Background Information

Effective July 13, 2015, all transit system providers (including L.I.F.E., Inc.) are required under 49 CFR 37.5(i)(3) to make reasonable accommodations in policies, practices, or procedures when  necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability or to provide program accessibility to their services.  The process to be used in considering requests for reasonable modifications is described in 49 CFR 37.169.

Basic requirements include:
- Information on the equitable accommodations systematic process must be both accessible and available to the general public
- Notifying the organization in advance is generally considered the best practice, but consumers need to understand that they will need to be flexible when it comes to processing requests that are only able to be initiated "on-the-spot."
- Any consumer requesting accommodations of any kind are not required to designate the phrase "reasonable modification."

Procedural Information

Riders may request reasonable modifications for all methods of transportation, whether it be ADA Paratransit, General Public Demand Response, or Fixed Route. Riders and passengers creating such requests are also not required to designate the phrase "reasonable modification."

The transportation provider and Executive Director will review all outstanding requests and provide determination on accommodations. Documentation will be created and filed with the modification request as well as the agency's response/resulting action.

Public Information

Riders/passengers with disabilities may request modifications to current in-place procedures in order to better accommodate their needs. To make such request, please call us at 573-756-4314 or email us at paulinen@lifecilmo.org. Please make your accommodation requests at least 1 FULL DAY before your scheduled ride is set to occur.

L.I.F.E., Inc.'s ADA Complaint Procedures

If you or a loved one wish to file a formal complaint about the accessibility of our agency's transportation system/service OR you believe you have been discriminated against because of your disability/disabilities, you may file a complaint. Please ensure that you provide all circumstances and facts regarding your complaint so that we may be able to fully investigate the circumstances.

Click HERE to Download L.I.F.E., Inc.'s ADA Complaint Form

How To File A Complaint

We encourage you to call us, download our ADA complaint form (from above), or request a physical copy of the complaint form be mailed to you by either writing or calling

L.I.F.E., Inc. Center for Independent Living
725 E. Karsch Blvd.
Farmington, MO 63640
573-756-4314 OR toll-free at 1-800-596-7273

The complaint should include the following information and should be signed/dated no more than 180 days from the date of the alleged occurrence:

- Please include your name, address, and telephone number.
- Why/when/how you believe you were discriminated against. Be sure to include as much specific information regarding the event as possible, as well as any other relevant information pertaining to the event.
- The names of any individuals working under L.I.F.E., Inc., if known, even on a first-name basis, with whom our Executive Director could contact for additional clarification.

Do You Require Assistance with Filing Your Complaint?

Should you require assistance with filling out your complaint (due to a disability) OR if information is needed in another language, please contact us at 1-800-596-7273 or by emailing us at paulinen@lifecilmo.org.

Where Does My Complaint Go Once It's Sent In?

L.I.F.E., Inc. will review and thoroughly decipher all complaints no more than 180 days after the alleged complaint is received. L.I.F.E., Inc. will then process all completed complaints. Once a completed complaint is received, L.I.F.E., Inc. will review it to determine if L.I.F.E., Inc. has jurisdiction.

L.I.F.E., Inc. will complete its fully-conducted investigation within 90 days upon the receipt of the original complaint. If additional information is required to make an adequate determination regarding the case, L.I.F.E., Inc. may contact you. In general, you will have ten (10) days from the date of the original request to send the information required, unless a longer period is specified by L.I.F.E., Inc. If such information is NOT received, L.I.F.E., Inc. may administratively close the case.

If, at any point during the complaint process, you decide that you no longer wish to pursue the complaint, your case may also be administratively closed.

Once the investigation into the alleged events has been completed, L.I.F.E., Inc. will send you a letter summarizing the results of the investigation, stating its findings and advising you of any corrective action to be taken as a result of the conclusion of said investigation. Should you disagree the L.I.F.E., Inc.'s conclusion of the investigation, you may request an additional review of the findings by submitting a request in writing to L.I.F.E., Inc. within seven (7) days of the date of the L.I.F.E., Inc. letter, stating specifically why you wish to have the final determination reconsidered. The Executive Director will notify you of the decision to either accept or reject the request for reconsideration within ten (10) days. In such cases where reconsideration is given, the Executive Director will issue a determination letter to the complainant upon completion of the reconsideration review.