Virginia’s Transportation System for Medicaid Beneficiaries Lacks Staff to Handle Caseload

Although Virginia's previous non-emergency transportation system for Medicaid beneficiaries was rife with "fraud and abuse," its new system lacks enough personnel to handle the demand for rides, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Under the state's old transportation system, Medicaid beneficiaries in need of rides called car and van companies directly, with the companies then submitting bills to the state, resulting in at least $8 million in fraudulent charges. On July 1, the state adopted a new system in which the state Department of Medical Assistance Services contracts with two companies, Reston, Va.-based DynCorp and Georgia-based LogistiCare, to provide rides. Medicaid beneficiaries contact one of the two companies for transportation services, and the firms then call car and van companies to provide the rides. In starting the new program, LogistiCare's new service "went fairly smoothly," but DynCorp did not have enough telephone lines to handle the calls and had not qualified enough van and car companies to provide the transportation. These shortages left many Medicaid beneficiaries "scrambling for services," the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Virginia Medicaid Director Eric Bell said that DynCorp "simply underestimated the demand" for transportation services. The company has since installed more telephone lines and hired more staff and found ways to work with more transportation companies. DynCorp call center Director Ramon Blanco said that problems will be solved by Sept. 7; meanwhile, LogistiCare will temporarily handle a greater share of the demand (Smith, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 8/31). For further information on state health policy in Virginia, visit State Health Facts Online.