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MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Medical Assistance Transportation Program for ACCESS Card Holders

FIND MY RIDE APPLY TO RIDE

The Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP) is a transportation service available to Medical Assistance consumers in Delaware County. The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare funds MATP. In Delaware County, DELGO operates the MATP Program.

Our program offers transportation or mileage reimbursement to help you get to medical care or services from a Medical Assistance provider. We are required to provide you with the least expensive, most appropriate transportation service available that will meet your needs.

You can use MATP services to go to medical appointments or to get to any service Medical Assistance pays for. These medical services include therapies, tests, dental visits, trips to the pharmacy to get prescriptions, mental health treatment, drug and alcohol treatment, and trips to medical equipment suppliers.

You cannot use MATP:

  • if you need emergency ambulance transportation
  • for non-medical trips such as for grocery shopping or for social activities
  • to obtain medical care that is not covered by Medical Assistance.


Service Hours:

  • Monday through Sunday: 4am to 6pm


One-Hour Rule Waiver:

The PA Department of Human Services has granted DELGO Community Transit a waiver to the Paratransit One-Hour Rule cited in MATP S&G Rev. 11/2016 General Responsibilities § 14 (C) for out-of-county grouped trips. This waiver was granted indefinitely effective October 26, 2023. If you wish you to review this letter please click here.


MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM INFO

  • What medical transportation services do we provide?

    What Medical Transportation Services Do We Provide?

    Depending on where you are going, what your needs are, and the costs involved, we could provide you with transportation in one of the following ways:

    • Public fixed route bus

    • Shared van

    • Lift-equipped vans


  • Mileage reimbursement

    If you have a car available, or if you know someone who has a car and can take you to your medical appointment, we will provide you mileage reimbursement if it is the least costly, most appropriate service available. We will reimburse you at the rate of $0.12 per mile (currently the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has increased this rate to $0.25 per mile due to the Covid-19 emergency). We will also reimburse you for your actual parking expenses and tolls if you provide the original receipts showing how much you paid. No reimbursement for Taxis, Lyft or Uber.

    When you receive your rider ID card, you may begin scheduling your trips by calling 610-490-3960 or our TTY line for the hearing impaired at 610-490-3990. Trip requests are accepted up to two weeks in advance. Community Transit will accept trip requests up to 12:00 p.m. one day in advance, as availability permits. All trips are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis and rides are available as capacity and ride sharing allow. When you call, please be prepared to provide:

    • Your name

    • Address of pick up point

    • Entrance location, if applicable

    • Time of pick up

    • Your destination, including a phone number where we may reach you

    • Any special needs.


  • Public transportation reimbursement

    We will reimburse you up to $96 for a monthly pass.

    Weekly passes: $25.50

    Monthly passes: $96.00

  • SEPTA keycards

    You should make a copy of the card to match the receipt or send in the card. 


    If you want to claim mileage reimbursement for a trip, you must tell us in advance. We will send you a form to fill out to tell us how far you have traveled and whether you had any parking or toll costs. Reimbursement forms must adhere to the following schedule:


    Date stamped by post offiice: 15th of the month

    Date check will go out: Between the 25th and 28th of the month


    *ALL TRIPS WILL BE VERIFIED


    Reimbursement requests received over 60 days from the date of the trip will not be paid and a written notice will be issued. Mileage Reimbursement Form


    If you have any questions about mileage reimbursement please contact us at 610-490-3975.

  • How far can I go with MATP?

    We are responsible for providing or for arranging your transportation to get you to the medical care you need.


    If you are enrolled in a Medical Assistance MCO (Managed Care Organization), we can provide or arrange transportation for you to any medical provider in this MCO region; this MCO region includes Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. However, we will only take you to providers in your MCO network, or out-of-network providers that you were referred to by your MCO.


    If you are enrolled in the Medical Assistance ACCESS Plus Program, you can use MATP services to get to your selected or assigned Personal Care Physician (PCP) and any specialist to whom your PCP refers you. You can use MATP to go to the nearest behavioral health provider who can meet your needs. You can use MATP to go to a more distant behavioral health provider if you give the MATP information that it is a medical necessity to travel to that provider.


    If you are in Medical Assistance fee-for-service, we will provide or arrange transportation for you to the provider who is closest to your home and who can meet your medical needs. We will take you to a more distant provider only if you give us medical information that shows the more distant provider is required to meet your needs. If an exception is needed, we will need a letter from your physician. If you have questions regarding the transportation options available to you, please contact our office.



  • Scheduling a ride to an appointment

    If you need a ride to a medical appointment or facility, you should call us as soon as possible. For regular appointments, you must call us at least 1 day in advance by NOON to arrange a ride. You can call us up to two weeks before your appointment to arrange a ride.


    When you call to schedule a ride we will ask:

    • The date and time of your appointment

    • Where you need to go- name, address and phone number

    • How long the appointment will last (if you know).


    Please tell us if you have any special need such as a wheelchair, if you need an escort to go with you, or if you need accessible transportation due to a temporary or permanent disability.


    We will arrange for the least costly way to get you to and from your appointment, which meets your needs. If your appointment is rescheduled or cancelled, or if things change and you no longer need a ride, you must call us immediately and let us know.


  • Pick-up & drop-off guidelines

    If we will be transporting you using shared ride, you will be told in advance the approximate time you will be picked up by the driver. Please be ready ahead of time. Our drivers are required to pick you up no sooner than 15 minutes before your scheduled time and no later than 15 minutes after your scheduled pick-up time. Our policy is to drop you off at your provider's office no more than 1 hour before your scheduled appointment, and to pick you up no later than 1 hour after your appointment is finished. If we do not meet these timelines and you are kept waiting, you should call us at 610-490-3975 to report the problem and to see if alternative arrangements can be made.


    Please note that starting February 1, 2010, Community Transit of Delaware County will implement designated shuttle times to Bryn Mawr, Lankenau, and Philadelphia during the early morning and mid-morning hours. If traveling to or from these areas on paratransit, you will need to travel at these times and arrange your appointments accordingly. Return trips will be arranged on the late morning shuttle and on early afternoon and late afternoon shuttles. For consumers traveling to Bryn Mawr, Lankenau, and Philadelphia, it is possible that you could wait a long as two and half (2.5) hours for your return trip after your appointment, but we will make every possible effort to keep your wait to a minimum.


  • Urgent care transportation

    At some point, you may need transportation on short notice for an urgent care matter. Urgent care includes any situation where your medical provider has told you that you need to come into their office, or to a medical facility within 24-hours to obtain medical treatment or service. We have a process for responding to any urgent care requests and we will make every effort to help you get to the medical care you need.


    If you need transportation for an urgent care matter, you should call MATP immediately by dialing 610-490-3960. You will be able to contact a Representative from Community Transit 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, including holidays.


    When you, or a medical facility calls to arrange urgent care transportation, a nurse, physician, or psychiatrist must fax a letter, or verbalize that your condition, if left untreated within a 24-hour time period, could rapidly become a crisis; or discharge from a hospital will be delayed until services are approved; or a member's/consumer's ability to avoid hospitalization depends upon the prompt approval of services.


    During the arrangement of transportation, the consumer or advocate must also provide the following as asked by the Representative:

    • Consumer's name

    • Address

    • Telephone number

    • Emergency contact

    • ACCESS Card Number or Social Security Number and Date of Birth

    • The exact location of pick-up and drop-off

    • Whether the consumer needs an escort, wheelchair, or has any other special needs

    After this has been established, the transportation will be arranged.

    *Please call 911 for medical emergencies.


  • Escort policy

    You may bring someone with you as an escort at no cost to you in the following situations:

    • If you are under 18, you can be escorted by a parent or other relative/guardian

    • Children under 16 are required to be a escorted by a parent or other relative/guardian

    • If you cannot travel independently, or you need assistance due to age, illness, physical or mental disability

    • If you do not speak English, you can bring someone with you to interpret

    • The escort must travel with you from pick-up to drop-off. No extra trips will be arranged without prior scheduling


    Escorts must be ambulatory, functional adults who are able to assist the passenger including, but not limited to, assisting the passenger up and down steps. Our escort policy can be obtained by calling us at 610-490-3975.


  • DELGO holidays

    DELGO's office staff observes the holidays listed below. However transportation is still available on all holidays, including:

    • New Year's Day* (1 January)

    • Rev. Martin L. King, Jr. Day (Third Monday in January)

    • Memorial Day (Observed the last Monday in May)

    • Independence Day*

    • Labor Day (First Monday in September)

    • Thanksgiving Day (Observed the 4th Thursday in November)

    • Christmas Day* (December 25)


    *Indicates that this holiday may fall on the weekend. If this occurs, Community Transit will be closed either the prior Friday or the following Monday.


  • Inclement weather

    In the event of inclement weather, Community Transit may suspend service when road conditions make driving hazardous. Just call us early on the day of your trip at (610) 490-3960 to hear whether we will be providing transportation or please listen to KYW Radio (AM 1060).

FIND MY RIDE

SANCTION POLICY INFO

  • Part I - Passenger Responsibilities

    Community Transit's first priority is the safe transportation of its passengers and the safety of its drivers. Any passenger who, in Community Transit's judgment, presents an unsafe situation on Community Transit's or its subcontractor's vehicles will be subject to suspension of paratransit services.


    Safety Responsibilities:

    • All passengers must wear vehicle seatbelts. Passengers under the age of four must be in a car seat. Passengers under the age of eight must be in a car seat or a booster seat. The child's parent/guardian is to provide the car seat or booster. There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule.
    • Passengers must remain seated at all times, and may not board or disembark the vehicle until the driver says so, or the vehicle comes to a complete stop.
    • Persistent foul, sexist, racist, or otherwise offensive language, including hollering and screaming is not permitted.
    • Unwanted physical contact with other passengers, or hitting, biting, or spitting by a passenger are not permitted.
    • Other disruptive and unsafe or illegal behaviors, such as throwing items on the vehicle, or carrying weapons of any kind, including BB guns, are not permitted.
    • If in the driver's judgment, a passenger's behavior is creating an unsafe situation, the driver may request assistance via the vehicle's radio to remove the passenger from the vehicle (by calling dispatch to alert 911). If a vehicle aide is provided by the agency, the aide is primarily responsible for controlling behavior on the vehicle.

    Other Responsibilities:

    • All MATP participants must submit a completed application to Community Transit of Delaware County to initiate approval of paratransit or reimbursement services. The application is allowed to be submitted without the signature of the applicant; however, the application must be signed within thirty days of the application's submission.
    • Curb-to-curb service will be provided. If the consumer needs door-to-door service, written documentation from the medical provider is required.
    • AT NO TIME DURING THE PICK-UP OR DROP-OFF ARE OUR DRIVERS TO ENTER THE HOME OR THE VESTIBULE OF A MEDICAL FACILITY. When the vehicle arrives, consumers must be ready to board. Consumers residing in an apartment building must await their transportation in the vestibule or lobby of their building. Consumers residing in a home or duplex must be ready and waiting for the vehicle on the first floor or a porch. For consumers being transported from a medical facility, consumers must be ready and waiting for the vehicle at the street level vestibule or lobby.
    • All passengers and those eligible for reimbursement for public transit services or personal vehicle mileage reimbursement must present complete, accurate, timely, and truthful information.
    • If a consumer's eligibility expires, reimbursement requests will not be honored, and full fare will be charged to the patron for paratransit rides until their eligibility is reinstated.
    • Reimbursement requests must be submitted in a timely manner, as described in the materials provided to the patron, and all signatures must be valid, whether by the patron or healthcare provider. Reimbursement is available only for medical or medically related services.
    • Except urgent care trips, riders must make their reservation at least one day prior to their appointment. Call 610-490-3960, Monday though Friday, 7:30 AM until 3:30 PM to schedule a ride. A Customer Service Representative will inform the patron of availability of the requested ride, offer alternative times, or assist in securing an alternative appointment or transportation outside the County. Rides are available for MATP patrons only for approved medical or medically related services. Patrons must call 610-490-3960 to cancel appointments at least two hours before their scheduled pickup.
    • If a passenger cannot be left unattended, the responsible party must be present at the time of pick-up and drop-off, or alternate plans must be made in advance.

  • Part II - Sanctions for Violations

    • Community Transit reserves the right to sanction a passenger when the passenger's behavior presents a safety hazard. Given the severity of the offense, we reserve the right to deviate from the 10-day appeal rule by safety exception 55 Pa Code ｧ2070.42 (b) (3) (i). Community Transit of Delaware County may suspend service or reduce the consumer's mode to reimbursement immediately pending an investigation. The consumer will be notified by telephone of the suspension followed by a written notification. A consumer engaging in behavior that jeopardizes the health or safety of others is instantly subject to an immediate suspension without any previous warnings. Community Transit will report all behavior that violates state or federal laws to the appropriate authorities.
    • Community Transit reserves the right to sanction a passenger when, in Community Transit's judgment, the patron has knowingly sought, or received reimbursement for public transit service or personal vehicle mileage using false or falsified information, including forged signatures.
    • Sanctions may include suspensions from paratransit service. In any case, the patron and/or his/her guardian will be officially informed of Community Transit's action, and will be informed of the opportunities afforded by company policy and all the regulations of the Medical Assistance Transportation Program to appeal any decision or action of Community Transit.
    • For a safety violation, the passenger may be removed until, in the judgment of Community Transit in consultation with the appropriate healthcare provider, the passenger can be safely transported with no danger to him/herself, others, and/or minimum disruption to all the passengers and the driver and aide (if provided by the program).
    • For violation of the other responsibilities, following the investigation and presentation to the patron (or patron's guardian) of the evidence discovered by Community Transit, the patron may be suspended from the Medical Assistance Transportation Program for a period of 5 days for first offense, 10 for the second and 15 for the third offense. The consumer will receive a 10-day advance notice with the right to appeal, for each offense.
    • For fraudulent payments made to the patron because of false or falsified information, Community Transit will send all information concerning fraud to Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, Office of the Inspector General, as required by MATP regulations.
    • All mileage reimbursement requests are subject to confirmation by the Community Transit MATP staff, including, but not limited to, review of the dates in attendance at programs or at covered medical appointments, and review of signatures by healthcare providers.

  • No shows & cancellations

    No-Show : Scheduled trips that are not taken and not canceled by passengers.


    A passenger is considered a no-show if:

    • They do not call Community Transit at least two hours prior to their pick-up time to cancel their ride
    • The passenger is not present at the designated pick-up site when the driver arrives

    Cancellation : to stop transportation; no ride will or has occurred. Consumers, advocates, or caregivers may cancel transportation up two hours before the scheduled pick-up for any leg of the trip. Trips canceled less than two hour before the scheduled pick up times are considered no-shows.

    A passenger who accumulates two (2) no-shows within a ninety (90) day period will be suspended from the MATP for 30 days. When a passenger no-shows, they will be notified and advised that another no-show within ninety (90) days will result in suspension from the MATP for thrity (30) days. Cancellations may be called in twenty-four (24) hours a day to our Customer Service number 610-490-3960, and pressiong option "4" .

    After the second no-show, a DHS Written Notice Form will be sent, indicating a suspension of services and a County Assistance Office Referral Form. The form will state the reason for suspension, the effective date of the suspension and instructions on how to appeal the suspension.

    If a no-show is because of a medical emergency or other special circumstance, it will be waived after communication from the case manager, nurse, or doctor is received. If there are any waivers for medical emergencies or special circumstances, the no-shows will be changed to cancellations. You will receive a letter notifying you of the approved waiver.


  • Complaint process

    A complaint is any issue, dispute, or objection you express to us about our agency, or about the coverage, operations, or policies of the MATP. If you have a complaint about our services, about how you were treated by our staff or a driver, or about our policies and procedures, please tell us. We will record your complaint, investigate it, and respond to you within 10 business days.


    At the First Level, the assigned Community Transit Representative will take the complaint and research the inquiry. An inquiry is an investigation into a question and/or problem.


    The Representative from Community Transit will document the complaint, investigate the incident, and respond to the consumer, either verbally or in writing, within 10 business days.


    All complaints will be recorded in a database, which is shared with the County Review Board.

    If you are not satisfied at the First Level, you can request a Second Level Review by the County Review Board. The County Review Board will have 10 business days to investigate the incident and will have 10 business days to respond to you, the consumer, in writing.


    If you are not satisfied, after two levels of review, the County will forward the complaint to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, Office of Medical Assistance Programs.


  • Appeal process

    We are required to give you a written notice if we deny your request for MATP transportation or for mileage reimbursement. We are also required to give you written notice in advance if we plan to reduce or change your services or suspend you from the program for any length of time. The notice will tell you the reasons for our action, when the action will go into effect, and your rights to appeal the action.


    You can get free legal assistance if you need help with an appeal. If you need help with an appeal, you can call your local legal services office at (610) 874-8421 or the Pennsylvania Health Law Project at 1-800-274-3258.


Commonwealth of PA MATP Program Website

Other Medical Transportation Resources:

If we are not able to meet your medical transportation needs, you will be referred to your caseworker at the local County Assistance Office (CAO).

Crosby District
701 Crosby Street
Suite A
Chester, PA 19013
Fax: 610-447-5399
Phone: 610-447-5300

Darby District
845 Main Street
Darby, PA 19023
Fax: 610-461-3900
Phone: 610-461-3800


How to Contact Us
Our office is located at 2001 Industrial Highway, Eddystone, PA 19022 and our phone numbers are:

  • Information 610-490-3975
  • Scheduling 610-490-3960
  • Urgent Care 610-490-3960

Our regular office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM.
Our scheduling hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 AM through 3:30 PM.
If you call us after hours or on a weekend or holiday, you will be able to leave a message on our answering machine and we will return your call on the next business day. Our answering machine will also tell you what to do if you need urgent care transportation or where to call for emergency transportation.


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