FNHA Medical Transportation Bulletin
May 2024

Welcome! Wytkp! Gilakas’la! Shhweenustham!

We hope you enjoyed the March issue of the Journeys bulletin.

Journeys is now in its third year! Thank you for your readership as we strive to provide helpful content and updates for your community's Medical Transportation (MT) program. The First Nations Health Benefits and Services (FNHBS) team appreciates your partnership in delivering and transforming the MT Benefit.

Watch our YouTube video here to learn more about the MT Transformation Journey and our progress so far.

Changes to mental health travel benefits

There have been several updates to the First Nation Health Authority (FNHA) Mental Health Benefit that came into effect on April 15, 2024. For specific details on these changes, please visit our Mental Wellness and Counselling Frequently Asked Questions.  

Due to the recent changes, there are some associated impacts on travel for mental health services. Mental health travel will now be arranged like any other FNHB-eligible service.

Clients who previously accessed travel benefits through MT Operations for the former Indigenous Services Canada programs listed below will now be directed to their local PT Clerk for assistance:

• Indian Residential School Resolution Health Support Program;
• Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Health Support Services;
• Indian Day School Health Support Services.

Going forward, First Nations Health Benefit and Services will serve Clients under one program, The Mental Wellness & Counselling Program.

As a result, PT Clerks in community may notice an increase in the number of travel requests related to mental health. For a detailed guide on assessing travel requests, please refer to Section 5 of your MT Administrator Guide or contact MT Operations at transportation@fnha.ca for an updated copy.

Please visit our news post for more information on the mental health benefit changes.

Stay updated: April 1 benefit enhancements

Thanks to the ongoing community engagement supported by the MT Transformation Project, we've gained invaluable insights into Clients' needs related to Medical Travel. In response, FNHBS introduced significant changes to MT benefits on April 1, 2024. Here's what's new:

1. Enhanced escort coverage

Clients meeting the following criteria are now eligible for escort coverage without the need for additional documentation:

• Clients aged 65 and above requiring assistance to attend scheduled medical appointments; and
• Clients travelling to and from FNHA-funded substance use treatment centres or approved non-FNHA-funded treatment centres.

2. Increase in private accommodation coverage

FNHBS has increased rates for Clients who choose to stay in private homes while on medical travel. This coverage aims to support culturally safe stays, enabling Clients to remain close to family or friends while on medical travel.

3.  Introduction of hospital parking supports

Clients will now be eligible for reimbursement of short-term hospital parking expenses, provided the parking receipt corresponds to an attended appointment.

4. Updates to mileage rates

​​The standard mileage rate of $0.23/km has now been permanently adjusted to $0.25/km, and the temporary mileage rate adjustment will be provided until March 31, 2025, maintaining the current rate of $0.29/km.​​ The increased rate will continue to apply to the special mileage rate for specific remote communities, as identified in applicable Funding Agreements. A complete history of MT mileage rate adjustments can be found here.

For further details on the above policy changes, please visit our news post here. We encourage you to share the news post with community members to ensure they are informed about the recent updates to MT benefit coverage!

The MT Administrator Guide

We have renamed the MT User Guide to the MT Administrator Guide, which now incorporates all the latest updates to MT Benefits, including changes to mental health travel. For an updated copy, please reach out to MT Operations at transportation@fnha.ca or call 1-855-550-5454.

Resources for PT Clerks – Navigating Conflict

We’ve heard your feedback, and we are here to help! As a PT Clerk, effectively navigating challenging conversations is an essential skill for maintaining positive relationships with clients and service providers. A fundamental step in conflict resolution is to clarify any misunderstandings early on.

Conflicts often stem from miscommunication or misunderstandings, particularly regarding MT benefits. For example, some clients may assume they have coverage for trips that are ineligible, which can result in frustration. Encouraging open communication and asking clarifying questions often uncovers confusion, which can be supported to increase understanding of the full situation.

Some helpful resources to assist you in managing complex situations include:

• FNHA From Lateral Violence to Lateral Kindness: Provides tips and tools on how to resolve conflict.
• The Customer Service Zone: Offers practical tips for handling challenging interactions.
• Mindtools: Provides articles, videos, and tools to develop effective conflict-resolution skills.

It’s also helpful to follow up with everyone involved to confirm that the issue has been resolved. This highlights a commitment to promptly addressing concerns and maintaining positive relationships.

Kucén: transforming MT Benefit administration

Experience enhanced benefit administration with Kucén (pronounced koo-hen), which means “to wander/travel far away/abroad” in Secwepemctsin, the language of the Secwepemc people, from the Interior Salish language family. Kucén marks a significant advancement in our commitment to streamlining processes and creating a simple, easy-to-use MT administration system.  

Some key features include:

✔    Check Client eligibility;

✔    Generate travel documents;

✔    Create and view trips generated by other organizations;

✔    Access to medical and travel provider information; and

✔    Automated reporting, eliminating the need for MT Log submissions.

Recent system updates have enabled benefit administrators to generate email summaries for their Clients, including detailed travel breakdowns. An upcoming update in Summer 2024 will simplify the Exceptions process, allowing all Kucén users to submit requests electronically.

If your Community is interested in adopting the new system, please participate in our Kucén Survey or contact us at mtproject@fnha.ca.

MT training for PT clerks

The MT Operations team hosts regular training sessions throughout the year. If you or any member of your community would like to attend an MT training session, please contact transportation@fnha.ca to sign up. One of our team members will be in touch about training dates and next steps.

Thank you