Mileage Reimbursement programs are designed to provide additional transportation options for older adults for trips to medical appointments, groceries, personal errands and similar destinations with similar purposes.
There are different types of Mileage Reimbursement Programs that can be offered; some will match drivers with applicants that need assistance with transportation to appointments, errands and other necessary trips. In these programs, the driver is directly reimbursed for any mileage accrued when assisting the applicant they are paired with.
Other programs, such as the MRP program MMP facilitated in Ventura County from 2015-2020, allowed applicants to provide their own drivers, which became the key factor in the program’s success. Reimbursements were paid out directly to the participant who would then pay their driver.
Most participants already had family members or friends that were providing them with transportation; this program allowed them to be able to pay their family and friends for assistance to qualified trips. This provided Ventura County residents a much needed additional transportation option, in a safe and familiar environment.