The County Elderly and Disabled Transportation Assistance program provides counties with financial assistance to provide transportation services to seniors and individuals with disabilities.
The purpose of this program is to promote the general public health and welfare by providing financial assistance to counties providing transportation services for seniors and individuals with disabilities, and to thereby improve and promote the maintenance of human dignity and self-sufficiency by affording the benefits of transportation services to those people who would not otherwise have an available or accessible method of transportation.
Wisconsin counties (or agencies thereof) are the only eligible applicants for funds available under s. 85.21, Wis. Stats, which are allocated on annual basis as determined by current population estimates. Private for-profit or private non-profit organizations may provide service for counties through contractual agreements.
Further information on the County Elderly and Disabled Transportation Assistance program, may be found on the Wisconsin State Legislature website:
Reporting requirements
Each county that receives funds under Wis. Stat. 85.21 is required to provide adequate oversight and submit quarterly ridership and annual financial reports as outlined by the department.
Annual allocation
“Subject to adjustments that ensure that each county receives not less than 0.5% of the total annual appropriation for the program, the amount of aids allocated to each county shall equal the total amount available for allocation for the calendar year multiplied by the ratio of the number of elderly and disabled persons in the county to the total number of elderly and disabled persons in Wisconsin.” Wisc. Admin Rule Trans 1.02(3)
2024 Annual application
The 85.21 applications for calendar year 2024 funding will need to be submitted by the county on an annual basis. The application is administered on-line through the BlackCat® Grant Management System. Applications must be submitted by a representative of each county (or agency thereof) and cannot be submitted by a third party provider.
The application materials for calendar year 2024 were released on September 6, 2023, and are due on December 15, 2023.
The BlackCat® website requires a user name and password. If you are new to BlackCat® and/or need your password reset, please contact the WisDOT Program Managers, Lori Jacobson or Eric Anderson, for assistance.
Application resources
If you have any questions about the 85.21 Program, please contact the WisDOT Specialized Transit Program Managers.
Lori Jacobson
lori.jacobson@dot.wi.gov
(608) 266-1128
Eric Anderson
eric1.anderson@dot.wi.gov
(608) 267-1845