MISSISSIPPI NEMT Driver/Attendant Training Course DOM and ESRD

1. MISSISSIPPI NEMT Driver/Attendant Training Course DOM and ESRD

2. Agenda • Welcome • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) & civil rights • Customer service standards • Passenger & wheelchair securement • Driver and Attendant Sensitivity • Code of conduct • Emergency situations • Recordkeeping • Drug & alcohol policy

3. Welcome to MTM Driver Training • Training for transportation providers & drivers • Ensures credentialing compliance • Helps drivers provide safe & courteous service • Contractual requirement for all drivers & attendants serving Mississippi Beneficiaries • Drivers & attendants must complete training prior to taking MTM-assigned trips • Annual training & re-certification thereafter (Expires 1 year after completion date of training)

4. ADA & Civil rights

5. ADA & Civil Rights • “Civil Rights Protection for Over 50 Million Americans” • ADA: a civil rights law enacted by Congress in 1990 • Prior to ADA, inaccessible public transit created barriers to active, productive lives for 43 million Americans with disabilities • Individuals with disabilities were excluded from the workplace, schools & participating as contributing community participants. ADA gave individuals with disabilities the same opportunities as others

6. ADA & Transportation • ADA definition of “person with a disability”: • Individuals with physical/mental impairments that substantially limit one or more major life activities • Individuals with a record of such impairment • Individuals regarded as having an impairment • Addresses transportation provided by public entities & private entity systems

7. ADA Training Requirements • Transportation Providers must be trained to: • Operate vehicles & equipment safely • Provide required level of service • Treat passengers with disabilities in a respectful & courteous way

8. ADA Service Requirements • Announce stops on request • Permit service animals to accompany passengers • Permit passengers to travel with assistive devices (respirators, portable oxygen, etc.) • Make appropriate use of accessibility-related equipment • Provide adequate time to board & exit

9. Other ADA Requirements • Drivers may not: • Discriminate in connection with the provision of transportation • Deny service if the passenger is capable of using it • Require use of designated priority seats • Impose special charges based on disability, gender, religion, national origin, race, English-proficiency or age • Require or unreasonably deny an escort • Refuse service solely because the passenger’s disability results in behavior that may offend, annoy, or inconvenience you

10. Other ADA Requirements • It is not discrimination to refuse service if the passenger engages in violent, seriously disruptive or illegal conduct

11. Customer service standards

12. Customer Service Standards • At all times, drivers must: • Provide high quality service for all Beneficiaries regardless of age, ability, or disability • Operate vehicles & equipment safely • Assist & treat Beneficiaries in a respectful & courteous way

13. Customer Service Standards: Communication • Use appropriate & professional language • Accurate & specific • Emphasis on the Beneficiary first

14. Customer Service Standards: Identification • Wear or have visible an easily readable official company identification • Properly identify & announce presence at the entrance of the building at the pick-up location • The required wait time is 5 minutes after the scheduled pick up time

15. Customer Service Standards: Assistance • Exit the vehicle to open & close doors when providing assistance to passengers entering & exiting the vehicle • Provide assistance as necessary to & from the main door of the pick up and drop off destinations

16. Customer Service Standards: Assistance • When providing assistance, • Ask permission first, do not touch Beneficiaries except as appropriate & necessary. Necessary scenarios include: • Assistance into & out of the vehicle • Helping Beneficiary into a seat • Securing seatbelts • Rendering first aid & assistance

17. Customer Service Standards: Comfort • Maintain a comfortable interior cabin temperature while vehicle is occupied by a Beneficiary or escort

18. Customer Service Standards: Safety • Never use a cell phone while driving, unless it is operated as a hands-free device • Never text while driving • Do not wear any type of headphones while on duty

19. Assisting Passengers with Disabilities

20. Passenger Securement: Boarding • Provide adequate support & visual/oral directions • Applies to the movement of wheelchairs & mobility-limited Beneficiaries as they enter & exit the vehicle using a wheelchair lift • Drivers are to secure the child safety seats to the vehicle. The parent is responsible for securing the child within the child safety seat. • Prior to allowing vehicle to proceed, confirm that wheelchairs, cots & stretchers are properly secured & that all Beneficiaries are properly seat-belted or secured/ restrained in their mobility device

21. Passenger Securement: Exiting • Assist Beneficiaries in exiting the vehicle & moving to the building entrance of the destination

22. Passenger Securement: Wheelchair Securement • Providers cannot deny service on basis of difficulty in securing a wheelchair • Permit standees to use lift • Regardless if they are in a wheelchair or not

23. Passenger Securement: Lift & Ramp Use • Mobility devices must fit on the lift or ramp & within the “envelope” of securement • Only the vehicle operator should control the lift

24. Passenger Securement: Wheelchair Securement • Four-point floor securement system MUST be used to secure wheelchairs & other mobility devices • Each securement location must have a three-point passenger restraint system

25. Passenger Securement: Lift Maintenance • Regular & frequent lift maintenance programs must be developed & instituted • Report non-operating lifts as soon as possible • Every effort must be made to repair lifts before the next day of service

26. Wheelchair Securement: Transfers • Transfer from wheelchair to vehicle seat can be recommended but not required • Assistance in transferring to a seat is required even if driver must leave his/her seat to do so

27. Passenger Securement: Storage • Store mobility aids & folding wheelchairs for Beneficiaries • Secure in trunk or tied down to avoid movement during transport • Drivers & attendants are not responsible for Beneficiary’s personal items

28. Driver & attendant Sensitivity

29. Conduct: Safety • Prior to vehicle’s departure, confirm that the Beneficiary is safely inside the destination

30. Conduct: Safety • Provide an appropriate level of assistance to a Beneficiary when requested or when necessitated by the Beneficiary’s mobility status or personal condition, including Curb-to-Curb, Door-to-Door and Hand-to-Hand assistance, as required. • Prevent the Beneficiary from crossing streets to reach the entrance of their destination.

31. Conduct: Food & Beverages • Never eat or consume beverages while in the vehicle, involved with Beneficiary assistance, or in the presence of Beneficiaries

32. Conduct: Smoking • Never smoke while in the vehicle, involved with Beneficiary assistance, or in the presence of Beneficiaries • Including when a Beneficiary is not present in the vehicle, with a visible interior sign that states: “NO SMOKING” • “No Smoking” signs shall be visible to all passengers

33. Conduct: Drugs & Alcohol • No driver or attendant shall use or be under the influence of alcohol, narcotics & illegal drugs or drugs that impair ability to perform while on duty

34. Emergency situations

35. Responding to an Emergency • Provide leadership to passengers • Passengers will look to you for help & direction • Remain calm • Protect yourself, passengers & the vehicle • Prevent injury & death to anyone involved in the situation

36. Responding to an Emergency • Determine what happened & what actions/inactions will protect the safety of people & property • Reduce vehicle & other property damage • Avoid unnecessary liability claims

37. Responding to an Emergency • Report incidents & accidents immediately or as soon as is it is safe to do so • Notify dispatch & your supervisor of all emergency situations • Contact emergency services as necessary • Dial 911 for immediate assistance

38. Reporting Emergency Situations to MTM • File a police report if necessary • Document the situation • Report by using MTM’s Incident/Accident Form (Attachment A)

39. Attachment A: Incident/Accident Form

40. Accurate Recordkeeping

41. Recordkeeping: Trip Detail • MTM authorizes a trip when a Beneficiary’s service eligibility is verified • Each trip is assigned a unique number that is communicated on the Trip Sheet (see Attachment B) • Round trip assignments will use the same number • “A” at the end of the number signifies the “to” leg (i.e.: MISA14117898A) • “B” signifies the “from” leg (i.e.: MISA14117898B)

42. Attachment B: Sample Trip Sheet

43. Recordkeeping: Trip Logs & Signatures • MTM must receive clear trip documentation to verify Beneficiary attendance & pay claims • Critical Daily Trip Log (see Attachment C) items: • Trip numbers • Driver’s license numbers • Last five digits of Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) • Pick-Up & Drop-Off (PUDO) times (4 times per a leg) • Signatures and Odometer Reading

44. Attachment C: Daily Trip Log

45. Daily Trip Log • At a minimum, the log must show notes in the case of cancellations, incomplete requests, and “no-shows”.

46. Drug & Alcohol policy

47. Drug & Alcohol Policy • Drivers & attendants must submit signed acknowledgement of receipt & understanding of their employer’s Substance Free Workplace Policy • Drug screening results must be included • MTM maintains pre-employment drug screenings as a credentialing element on the transportation provider website

48. Drug & Alcohol Policy • Drivers and Attendants: • Must pass an initial drug and alcohol test • Third party vendor administers drug & alcohol monitoring program • Must submit to random (at least annually) & post-accident drug & alcohol screenings

49. Drug & Alcohol Policy • MTM Representative: • Communicates results of screenings to the transportation provider & driver/attendant • If driver/attendant is found to be in violation of the Substance Free Workplace Policy • Suspension or termination from providing MTM services could occur • MTM Issues corrective measures for transportation providers

50. Closing • Thank you for your participation • Congratulations on completing the MTM Driver Training Course!