S Grant Public Hearing on NC Department of Transportation's Rural Operating Assistance Program

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4 Orange Public Transportation (OPT) is the designated lead agency for public and human services agency transportation in rural Orange County and the recipient of the EDTAP allocation. OPT will continue to use its allocation to provide medical transportation for the sixty plus and disabled residents of Orange County. Additionally OPT will offer one shopping,personal business round trip per week to those two population groups who five outside the Chapel Hill Transit service area and do not have access to the Orange Express public shuttle. To the extent possible, trips will be grouped by geographic area per weekday and the destination will be the closest possible provider. The new effort funded by ED W this year is the "Orange Voucher"service. Developed with seed money from Easter Seals North Carolina and distributed through the Orange County Transportation Coalition for People with Disabilities, this service offers eligible disabled persons up to$100/month to pay for travel arrangements to meet the individuals'needs and to the destination(s) of their choice.. All EDTAP service recipients are asked to contribute$2.00 per one-way trip. 7hisfeeis waived for any individual whose family income is at or below 125%of the poverty level as determined by the Department of Health and Human Services. Contributions are used to subsidize additional trips Persons sixty years and older can be certified for services by completing a Client Registration Form which is kept on file at the OPT administrative office in Hillsborough. Persons under sixty seeking EDTAP service must have a certification completed and authorized by his/her physici= All EDTAP recipients must be recertified annually. The Orange County Transportation Development Plan Update that addresses the use of EDTAP funds was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners on December 19, 1995 and is in effect through 1999. A. Work First/Employment 1. Briefly describe the proposed transitional Work First and/or general public employment transportation service to be provided;and 2. Identify the transportation service provider(s) for the proposed service. Orange Public Transportation provides former Work First participants or other low- income persons certified for Medicaid or Food Stamps with a maximum of$300 per year to assist with employment related transportation For car owners the funds can be used for repairs andlor insurance. For non-car owners the funds can assist with the purchase of bus passes, van or carpool expense, or possibly the gift of a vehicle donated to the Work First program The actual service provider with vary depending upon the neeg i e auto repair shop, insurance agent, Chapel Hill Transit or Tar Heel Tom. The OPT Mobility Specialist will determine the most appropriate vendor on a case-by-case basis.