,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #aidj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,january #af1  
#bjad,mr4 ,franken 7for himself and ,mr4
 ,leahy7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,finance  ,a ,,bill  ,to 
provide reimbursement under the         
,medicaid program to individuals and    
entities that provide voluntary         
non-emergency medical transportation to 
,medicaid beneficiaries for expenses    
related to no-load travel4  #a4 ,short  
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,recruiting ,individuals to ,drive ,our 
,elders ,act of #bjad or the ,,ride ,act
 of #bjad4  #b4 ,reimbursement for      
no-load travel costs incurred by        
volunteers providing non-emergency      
medical transportation to ,medicaid     
beneficiaries  7a7 ,in general ,not     
later than #ij days after the date of   
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,health and ,human ,services shall   
publish an interim final rule to revise 

the ,medicaid transportation regulations
 at sections #dca4ec and #ddj4agj of    
title #db1 ,code of ,federal            
,regulations1 as necessary1 to allow a  
,state plan for medical assistance under
 title ,,xix of the ,social ,security   
,act to provide1 at the option of the   
,state1 reimbursement for costs         
attributable to providing no-load       
volunteer travel services to individuals
 eligible for medical assistance under  
the ,state plan who require             
transportation to receive non-emergency 
medical treatment4  7b7 ,no-,load       
volunteer travel service ,for purposes  
of subsection 7a71 the term no-load     
volunteer travel service means travel   
services that-- 7#a7 are provided by a  
person who1 as determined by a ,state1  
local1 or tribal government1 provides   
such services on a volunteer basis      
7referred to in this subsection as a    
volunteer72 and  7#b7 are necessary for 
the volunteer to-- 7,a7 travel from the 
originating location of the volunteer to

 the location of an individual who is   
eligible for medical assistance under   
the ,state ,medicaid plan and requires  
transportation to receive non-emergency 
medical treatment 7including1 for       
purposes of an individual who requested 
transportation to receive non-emergency 
medical treatment and subsequently      
refused such transportation or was not  
present at the requested pick-up        
location1 any travel that is necessary  
for the volunteer to return to their    
originating location72  7,b7 for        
purposes of an individual who has been  
provided transportation by the volunteer
 to receive non-emergency medical       
treatment and is required to remain at  
the treatment location overnight or for 
an extended period of time 7as          
determined appropriate by a ,state1     
local1 or tribal government71 return to 
the originating location of the         
volunteer and1 following the completion 
of such treatment1 travel back to the   
treatment location2 and  7,c7 following 

any transportation that is necessary to 
return an individual who has received   
non-emergency medical treatment to their
 pick-up location1 return to the        
originating location of the volunteer4