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Come aboard and welcome to the San Francisco Bay Area ADA Paratransit Eligibility Manual. This manual has been written for all the evaluators in the San Francisco Bay Area region who on a daily basis review, analyze and make ADA paratransit eligibility determinations. This manual documents the regional application process and the policies and procedures agreed on by the 21 transit operators. The manual provides ADA certification staff both a tool and a resource to assist in the task of consistently analyzing and determining paratransit eligibility for individuals with disabilities who apply for this service.

This is not an operating manual for every certification decision. Each application for ADA paratransit comes from an individual with unique functional abilities and limitations. Each identified disability, whether cognitive or physical, affects an individual in a manner unique to that person.

This manual does, however, offer a road map to the process of ADA certification determinations. The tools and explanations provided in this manual will help eligibility analysts understand the ADA criteria, review applications, reconcile inconsistencies, obtain more data, and analyze and make judgments based on all the information presented.

The organization of the manual is outlined below. A time line of regional ADA paratransit milestones is also included in this section.

"No individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of goods, services, facilities..."

Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990

Organization

How the ADA Paratransit Eligibility Manual is Organized

Section 1 opens with an introduction to the San Francisco Bay Area regional approach to ADA certification. This is followed by a historical time line of the 1990s beginning with the passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act.

Sections 2 through 5 are organized around steps much like those an intake manager might "walk through" with a staff person new to the regional ADA application process.

Section 2 begins with a chart showing the steps in the regional application process followed by an in-depth analysis of the application form. For an overview of topics covered in all five sections, the table of contents is a place to begin.

Questions and more questions -- In every section of the manual there are responses to questions frequently asked by staff conducting ADA paratransit eligibility determinations. Look for the Qs.

Case scenarios in the manual illustrate determinations and actions taken on various ADA applications. These situations cover a range of disabilities and eligibility issues. The case scenarios, like real everyday applications, relate to persons who are individuals -- each with situations that are as unique as the individuals themselves.

Appendices -- At the back of the manual are supplementary resources (or appendices) to assist eligibility analysts in their work. These include a glossary of terms, a brief history of the ADA, final Department of Transportation rules regarding ADA eligibility from the Federal Register, and lists of disability organizations. A copy of the regional application form is in Appendix B and regional policy materials on ADA eligibility are in Appendix C.

Future Updates -- The eligibility manual has been organized to facilitate adding new or revised information as it becomes available. All updates to the manual will be distributed to each transit operator.

Time Line

"Each public entity operating a fixed route system shall provide paratransit or other special service to individuals with disabilities that is comparable to the level of service provided to individuals without disabilities who use the fixed route system."

-- ADA, section 37.121.

The Regional Process for ADA Eligibility: A Historical Time Line of the 1990s

1990 (July)	Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) signed into law.
1991 (September)	Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities: Final ADA Rules published. Federal Register.
1992 (January 26)	ADA transportation regulations required implementation of paratransit service to begin by this date with full implementation within five years.
1992	A regional ADA paratransit eligibility program adopted by the 21 operators in the San Francisco Bay Area, including: Adoption of the Partnership Transit Coordination Committee (PTCC) regional application form Acceptance of standard guidelines for determining eligibility Recognition of each other's eligibility determinations, thus making eligible paratransit users in one jurisdiction eligible in every other city/county in the region
1993 (by January)	All 21 operators began utilizing the common PTCC application form and agreed upon regional procedures.
1994	ADA Regional Eligibility Database went on-line to keep track of all persons certified in the region. (Database administered by MTC and shared by all operators.)
1997 (January 26)	All transit operators in the region reported full compliance with ADA complementary paratransit requirements. Operators included regional materials developed and agreed to by the PTCC Accessibility Committee in updates to original ADA plans (Visitors' Policy, Appeals Process, Certification Process, Principles of Eligibility, etc.).
1997 (May)	A User Manual for the ADA Regional Eligibility Database published and distributed to all operators.
1998	San Francisco Bay Area ADA Paratransit Eligibility Manual developed.

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