Jonnie Kusek
Open Plains Transit (OPT) is pleased to announce it has been approved for funding through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Highly Rural Transportation Grants Program.
The Highly Rural Transportation Grants (HRTG) is a grant-based program that assists Veterans in highly rural areas with travel to VA or VA-authorized healthcare facilities. This program provides grant funding to Veteran Service Organizations and State Veterans Service Agencies to
provide transportation services in eligible counties. HRTG provides transportation programs in counties with fewer than seven people per square mile. There is no cost to participate in the program for Veterans who live in an area where HRTG is available.
OPT will be the Nebraska Coordinator for all thirty-nine eligible counties within Nebraska. “OPT’s goal for this program is simple,” states Jonnie Kusek, Director of Transportation, for the Alliance, NE based operation. “Access to healthcare is for all, that includes our Veterans. It is something we have been dedicated to for years. We see what happens to people in the most remote, rural and frontier areas of our state if they are unable to connect with healthcare needs.”
OPT Director Kusek and Prairie Hills Transit (Spearfish, SD) Executive Director Barb Cline have signed a memorandum of agreement that will run through September 30, 2025. Prairie Hills Transit has been providing veteran transportation for counties in South Dakota and Wyoming for several years. Cline emphasizes that Prairie Hills Transit is committed to providing exceptional service to our veterans. She expresses her pride in the partnership with OPT and looks forward to the positive impact this collaboration will have on the veteran community.
With the expansion of transportation services, OPT and Prairie Hills Transit are set to significantly impact the lives of Highly Rural Veterans. Approximately 35.3% of enrolled Veterans live in rural and highly rural areas, facing challenges in accessing the quality medical care they deserve. Distance and transportation are often cited as the most common obstacles.
Kusek says it will not be easy during the short, one-year grant cycle to start a new program, but she is no stranger to challenging work. Kusek has built an intercity bus system throughout western portions of Nebraska, which expands into South Dakota and Wyoming and connects with other transportation providers, offers direct local services in four of Nebraska’s largest counties, and is an NHHS non-emergency medical transportation provider to fifteen Nebraska counties, all of which results in some level of transportation service to over fifty Nebraska communities, including transportation services to the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota. She gives praise to having an effective team in various locations, aid, and support from other Nebraska Public Transportation agencies, and backing from the Nebraska Department of Transportation.
OPT is currently building the OPT Veterans Frontier Health Connection Team with support from the Nebraska Department of Veterans' Affairs (NDVA). Kusek would like to see the team be comprised of members from NDVA, County Veterans Service Officers (CVSOs), veteran service organizations, Nebraska Public Transit Providers, veterans, and volunteers, all of whom will bring transportation solutions and action items to the table.
There will be mileage reimbursement for loaded and unloaded miles (above the Federal rate for CVSO, volunteers vetted and working through their local CVSO and Public Transit Agencies) paid monthly, which can be retained by an organization or individual, or donated to your CVSO. Medical appointments do not have to be at a VA facility, but appointments will be assessed for prior approval. Drivers are not limited to transporting Veterans from just their own counties, and Director Kusek asks that we look at the larger need of assisting Veterans in surrounding counties as well. More information will be located on the OPT website, www.optne.com, as it becomes available, or interested agencies can contact Director Kusek for more information.
The Nebraska OPT Veterans Transportation Program has begun with a soft start and is scheduled to officially begin October 28, 2024.
Please call 833-678-8387 (833-OPT-VETS):
- All passengers must be pre-registered. OPT encourages all Veterans in eligible counties to call now and pre-register long before they ever need transportation services. Please know your emergency contact information, when calling and the last four digits of your Veteran’s I.D. Number.
- Please allow as much advance notice as possible for transportation requests. Requests may be made up to 90 days in advance and at least 2 weeks advance notice is recommended.
Open Plains Transit is a division of Senior Services, Inc., a nonprofit organization, based in Alliance, NE.