Is your school getting all the money you can from state funding?
One of the most overlooked state benefits is the Medicaid & School Based Services (SBS) program. In short, if you have students on your bus who qualify for Medicaid and need special accommodations, you can potentially receive $500 - $1,000 per student to pay for expenses from caring for them. This includes both classroom and bus expenses.
Here's what you need to know to get started.
Reducing Student Ridership Expenses With Medicaid
1 - Qualification
The student(s) in question must already be enrolled with Medicaid, and they must be on an IEP which relates to the condition that led them to be on Medicaid.
So step one will be determining which of your students would potentially qualify for the program. If you suspect some students would qualify for Medicaid in your state, but aren't currently using the program, it might even be worthwhile to bring up the topic with their parents. After all, it would be beneficial to them as well.
2 - Are you reporting transportation data?
If your school is already reporting to Medicaid for other reasons, are you including transportation data in that report? In our experience, many districts overlook this, or don't realize that their student ridership can affect their final payout.
Make contact with the person in your district who handles reporting, and take a look at the reports. If transportation data isn't being included, you are most likely leaving money on the table.
3 - Gathering data
Unsurprisingly, you'll need accurate data to qualify for bus-based payouts. Since Medicaid is administered by states independently, the exact requirements will depend on your state. However, the data typically includes:
Having robust bus tracking and reporting software can make this much easier. If it has good reporting functions, software can do most of the 'heavy lifting' going through your records and pulling out the information you need for your Medicaid SBS reporting.
4 - No state funding?
There are a few cases of states that don't have official programs for reimbursing school districts, but their Medicaid office may still support SBS filings. So even if your school doesn't report/receive extra funding from the state, it's worth calling your state Medicaid office to see if they will accept your reports.
5 - Reinforce the importance of proper ridership tracking
Sometimes IEP students can slip through the cracks of student tracking systems. For example, students in wheelchairs require special processes to get them on the bus, and it's easy to forget to scan their ID card as they board. Don't let this happen. If your bus drivers overlook proper tracking procedures, it could cost your district real money in the long run.
Whatever process you use to collect student ridership data, emphasize that IEP/Special Needs students must always be tracked as they get on and off the bus.
BusBoss Makes Data-Reporting Easier
The BusBoss suite of bus management software products is designed to simplify and streamline your operations. With BusBoss you can generate bus routes in seconds, collect vast data on bus performance and student riders, and produce reports which are easily exported or submitted to the state.
To learn more about how BusBoss improves district transportation services, just contact us!