Section 5310 Vehicle and Communication Grant

The Section 5310 Vehicle and Communication Grant Application Packet is administered in West Virginia by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities - Transit, in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration. Section 5310, authorized under 49 U.S.C. 5310 and identified in the packet as CFDA 20.513, is a federal formula assistance program intended to enhance mobility for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Federal Transit Administration funds are apportioned annually to states, and West Virginia prepares a consolidated statewide application containing projects selected through its state application process. The program emphasizes transportation services planned, designed, and carried out to meet the special transportation needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities in urbanized, small urban, and rural areas, while encouraging coordination with other federally assisted transportation and human service programs. Funding supports transportation-related capital equipment. Eligible equipment described in the packet includes accessible vans, narrow body cutaway vans, cutaway vans with wheelchair lifts, 12-passenger vans, minivans, low-floor minivans with fold-out ramps, four-wheel-drive utility vehicles, and qualifying communication equipment, subject to state vendor availability. The program generally provides 80 percent of eligible project or equipment cost, with the applicant responsible for the remaining 20 percent local share. The applicant must demonstrate that matching funds and operating funds are available and must provide notarized documentation supporting those resources. Communication equipment applications may include radios, base stations, towers, license fees, repeater service, hookups, and related eligible costs, but citizen's band radios, cellular phones, and AM or FM radios are expressly ineligible. Equipment may not be modified without Public Transit approval or used as collateral. Vehicles are primarily for transporting seniors and individuals with disabilities, although general-public transportation may occur after the needs of those populations are met. Eligible applicants include private nonprofit organizations providing transportation for seniors and individuals with disabilities; governmental authorities meeting the program's certification or coordination requirements; and private for-profit operators that meet the Federal Transit Administration definition of public transportation, including qualifying shared-ride surface transportation providers. Governmental authorities seeking eligibility in circumstances where no nonprofit provider is readily available must document that condition and may need state approval before the annual application cycle. Governmental authorities approved as coordinators must address service coordination, participating providers, funding, maintenance, and operating responsibilities. For-profit taxi operators must provide shared-ride service and meet applicable West Virginia Public Service Commission conditions; exclusive-ride taxi companies are not independently eligible, although an eligible subrecipient may enter into an approved lease arrangement that preserves satisfactory continuing control. Private nonprofit hospitals and nursing homes are specifically excluded from Section 5310 funding under the state's policy. Applicants must complete the prescribed application packet and obtain a positive Local Intergovernmental Review from the appropriate Regional Planning and Development Council or Metropolitan Planning Organization. Planning organizations should be allowed approximately 30 days for review. The vehicle application includes a title page with FEIN, Unique Entity ID, and SAM.gov information; assurances and verification; an authorizing resolution; a current Certificate of Existence; the positive Local Intergovernmental Review; required certifications; Questions 1 through 61; a summary of project costs; an operating budget for the requested vehicle; notarized proof of matching and operating funds; and required Title VI materials. Communication equipment applicants must complete the corresponding communication equipment application and provide projected costs, vendor-prepared specifications, notarized matching-fund documentation, and a vendor statement confirming that the proposed equipment will not interfere with existing communication facilities. Applications are reviewed first for completeness and eligibility and are then evaluated based on demonstrated need, vehicle utilization, coordination efforts, fiscal and managerial capabilities, and the proposed operating plan. Performance by prior recipients, including reporting history, is also considered. Missing ordinary documentation may be requested after submission, but the packet states that an application cannot be considered without a positive Local Intergovernmental Review and proper coordination and sign-off documentation. Applications are scored and ranked, and the highest-rated eligible requests are included in the state's consolidated application to the Federal Transit Administration. Because equipment funding is limited and equipment prices may change, some applicants can be placed on a tentative funding list pending actual procurement prices. Approved recipients must maintain equipment, comply with ADA and Title VI requirements, retain required financial and operating records, maintain adequate insurance naming the state as co-insured, and submit monthly vehicle-use reports throughout the vehicle's useful life, which ends at 100,000 miles or four years after receipt, whichever occurs first. For the FY 2027 cycle, applications were made available in March 2026. The key calendar states that applicants should submit their materials to the appropriate planning organization by April 17, 2026, to allow approximately 30 days for review, and that the final completed application must be received by Public Transit by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 18, 2026. The packet also contains conflicting May 17 language in its late-submission and communication-equipment sections; therefore, May 18 is treated here as the primary overall deadline because it is the date given in the key calendar and main application submission instructions, while communication-equipment applicants should verify the discrepancy directly with the program. The program uses an annual grant application cycle, so the next round is anticipated in 2027. Questions about the application packet may be directed to Donald Adkins, Section 5310 Program Coordinator, at 304-558-0428 or Donald.L.Adkins@WV.gov.

Allow at least 30 days for the required planning-agency review; ensure the positive Local Intergovernmental Review and coordination sign-offs are complete because applications cannot be funded without them; address need, vehicle utilization, coordination, fiscal and managerial capability, and the proposed operating plan directly; maintain strong reporting performance because prior-recipient performance is considered; document local match and operating resources; avoid low projected utilization and resolve applicable Public Service Commission complaints before the deadline.