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At its January 2007 meeting, the MTA Board of Directors approved a new Access-A-Ride (AAR) application process that includes a visit to an assessment center located in the borough where the applicant resides. The new application procedure puts Access-A-Ride (AAR) in step with the rest of the country’s paratransit services.

AAR provides transportation for people with disabilities who are unable to use public bus or subway service for some or all of their trips. Assessment reports provide information that is often left off the application or missing from a doctor's note. A clearer picture of an applicant's travel ability is gained when an applicant has a face-to-face interview with a medical professional and undergoes functional testing, where appropriate. Having a clearer picture enables our certifiers to assign applicants an appropriate eligibility status:

1. full,
2. conditional,
3. continuing eligibility,
4. full temporary,
5. conditional temporary,
6. or, ineligible

This should reduce time-consuming appeals by customers who disagree with their eligibility status.

Here's how the new procedure works:

• Beginning March 5, 2007 new applicants and those being recertified will need to go to an assessment center as part of the eligibility determination process.

• Applicants must call 877-337-2017, press #1 for English and #1 to speak with customer information staff. Customers being recertified will receive a notice in the mail of the new procedure. Applicants and those being recertified who agree to visit an assessment center will be told that in about five days, they will receive an application and a letter providing the date, time and location of their appointment and instructions on how to schedule a round-trip to the assessment center. The cost for transportation is $2 each way.

• On April 2, 2007 a form letter will be mailed to AAR customers who must recertify by May 31, 2007 informing them of the new application process.

• After April 2, 2007 all applications received into our office will be returned to the sender with instructions describing the new procedure for applying.

• If you have AAR applications in your office, please distribute them one-to-a-customer prior to March 2. After March 2 they will be void and must be discarded.

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