DoE has years-long pandemic backlog of travel reimbursements

August 14, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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CITYWIDE — THE DEPARTMENT OF Education is still struggling with a multi-year backlog of student travel reimbursements, reports Chalkbeat, leaving families who had to pay for alternative transport out-of-pocket, in some cases for over $1,000 or more. DoE Deputy Chancellor Emma Vadehra at a meeting last week apologized for the delay, which led back to the beginning of the pandemic, and stated that the department has been catching up to the present over the last 6 months. Parents can submit claims for repayment for travel expenses like taxis, subways or rideshares when scheduled school buses don’t show up or when students’ transit needs can’t be met by the school bus system. Along with the pandemic backlog, however, the reimbursement system has been criticized over what advocates say are confusing rules about eligibility for payments and for prepaid travel vouchers, although a DoE spokesperson told Chalkbeat that the department was working on overhauling the process and moving it online.

“I’m stunned to hear it’s a few years’ backup. It can really add up… When [parents are] forced to make a choice between supporting their children at home in other ways or getting their child to school, that’s pretty traumatic,” education policy expert Maggie Moroff told Chalkbeat.

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