# How to Become a Central California Alliance for Health Transportation Provider in 2027

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/brokers/central-california-alliance/ · Updated 2026-10-02

To become a Central California Alliance for Health transportation provider, enroll your company in Medi-Cal with DHCS, then send the Alliance's Transportation Provider Application with your NPI, business license, W-9, and liability coverage of $1 million per claim and $3 million aggregate. The Alliance books wheelchair van, litter van, and ambulance rides itself in five counties and sends car and taxi rides through Call the Car.

- The Alliance arranges medical rides (wheelchair van, litter van, ambulance, air) itself, so wheelchair and gurney companies contract with the health plan directly.
- Car, taxi, and other non-medical rides go through a subcontracted broker, Call the Car, so sedan companies join that network instead.
- You must be enrolled in Medi-Cal with DHCS and carry liability coverage of $1 million per claim and $3 million aggregate before the Alliance credentials you.
- Contracted companies are paid their contract rate. Companies without a contract are paid from the Medi-Cal rates, under a policy published September 1, 2026.
- The Alliance stops paying for members who move to fee-for-service Medi-Cal on January 1, 2027, so your own DHCS enrollment decides whether you can keep driving them.

Central California Alliance for Health, known as the Alliance, is a local public agency that has provided Medi-Cal coverage since 1996. It is the county organized health system for Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties, which makes it the regional Medi-Cal plan there. It is not a ride broker. Its own staff approve and book medical rides, and it hands non-medical rides to a subcontracted broker. If you run wheelchair or gurney vans, your contract is with the health plan itself.

## Where the Alliance arranges rides

The Alliance's fact sheet for the third quarter of 2026 counts more than 416,298 members, 39% of the people living in its five counties, and a network of about 14,977 providers. Its main office is at 1600 Green Hills Road, Suite 101, in Scotts Valley, with county offices in Salinas, Merced, Hollister, and Mariposa.

Three lines of business carry a ride benefit:

- **Medi-Cal.** The largest, with both medical and non-medical rides.
- **Alliance TotalCare.** A Medicare Advantage plan (HMO D-SNP) for people with both Medicare and Medi-Cal, launched in January 2026. Its members get the same two ride types and book with their TotalCare ID card.
- **Alliance Care IHSS.** Coverage for in-home care workers in Monterey County. For them, NEMT is limited to moves between hospitals, from a hospital to a lower level of care, and from a hospital or facility to home, always with prior authorization.

For long trips across the five counties, read [rural NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/rural-nemt/) before you set a price.

## Who books each kind of ride

The Alliance splits rides by the member's needs, and the split decides which door you knock on:

| Ride type | Who arranges it | How it is requested | Where your company fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEMT: wheelchair van, litter van, ambulance, air | Alliance Authorization Coordinators | 800-700-3874, ext. 5640, at least 5 business days ahead | Contract with the Alliance |
| NMT: car, taxi, bus, or other vehicle | Call the Car, a subcontracted broker | 800-700-3874, ext. 5577, 5 to 7 business days ahead | Join Call the Car's network |
| Mileage for a private car | The Alliance, approved before the ride | 800-700-3874 | Not a provider service |
| Meals, lodging, parking, tolls | The Alliance, with prior authorization | 800-700-3874 | Not a provider service |

The NEMT line takes calls Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Medical providers can also request NEMT for a member on the Alliance's online Transportation Services Request Form. When a member qualifies, the coordinator first checks that no family or friend can drive, then schedules the ride with a local company and tells the member the pickup time.

The Alliance's NMT policy, published July 9, 2026, says it subcontracts NMT to transportation brokers that may have their own networks, and that the Alliance can add providers when a broker's network falls short. NMT can carry a member who uses a wheelchair only if the member can get in and out without the driver's help; anyone who needs that help rides as NEMT. A sedan or ambulatory company should start with the [Call the Car provider guide](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/call-the-car/), and [NEMT vs NMT](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/nemt-vs-nmt/) explains the split.

## How to become an Alliance transportation provider

The Alliance's Transportation Provider Application covers wheelchair vans, litter vans, companies that run both, and ambulances. The steps:

1. **Get a Type 2 NPI** and a taxonomy code for your company. The application asks for your NPPES confirmation. See [how to get an NPI number](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-to-get-an-npi-number-for-nemt/).
2. **Enroll in Medi-Cal with DHCS.** Federal law has required since January 1, 2018 that every Alliance-contracted provider be screened and enrolled in Medi-Cal fee-for-service. Enrolling through DHCS, usually in the PAVE portal, also lets you serve members outside a health plan. The DHCS Provider Enrollment Division answers at 916-323-1945.
3. **Complete the application** and gather the documents in the table below. List every county and city you serve, and attach a business license or tax permit for each.
4. **Send it to Credentialing** by email to credentialing@thealliance.health, by fax to 831-430-5528, or by mail to 1600 Green Hills Road, Scotts Valley, CA 95066, Attn: Credentialing.
5. **Sign the Services Agreement.** An Alliance medical director or the Peer Review and Credentialing Committee approves your file, and the Alliance sends an approval letter with the countersigned agreement.
6. **Complete the new provider training** and sign the acknowledgment page in the packet.
7. **Stay current.** Under policy 300-4110, published June 17, 2026, the Alliance recredentials organizational providers, NEMT companies included, every 36 months.

### What the application packet asks for

| Document | Notes |
|---|---|
| Transportation Provider Application | Ownership, ride types, hours by day, counties and cities served, licenses, insurers, and attestation questions |
| Declaration of Confidentiality | Enclosed, a condition of the Alliance's Medi-Cal contract |
| Certification Regarding Debarment | Enclosed |
| IRS Form W-9 | Enclosed |
| NPI and taxonomy | From NPPES |
| Business license and fictitious business name statement | Plus any local permits for the cities you serve |
| Commercial liability coverage | $1,000,000 per claim and $3,000,000 aggregate |
| Commercial vehicle liability coverage | A copy of the current policy |
| First aid and CPR certificates | Where they apply |
| California driver's license | A copy |
| CHP license and driver certificates | Ambulance companies only |
| Medi-Cal number | From your DHCS enrollment |

The attestation questions ask whether your company, under any current or former name, has had health care fraud, patient abuse, or controlled substance convictions, license actions, Medicare or Medicaid sanctions, or contract terminations. The form says a misstatement can end the Services Agreement. By signing, you also agree to tell the Alliance at once in writing if your license is suspended or revoked or your professional liability coverage is cancelled or not renewed, and within 14 calendar days of a Medicare or Medicaid action against you.

Policy 300-4110 checks every NEMT company against the Medi-Cal suspended and ineligible provider list, the HHS OIG exclusion list, SAM, and the Social Security death file, and runs these checks no more than 180 days before the committee review. Accreditation is not required for NEMT companies. Keep it all in one place with the [credentialing checklist](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-credentialing-checklist/), and see [NEMT insurance requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-insurance-requirements/) for how to buy those limits.

### Vehicle and driver rules

The Alliance covers NEMT under Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, so your vans must meet the state's Medi-Cal rules. Sections 51231.1 and 51231.2 require every driver and attendant to be 18 or older, hold a California driver's license or ambulance driver certificate, carry a current Red Cross standard first aid certificate or equivalent, and have passed a physical exam on DMV form DL-51 within two years. A litter van needs an attendant on every trip, and a wheelchair van needs a lift or ramp rated for at least 450 pounds and room for two wheelchairs. The [California guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/california/) lists every item, and [stretcher van requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/stretcher-van-requirements/) covers gurney vans.

## How Alliance NEMT rides work

### The PCS form comes first

Under policy 404-1726, published December 22, 2025, a member needs an approved Physician Certification Statement (PCS) before the Alliance authorizes NEMT. A doctor, dentist, podiatrist, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, physical, speech, or occupational therapist, or mental health or substance use provider can prescribe it. The form states:

- The member's physical and medical limits that rule out a car, taxi, or bus.
- Start and end dates, for up to 12 months of recurring rides.
- The ride type: ambulance, litter van, wheelchair van, or air.
- A statement that the ride type was chosen by medical need.

The Alliance reviews every PCS form itself and never hands that review to the ride company. Once a form is complete, nobody changes it, and the Alliance tells you the approved ride type and dates when it books you. It will not downgrade a member from NEMT to NMT unless the prescriber checked more than one type. See [medical necessity forms](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/medical-necessity-form/) and [prior authorization](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/prior-authorization/).

### What the Alliance expects on each trip

- **Five business days' notice** for routine rides. Requests that need authorization and arrive after hours are processed as post-service requests, so the ride is not delayed.
- **Arrive within 15 minutes.** The Alliance's coordinators tell NEMT companies they must arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled appointment. If you are late or do not arrive at the pickup time, the Alliance authorizes an urgent ride so the member does not miss the appointment.
- **Door to door.** Every NEMT approval includes help to and from the home, vehicle, and place of care. See [door-to-door service](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/door-to-door/).
- **One attendant.** The member may bring one attendant, such as a parent, guardian, or spouse. A minor may ride without a parent only with the parent's or guardian's written consent on file.
- **Empty miles on long legs.** The Alliance may approve unloaded mileage, the drive from your vehicle to the pickup with no member aboard, when that leg is 25 miles or more one way. Ask when the Alliance books a far pickup. See [deadhead miles](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/deadhead-miles/).

### Transfers and hospital discharges

A move from an emergency room to an inpatient bed, or from an acute hospital stay to a skilled nursing, intermediate care, or psychiatric facility, needs no prior authorization. For the move from an acute hospital to one of those facilities, if the Alliance cannot provide the ride within 3 hours of the request, the hospital may book an out-of-network company and the Alliance covers it. On those claims, put modifier HH or HN first, followed by QN. A discharge home or a ride to an appointment does need authorization. See [hospital discharge transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/hospital-discharge-transportation/).

### How the Alliance checks its ride companies

The Alliance watches its transportation companies through authorization reports, appeals and grievances, and member feedback, and it may require corrective action. Its report to the Board for April to June 2026 names driver punctuality as a theme in transportation grievances. Its Health Services Authorization Supervisor is the liaison to NEMT companies, and members and providers can call the Alliance directly to book a ride or ask for a status update. Keep a [trip log](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-trip-log-template/) for every leg, so you can answer a grievance with times.

## How the Alliance pays transportation companies

Policy 600-2201, published September 1, 2026, sets the rule. Contracted companies are paid their contract rates. Companies without a contract are paid 100% of the Medi-Cal rate in effect on the date of service, minus any 1% reduction in effect that day, unless a letter of agreement sets a rate for that member or service.

The Medi-Cal fee-for-service maximums are the numbers to know when you negotiate. On manual pages updated September 2023, a wheelchair van pickup ([A0130](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/a0130/)) pays $20.30, or $26.43 at night, a litter van pickup ([T2005](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/t2005/)) pays $26.29, and mileage for either pays $1.50 a mile. Waiting time past the first 15 minutes ([T2007](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/t2007/)) pays $11.30 a half hour, up to 90 minutes. The [California guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/california/) has the full schedule, and [NEMT billing codes](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-billing-codes/) explains each code.

How to bill:

- **Form.** The provider manual lists the [CMS-1500](https://nemtguide.com/guides/cms-1500-for-nemt/) as the claim form for NEMT and NMT. For electronic claims, send the Alliance's EDI Claims Enrollment Form.
- **Where.** Paper Medi-Cal claims go to ATTN: CLAIMS, Central California Alliance for Health, P.O. Box 660015, Scotts Valley, CA 95067-0015. IHSS and TotalCare claims go to 1600 Green Hills Road, Suite 101, Scotts Valley, CA 95066.
- **Invoices.** If you bill by invoice instead of a claim, use the DHCS approved invoice template, with the member number, both NPIs, your tax ID, service dates, codes, units, charges, and diagnosis codes. The Alliance authorization number goes on it where it applies, and a missing field means a denial.
- **Deadline.** The Alliance follows Medi-Cal timeliness rules: the original claim within six months after the month of service, 75% pay for claims received in months 7 to 9, 50% in months 10 to 12, and denial after that, unless an allowed delay reason applies. See [timely filing limit](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/timely-filing-limit/).
- **Payment.** The Alliance pays through a payment vendor, by virtual card, electronic transfer, or paper check. For most offices, the Alliance suggests following up on a claim 45 calendar days after mailing it.

The Board of Commissioners meets in public and takes comments by email. At its August 26, 2026 meeting, a coalition of NEMT companies serving Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Santa Clara counties asked the Board to review rates, citing fuel, labor, and cost of living. For how plan contracts and rates differ from broker work, see [how to contract with Medicaid health plans](https://nemtguide.com/guides/contract-with-medicaid-health-plans/).

### The January 2027 change

Starting January 1, 2027, some members with unsatisfactory immigration status move from the Alliance to fee-for-service Medi-Cal, and the Alliance will not pay for any service they get after December 31, 2026. To keep driving them, you bill Medi-Cal directly under its own rules, which means your DHCS fee-for-service enrollment must be approved before January 1, 2027, and wheelchair and litter van rides need a Treatment Authorization Request. The Alliance notes that fee-for-service pay may differ from its contract rates, and it asks providers who plan to keep serving these members to say so in a short survey. The [California guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/california/) explains fee-for-service billing.

## Who to call

| For | Contact |
|---|---|
| Contracts and provider relations | 831-430-5504, or 800-700-3874, ext. 5504 |
| Credentialing packets | credentialing@thealliance.health, fax 831-430-5528 |
| NEMT ride requests and approvals | 800-700-3874, ext. 5640 |
| General authorization questions | 831-430-5506, fax 831-430-5850 |
| Authorization status | 831-430-5511 |
| Claims | 831-430-5503, or 800-700-3874, ext. 5503, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
| Non-medical rides (Call the Car) | 800-700-3874, ext. 5577 |
| Medi-Cal enrollment (DHCS Provider Enrollment Division) | 916-323-1945 |

Before you call Provider Relations, have your DHCS enrollment letter, Medi-Cal number, NPI, W-9, business licenses, and insurance certificates ready. To compare another California health plan's ride rules, see [Partnership HealthPlan](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/partnership-healthplan/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Central California Alliance for Health use a transportation broker?

For medical rides, no. Its Authorization Coordinators approve wheelchair van, litter van, ambulance, and air rides and schedule them with a local company. For rides by car, taxi, or bus, its October 2026 provider manual sends members to Call the Car at 800-700-3874, ext. 5577, and its policy published July 9, 2026 says it subcontracts those rides to transportation brokers that may have their own networks.

### How do I become an Alliance transportation provider?

Enroll your company in Medi-Cal with DHCS first, because the Alliance requires it of every contracted provider. Then complete the Transportation Provider Application and send it with the listed documents to the Alliance Credentialing Department by email, fax, or mail. You sign the Services Agreement, a medical director or the Peer Review and Credentialing Committee approves your file, and the Alliance sends back a countersigned agreement.

### What insurance does the Alliance require for transportation providers?

The application asks for a copy of commercial liability coverage with limits of $1,000,000 per claim and $3,000,000 aggregate, plus a copy of your commercial vehicle liability coverage. The Alliance's organizational credentialing policy, published June 17, 2026, calls it professional liability coverage of $1,000,000 per incident and $3,000,000 aggregate, and it must be current when the committee or a medical director approves your file.

### Does the Alliance pay for empty miles to a pickup?

Sometimes. Its NEMT policy, published December 22, 2025, says the Alliance may approve unloaded mileage, the miles from your vehicle to the pickup with no member on board, when that leg is 25 miles or more in one direction. Ask for it when the ride is arranged, since the Alliance must approve it.

### How much does the Alliance pay for a wheelchair van ride?

Contracted companies get the rate in their contract. Under policy 600-2201, published September 1, 2026, companies without a contract get 100% of the Medi-Cal rate in effect on the date of service, minus any 1% reduction in effect that day. The Medi-Cal fee-for-service maximum, on manual pages updated September 2023, is $20.30 for a wheelchair van pickup, $26.43 at night, plus $1.50 a mile.

### Who fills out the PCS form for an Alliance NEMT ride?

The member's doctor, dentist, podiatrist, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, physical, speech, or occupational therapist, or mental health or substance use provider. The form lists the member's limits, the start and end dates (up to 12 months), and the ride type. The Alliance reviews every PCS form itself and tells you the approved ride type and dates when it books the trip.

### What changes for Alliance rides on January 1, 2027?

Some members with unsatisfactory immigration status move from the Alliance to fee-for-service Medi-Cal, and the Alliance will not pay for services they get after December 31, 2026. To keep driving them, you bill Medi-Cal directly. That takes your own DHCS fee-for-service enrollment, approved before January 1, 2027, and a Treatment Authorization Request for each wheelchair or litter van ride.

## Official resources

- [Central California Alliance for Health: Transportation Provider Application](https://thealliance.health/wp-content/uploads/PROV_Transportation-Credentialing-Application_F_ENG.pdf)
- [Central California Alliance for Health: How to Join](https://thealliance.health/for-providers/join-our-network/how-to-join/)
- [Central California Alliance for Health: Provider Manual](https://thealliance.health/for-providers/resources/provider-manual/)
- [Central California Alliance for Health: Claims](https://thealliance.health/for-providers/resources/claims/)
- [Central California Alliance for Health: 2027 Medi-Cal Fee-for-Service Transition](https://thealliance.health/for-providers/resources/fee-for-service-transition/)
- [DHCS PAVE: Medi-Cal provider enrollment portal](https://pave.dhcs.ca.gov/sso/login.do)
- [Medi-Cal: Ground transportation billing codes and rates](https://mcweb.apps.prd.cammis.medi-cal.ca.gov/file/manual?fn=mctrangndcd.pdf)
- [HHS OIG: List of Excluded Individuals and Entities](https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/)