My disabled son who is on Medicaid is enrolled in a partial hospitalization day program which is supposed to last for two weeks, with him attending every day Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 3.00.
I was told that I was to call Logisticare at least two days before, and before noon, which I did last Wednesday, August 7th, to make a reservation for his program to start on Friday, August 9th, for approximately two to three weeks. When I called them on Wednesday, they said no problem, and gave me 11 confirmation numbers for trips for the next two weeks and a day and said they would pick him up at 7:45 with a window of 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after.
On Thursday afternoon I called to confirm and was told the trip was confirmed, but then I got a so-called courtesy call at 7:30 P.M. Saying they were still working on getting a provider and I could call back as early 6 A.M. To confirm a trip I was told earlier was already confirmed. On Friday morning, I couldn't get anyone to answer my call back to them in the A.M. And I kept on trying to call them, while my son went outside waiting for the ride, figuring someone would have called to cancel if they weren't coming.
At about 8:05 I told him to come back upstairs to our apartment and I started calling Logisticare again. After being placed on hold about 15 minutes, I was told that no provider had taken the assignment and that they would keep on trying. Of course, I said what's the problem, and why didn't you tell me. They said, well, there was flooding last night in Passaic County and providers got tied up there. I live in Bergen County.
I then tried to make sure this wouldn't happen again and asked them if they had a provider for the rest of his two to three weeks of needed rides. They told me it was best to place this as a standing order. I said I don't know why this isn't a standard order since I told you it was the same thing for two or three weeks. They told me clerical error and that if it was a standing order it was more likely that a provider would pick up the assignment for a steady two to three weeks. So I said, okay, make sure it's listed as a standing order. I was told that only the facility could do that.
So I called the program facility and the program facility made a reservation for a standing order for my son.
So Friday afternoon I called Logisticare to confirm for Monday and was told they had a provider, the same provider throughout and that the trip was confirmed. Monday morning my son goes outside to wait for ride, and no one came. I called Logisticare, again spending much time on hold, and was told that, well, he had a ride scheduled with the provider, but the provider couldn't make it and so was rerouted. I asked to speak to a supervisor, was put on hold, told supervisor would call me back but no one ever did.
It's now Monday, and I called to confirm for Tuesday, and I was told that they changed providers and the trip was definitely confirmed. Then again 7:20 this evening I get a so-called courtesy call saying they are still trying to secure a provider. And so now for the third day in a row it looks like my son will be without a ride. When I complained that this is the third day they have told me they were supplying a ride and haven't done so and that I wanted to speak to a supervisor, I was told the supervisor wasn't in at night, but they would be spending all night trying to secure a ride for tomorrow, Tuesday.
This partial day hospitalization program is vital to my son's recovery. He is seriously ill, and I understood that he was entitled to Medicaid transportation in NJ where we live, yet he is obviously not getting it, at least not through Logisticare. What's going on here?
I've spent hours on the telephone on hold since last week trying to find out what's going on with these on-again off-again rides. I've multiple times asked to speak to a supervisor, a supervisor which doesn't seem to exist. And, multiple times I was told by their reps that they are only a broker and don't provide the rides and if their providers don't fill their jobs and/or show up for them there is nothing they can do about it.
What exactly does Logisticare do? How can I get my disabled son a ride to a much-needed program when Logisticare seems to be the only place to go?
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