vital rail systems are told not only in the kind of equipment they operate or the stations that they build, but the equally important elements of community partnerships, intermodalism, land-use and development, investment strategies, and other aspects that are essential to vital passenger rail networks.

Current Issue

Joblinks Employment Transportation Initiative

Joblinks Employment Transportation--ENCORE!

A virtual conference experience for transportation providers, the business community, workforce development and human services professionals and other community leaders, Joblinks Employment Transportation--ENCORE! is your window into inspiring presentations on employment transportation. Use this site as your portal into a virtual learning experience on how to improve people's access to jobs and job training through improved transportation options.

We've organized Web-based presentations from recent conferences, webinars, and other interactive resources that showcase useful practices from communities just like yours. The best part is that you can design your own conference based on topics that interest you most and then "attend" this customized conference from the comfort of your own desk at a time of your choosing.

http://joblinksencore.ctaa.org/

Tappy Grams

Tappy Grams is an electronic newsletter published by the Community Transportation Association of America that describes new and timely publications on transportation-related information.

Preparation and dissemination of this newsletter is an activity of the National Resource Center for Human Service Transportation Coordination, and is supported through a cooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

"Tappy the Penguin" is the long-serving mascot of the National Transit Resource Center and is our symbol of commitment to serving the information needs of the transit and human service communities.

Important Changes to Medicaid Transportation Benefits

After many ups and downs in the Health Care debate I am pleased to let you know that we were successful in introducing important changes in Medical Transportation. First, the NEMT benefit has been affirmed as an ongoing part of the Health Care Legislation. There will be no further attempts to delete Medicaid funding transportation when Benchmark plans return as part of the proposed Medicaid reforms. Additionally, the primary way to serve those without insurance -- before the legislation passed -- will be through an expanded Medicaid program. Most importantly, the health care legislation provides funding to pay for this vital service. I am sure that you have heard of new mechanisms to provide health insurance to others called, insurance exchanges. These exchanges are designed to create competitive pricing for those covered by more traditional insurance.

The bottom line is that Medical Transportation -- as we have always known it -- emerges from this health care bill as a necessary ingredient for successful health treatment and outcomes. The paradox of having the best health care system in the world, with an inability to get there, is over.

To read more, visit the CTAA Director's Corner.

National Resource Center Blogs

The National Resource Center has three blogs: "Capitol Clips," which provides information on news and events in and around our federal government affecting the delivery and coordination of community and public transportation services, "The Express Stop," which features news about public transit, human services transportation and alternative transportation. And, "NRC Technical Assistance News," with news for and about the Technical Assistance Provider Network.

These publications are produced by the National Resource Center for Human Service Transportation Coordination (NRC), housed at the Community Transportation Association. The NRC provides technical assistance and information about public transportation and coordination of transit and medical care, employment, education and services for senior citizens and people with disabilities.

Proposed Urban Area Criteria for the 2010 Census

The U.S. Census Bureau has published the proposed criteria for defining urban areas based on the 2010 census data. There is also an opportunity for public comment on the criteria. Please see the August 24, 2010 Federal Register notice (PDF) for proposed criteria and if you would like to submit a public comment. The deadline for submitting comments is November 22, 2010.

This notice provides the US Census Bureau's proposed criteria for defining urban areas based on the results of the 2010 Decennial Census (the term "urban area" as used throughout this notice refers generically to urbanized areas of 50,000 or more population and urban clusters of at least 2,500 and less than 50,000 population).

The Census Bureau is requesting public comment on these proposed criteria.

www.ctaa.org/census2010

The Competitive Edge: Making Community and Public Transit the Best Alternative for Medical Transportation

Today there is never-before-seen complexity in the non-emergency medical transportation field. Limited funding combined with growing patient loads has states seeking intermediaries that can control costs through competition.

Community and public transportation providers must become efficient, safe, costeffective and accountable to maintain these important medical transportation services. The Community Transportation Association, in response to requests from its members, is introducing a new initiative this fall -- the Competitive Edge -- which will give community and public transit providers the tools, resources and benefits they need to make them central players in this new medical transportation environment.

Competitive Edge (PDF)(68 KB)