How to Become an LKLP Medicaid Transportation Provider in 2027

LKLP Community Action Council, Inc. is a Hazard community action agency, established as a private nonprofit nearly 60 years ago. Its four home counties are Leslie, Knott, Letcher, and Perry. As of September 2026, it is also the Medicaid ride broker for three of the 15 regions in Kentucky’s Human Service Transportation Delivery (HSTD) program, which reach from Bowling Green in the south-central part of the state to Ashland in the northeast.

In those 32 counties, every Medicaid ride request goes to LKLP. Your subcontract would be with LKLP, not the Commonwealth, but the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) approves you, inspects your vehicles, and sets the rate for each trip. Before any of that, you need state operating authority.

Where LKLP brokers Medicaid rides

KYTC lists these LKLP regions and counties as of September 2026. The monthly rates are what the Department for Medicaid Services (DMS) and KYTC told lawmakers on November 5, 2025 the broker receives for each member, not what a provider earns per trip.

Region	Counties	Broker’s rate per member per month
5	Adair, Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Green, Hart, Logan, Metcalfe, Simpson, Taylor, Warren	$14.69
13	Breathitt, Clay, Harlan, Jackson, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Owsley, Perry, Wolfe	$12.64
15	Bath, Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Greenup, Lawrence, Menifee, Morgan, Rowan	$7.62

Region 5 had the highest per-member rate of Kentucky’s 15 regions in that briefing. KYTC chooses each broker through a request for proposals under KRS Chapter 45A. Under 603 KAR 7:080, the contract runs one year, July 1 to June 30, with up to four one-year renewals. Kentucky’s federal waiver for the program, which runs from April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2027, says each region is on its own bidding timeline.

Where LKLP drives and where it subcontracts

LKLP runs its own vehicles as well as the broker office. Its 2023 to 2024 annual report says the program carries riders in its four home counties and subcontracts with transportation providers in 28 more counties. That year it listed 49 vehicles and 49 drivers, and 81,175 trips, of which 62,553 were nonemergency medical trips. Its transportation page reports 96,440 client trips and 1,262,440 miles for fiscal year 2024 to 2025.

By that description, LKLP’s subcontractors work the 28 counties outside its home four. Ask LKLP which counties and service types are short on providers before you buy a vehicle. Riders in Regions 12 and 14, next door, book through RTEC and Sandy Valley, each with its own subcontract.

Who rides

LKLP serves Medicaid members, Department for the Blind participants, and Vocational Rehabilitation participants in its counties. A Medicaid member qualifies for a ride to a medically necessary, Medicaid-covered service when the member has no working vehicle, or has one that cannot be used for the trip and sends the Cabinet a doctor’s, mechanic’s, employer’s, or school’s statement. Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries and KCHIP Phase III children are excluded. Stretcher rides are outside the program under Kentucky’s waiver. See the Kentucky state guide for the full rules.

The operating authority you need first

KYTC’s steps put operating authority before the broker. It is a certificate from the Division of Motor Carriers that lets your company carry passengers for hire in Kentucky. Two certificates fit Medicaid rides:

Certificate	Vehicles	Riders it can carry
Taxi	Up to 8 regular seats	Riders who do not need a lift or ramp
Disabled Persons Vehicle (DPV)	ADA accessible with a built-in lift or ramp, up to 15 regular seats	Wheelchair riders and riders who walk

DPV vehicles must meet the federal accessibility rules in 49 CFR part 38. A rider who needs the equipment may bring a companion (KRS 281.6185).

How to apply

1. Line up insurance. An insurer authorized in Kentucky files a Form E with Motor Carriers before you apply, with liability that meets KRS 281.655.
2. Have a vehicle ready. Motor Carriers will not grant a certificate until you have at least one vehicle, and every passenger vehicle needs a county clerk plate.
3. Finish inspections and background checks. An automotive service technician inspects each vehicle, and everyone who drives passes a nationwide criminal background check from a company on the Division’s approved list.
4. Apply in the Motor Carrier Portal. Choose the authority you need and follow the prompts. Allow up to 14 business days.
5. Qualify each vehicle. Once approved, Motor Carriers issues a license plate and a fee receipt card for every vehicle.

Call Motor Carriers at 502-564-1257 with questions.

What it costs and when it renews

Item	Cost as of September 2026	Rule
Certificate application	$250	KRS 281.630
Certificate renewal	$250 every year	KRS 281.630
Motor carrier vehicle license, per Taxi or DPV vehicle	$30 a year	KRS 281.631
City or county vehicle license, where charged	Up to $30 per vehicle a year	KRS 281.631

At each renewal you file vehicle licenses and proof of insurance again. Every 3 years you redo the nationwide background check for each owner, official, employee, or contractor who drives, and you check anyone new as they join. A certificate not renewed within one calendar year of its renewal date is void.

Larger vans follow federal rules

A vehicle rated at 10,001 pounds or more, or built or used to carry more than 8 people including the driver for pay, is a commercial motor vehicle under 49 CFR 390.5. Kentucky’s 601 KAR 1:005 applies the federal driver qualification, hours of service, and inspection and maintenance rules to it even on trips inside the state. See DOT numbers for NEMT before you buy a larger van.

How to subcontract with LKLP

With your certificate in hand, KYTC’s steps are:

1. Call LKLP. Tell the transportation office at 606-436-8853 you hold a certificate and want to subcontract.
2. Go through LKLP’s review. LKLP reviews the contract with you, inspects your vehicles, and copies your insurance, registrations, workers’ compensation proof, certificates, and fee receipt cards.
3. Set up testing and training. Every employee and driver joins the statewide random drug and alcohol pool. Safety-sensitive staff pass background checks and pre-employment drug and alcohol tests, and drivers finish the minimum training.
4. Apply for Kentucky Medicaid numbers. Fill out one MAP-811 for each service type, sign it, and have LKLP sign page 12. Submit it in the Kentucky Medicaid Partner Portal (KY MPPA) with that page, your certificate, and an IRS letter showing your employer identification number. A W-9 does not count.
5. Return your welcome letters. Give LKLP the welcome letter for each approved type, which carries your Medicaid provider number. LKLP forwards your file to the Office of Transportation Delivery.
6. Wait for Cabinet approval, then orientation. A subcontractor cannot sign with a broker until the Cabinet approves it, and LKLP must hold an orientation meeting with you before your first trip.

KYTC requires every new provider to keep at least three active, approved drivers and three operational passenger vehicles.

Type	Riders	Specialty code (MAP-811 box 8)	Who applies
02	Walk and need no special help	263	For-profit companies
04	Walk and need no special help (ambulatory bus)	262	Nonprofits
07	Walk but are disoriented and may need an escort	264	For-profit or nonprofit
08	Use a wheelchair	265	For-profit or nonprofit

Enter provider type 56 in box 7. The MAP-811 checklist asks for proof of your NPI and taxonomy code, and any ride before your enrollment effective date is at your own financial risk. Type 56 is not on DMS’s list of provider types that pay the federal enrollment fee, which is $750 in 2026.

What LKLP and the Cabinet check

The broker must pull any vehicle that fails licensing, authority, or safety rules at once, so prepare for the inspection with our vehicle inspection checklist.

Drivers and escorts. Under 603 KAR 7:080 and KRS 281.6301, each one is at least 18, licensed in Kentucky for the vehicle, and has no more than two moving violation convictions in 3 years. None may have a conviction for a sexual crime, a crime of violence, or a Class A or B felony. None may drive with a conviction for leaving an accident scene, a death caused by negligent driving, or using a vehicle in a drug felony. In the last 3 years, none may have a conviction for driving on a suspended license, going 26 mph or more over the limit, or racing, or four speeding or points convictions. A misdemeanor or felony in the last 5 years needs approval from LKLP, your company, and the Cabinet. Each needs a pre-employment drug test, random testing, first aid, bloodborne pathogens, and passenger assistance training, a name tag, and a company photo ID.

Vehicles. A technician inspects each vehicle before its first HSTD rider and every year after. It needs a two-way link with dispatch, working heat and air conditioning, a clean seat belt for every seat, two belt extensions, a belt cutter above the driver’s door, a fire extinguisher with a current tag, three reflective triangles, a first aid kit, a spill kit, and maps or GPS. Your legal company name goes on the driver and passenger side doors in 2-inch block letters.

Insurance. KRS 281.655 sets the minimum per vehicle as of September 2026:

Coverage	Up to 7 regular seats	8 or more regular seats
Injury or death, one person	$100,000	$100,000
Injury or death, all people in one accident	$300,000	$600,000
Property damage	$50,000	$50,000

LKLP also collects proof of Kentucky workers’ compensation. Ask it for its required limits in writing before you buy. See NEMT insurance requirements and the driver file checklist.

How LKLP books riders and sends trips

Riders call 800-245-2826 or 888-807-2996 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, local time, at least 72 hours before a routine trip. Rides run 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. After-hours paging, including Sundays and state holidays, covers urgent care rides for riders who must be seen within 12 hours.

When riders book, LKLP asks for the name on the medical card, the travel date, pickup and destination addresses down to the suite and doctor, the arrival time, the return time, any seat for a personal care attendant, child, or guest, and any need for a lift van.

• Rider’s choice. A Type 07 or Type 08 rider may ask for any eligible subcontractor in the region, or LKLP, and still books through LKLP (KRS 281.874).
• No preference. The broker assigns trips by coordination first, then cost, and then by rotating Type 07 and 08 trips among providers, LKLP included.
• Your limits. You may not pass a trip to another provider, decide a rider’s eligibility or type of transport, or solicit Medicaid trips.

Riders must be ready 15 minutes before pickup and cancel at least 24 hours ahead. For planning long trips across these regions, see our rural NEMT guide.

Bad weather

Under 603 KAR 7:080, each broker keeps a Cabinet-approved inclement weather policy with driver directions, notices to riders and the media, and a backup plan. The broker may not transport in conditions that put a driver or rider at risk, runs only on routes that are safe, and may call the National Guard or other emergency units to get dialysis and urgent care riders through. Ask LKLP for its policy and build yours to match with our bad weather policy guide.

Rates and how LKLP pays you

KYTC sets one rate for each service type in each region, the same for every provider, LKLP included. It weighs terrain, trip distance, population, medical and job sites, labor costs, and use of services, and gives brokers 45 days of notice before a change. Its state fiscal year 2023 report says rates took effect July 1, 2022, that Region 5 was among six regions adjusted May 1, 2023, and that rates are subject to quarterly review.

1. By the 1st: invoice LKLP for last month’s trips. An invoice dated after the 1st waits for the next month’s billing.
2. By the 7th: LKLP sends its reports to KYTC.
3. By the 15th: KYTC pays LKLP, once the reports and the Medicaid eligible count are in.
4. Within 3 business days of that payment, LKLP pays you (KRS 281.875).

Every invoice must reach LKLP within 6 months of the date of service. Keep trip records and encounter data for 5 years, and report any accident or moving violation on a trip to LKLP right away. See how to bill NEMT brokers.

What House Bill 2 changes for LKLP providers

Kentucky’s HB 2 became Acts Chapter 179 on April 14, 2026, when the General Assembly overrode the governor’s line-item vetoes. Section 14 applies to every regional broker:

Change	What it means for you
GPS in every Medicaid vehicle, paid by the broker	Ask LKLP which device it will use and how it will be installed in your vehicles
2% of each broker’s capitation withheld and earned back on performance	Completed, canceled, and delayed trips, trip time, miles, and rider satisfaction now affect the broker’s pay
Medical loss ratio floor of 85% from July 1, 2026, 87% from July 1, 2027, 89% from July 1, 2028, and 90% from July 1, 2029	A broker that spends too little of its capitation on services returns the excess
Hospitals and skilled nursing facilities may drive their own patients	They are paid by the broker at the mileage rate a contracted driver gets

Section 29 also directs the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board to review the regional broker system and other states’ models and report by December 31, 2026. If DMS finds that part of Section 14 needs federal approval, Section 27 lets it hold only that part until the approval comes. Read our HB 2 report for the rest of the law.

Who to call

For	Contact
LKLP transportation office	606-436-8853, 398 Roy Campbell Drive, Hazard, KY 41701
LKLP broker phone listed by KYTC	606-487-1872
LKLP rider booking	800-245-2826 or 888-807-2996
Operating authority (Division of Motor Carriers)	502-564-1257
HSTD program (Office of Transportation Delivery)	502-564-7433, weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern
HSTD customer service and complaints	888-941-7433
Kentucky Medicaid enrollment (KY MPPA contact center)	877-838-5085

Bring your certificate, fee receipt cards, vehicle list, insurance declarations, and driver roster to the first meeting. For the broker model in the rest of the state, see FTSB and how states run NEMT.