# How to Become a Medical Answering Services (MAS) Transportation Provider in 2027

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/brokers/medical-answering-services/ · Updated 2026-09-28

To become a Medical Answering Services (MAS) provider, apply to MAS first. If MAS approves you, it issues a letter of support, which New York Medicaid has required with every new non-medical transportation application since April 15, 2024. Then enroll in the eMedNY Provider Services Portal, pay the $750 fee, and sign the MAS network contract before you get trips.

- MAS is New York's one statewide Medicaid transportation broker, covering all 62 counties since December 1, 2023.
- New York Medicaid rejects any new ambulette, taxi, livery, or TNC application sent without a MAS letter of support, a rule in force since April 15, 2024.
- MAS does not pay you. You attest each trip in the MAS system within 30 days, then bill eMedNY with the prior authorization number.
- Every trip needs GPS data from pickup to drop-off, a New York rule since April 3, 2023.
- Ambulettes need NYSDOT operating authority and vehicle inspections every six months. NYC livery companies need a TLC license.

Medical Answering Services, LLC (MAS) is the company the New York State Department of Health pays to run Medicaid transportation. MAS takes ride requests from members and medical offices, approves them, and assigns each trip to a transportation company in its network. It owns no vehicles and does not compete with the companies it sends trips to. MAS lists its Center of Excellence in Syracuse. As of September 2026, it says it has connected Medicaid members to care since 2004, starting in Onondaga County, and arranges about 15 million trips a year for more than 7 million enrollees.

To drive Medicaid members in New York, you need three things: a letter of support from MAS, enrollment with New York Medicaid, and a signed network contract with MAS. They come in that order.

## Where MAS arranges Medicaid rides

MAS covers all 62 counties of New York State. It runs two contact centers, split by the Department of Health's regions:

| Region | Counties | Member line |
|---|---|---|
| Downstate | Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Queens, Richmond (Staten Island), Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester | 844-666-6270 |
| Upstate | The other 53 counties, from Albany and Erie to Rockland and Yates | 866-932-7740 |

MAS became the single statewide broker through a competitive state procurement. Before that, New York used several regional transportation managers.

| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| December 1, 2015 | By this date, rides for mainstream Medicaid managed care members had moved out of the health plans to the state's transportation managers |
| August 1, 2023 | MAS became the one Medicaid transportation broker for every county except Nassau and Suffolk |
| October to December 2023 | MAS began signing contracts directly with transportation providers, aiming to finish by December 31, 2023 |
| December 1, 2023 | Nassau and Suffolk moved from Modivcare to MAS |
| March 1, 2024 | Rides for Managed Long Term Care members moved out of the plans to MAS |
| April 15, 2024 | eMedNY began rejecting new transportation applications sent without a MAS letter of support |
| April 1, 2026 | MAS took over rides for Fidelis Care members in Rockland County |

MAS arranges rides for fee-for-service members, mainstream managed care members, and Managed Long Term Care members. The August 2023 policy manual says some managed care plans still include transportation in their benefits. For those members, Medicaid denies transportation claims and you bill the plan instead. The eligibility check shows which applies. MAS arranges non-emergency Medicaid rides only. For work from Medicare Advantage plans, see Medicare Advantage transportation.

## How to become a MAS provider, step by step

MAS and New York Medicaid lay out the same order, as of September 2026:

1. **Pick your category of service.** Ambulette, taxi, livery, or transportation network company. Each has its own licenses, covered in the next section. Get those licenses first.
2. **Send the MAS Transportation Provider Network Application.** MAS's Transportation Provider Relations team reviews it and decides whether to issue a letter of support.
3. **Enroll with New York Medicaid.** Apply in the eMedNY Provider Services Portal (PSP) and upload the MAS letter. Questions about the Medicaid application go to NYSDOH Provider Enrollment, not MAS.
4. **Wait for the decision.** MAS says a decision can take 90 days or longer. Approval comes with a confirmation letter.
5. **Call MAS Transportation Provider Relations.** MAS walks you through its contract and network requirements. You set an effective date together, based on when your drivers and vehicles can meet credentialing and training.
6. **Get into the MAS system.** Access requires written approval from eMedNY and a fully signed MAS contract. Then MAS sends you login instructions.

Medicaid enrollment does not guarantee trips or a place in the MAS network. eMedNY and the state policy manual both say so.

### What the MAS application asks for

The online network application is short. As of September 2026, it asks for:

- Owner name, legal company name, DBA, tax ID, phone, street address, and email.
- Your primary county of operation.
- The modes you offer: taxi or livery (0603, 0605), ambulette ambulatory, ambulette wheelchair, ambulette stretcher (0602), or ambulance.
- Whether you have NYSDOT operating authority, years in business, your company's focus, average weekly volume, and operating hours.
- Uploads: resumes for every owner and senior manager, licenses and approvals for your areas of operation, and your NYSDOT operating authority if you run ambulettes. The form takes up to 10 files.

### What New York Medicaid asks for

The eMedNY instructions for non-medical transportation, last updated May 2026, list:

- The $750 application fee.
- An Electronic Funds Transfer authorization and an ETIN Certification Statement (form EMEDNY-490602 for a first enrollment).
- A Transportation Information Request, and a Prior Conduct Questionnaire if you answer yes to any prior conduct question.
- Copies of the certificates, permits, and licenses your category needs.
- The IRS letter that assigned your EIN. A W-9 is not accepted.
- The MAS letter of support.
- The signed Attestation for Non-Medical Transportation Providers. You agree that local licensing is your job alone and that enrollment does not guarantee trips.
- A provider compliance program certification, where New York's rules require one.

The portal deletes an application that is not submitted within 45 days of starting it. If the state asks for more information, answer within 45 days or the application is withdrawn. Since March 1, 2024, transportation companies can no longer enroll as managed care only (non-billing) providers. For the federal side of enrollment, see [how to become a Medicaid transportation provider](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-to-become-a-medicaid-transportation-provider/) and [how to get an NPI number for NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-to-get-an-npi-number-for-nemt/).

## Ambulette, taxi, and livery: which category you need

New York enrolls transportation companies by category of service. MAS assigns each trip a mode based on the member's needs, so your category decides which trips you can take.

| Category | What it is | Where | What to submit with enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0602 Ambulette | Special-purpose van for wheelchair, stretcher, and other riders with disabilities, door-to-door with personal assistance | Statewide | A NYSDOT common carrier certificate or contract carrier permit, and a DMV letter of compliance with Article 19-A dated on or after the most recent July 1 |
| 0603 Taxi | Curb-to-curb car service | Outside New York City only | A TLC base license if you work in Westchester or Nassau (an NYC livery license can stand in for Nassau). Drivers need a Class E license and vehicles need livery plates. |
| 0605 Livery or black car | Curb-to-curb car service | New York City only | A NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission livery, for-hire, paratransit, or black car base license |
| 0609 Transportation network company | App-based rides | NYC (high-volume for-hire) or outside NYC | A DMV TNC license outside NYC, or a TLC for-hire license in NYC, plus the MAS letter. The state's chart also lists a letter of support from the Bureau of Medicaid Transportation (medtrans@health.ny.gov). |

For taxi, livery, and TNC, you keep records of driver licenses and plates instead of sending them. Companies in 0601 ambulance, 0602 ambulette, and 0603 taxi must own or lease every vehicle in the company's own name, and insure and maintain it. Livery and TNC companies may use drivers who own their cars. No category may subcontract trips to another company. If you run short of vehicles, tell MAS so it can reassign the trip.

### Extra rules for ambulettes

- **Operating authority and inspections.** NYSDOT issues common carrier certificates to carriers that serve the public, and contract carrier permits to carriers with a contract, such as one with a health care facility. Applications go through NYSDOT's Carrier Certification System. Every ambulette must pass a NYSDOT inspection at least every six months, at a facility you provide. As of September 2026, NYSDOT charges $85 per vehicle per inspection.
- **Drivers.** Ambulette drivers must be qualified under Article 19-A of the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
- **Door-to-door service.** Staff must give personal assistance from the member's own door, including an apartment or nursing home room, to the door of the medical office. There is no extra pay for this or for escorts, and no limit on stairs.
- **Stretcher trips.** A stretcher ambulette needs at least two employees and a wheeled cot with its maker's straps and retention device. It may not carry its own oxygen supplies, though a member may bring and manage their own. It may not carry a member who needs medical monitoring or is medically sedated.
- **Taxi-level trips.** An ambulette company may take curb-to-curb trips and bill the taxi codes. Since January 28, 2016, NYC ambulette companies with a NYSDOT contract carrier permit do not also need a TLC license. They may use sedans and minivans for livery trips, and NYSDOT does not inspect those cars.
- **Surety bond.** New ambulette applicants in Nassau, Westchester, Monroe, Erie, Orange, and Suffolk counties must post a bond before enrollment. It is $100,000 a year or $25,000 per ambulette, whichever is lower. You can ask for an exception if you expect under $500,000 in Medicaid billing your first year.
- **No Star of Life.** The emergency medical symbol may not appear on a non-medical vehicle.

New York lifted its ambulette enrollment moratorium for New York City, Nassau, and Suffolk on December 1, 2021. For the business side, see how to start an ambulette business.

## What MAS requires once you join

The MAS network manual, version 2023-1 dated October 1, 2023, and the state policy manual set these rules:

| Area | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Insurance | General liability, workers' compensation, and New York disability coverage, uploaded on ACORD forms. Your Medicaid provider ID goes in the description box, and Medical Answering Services, LLC, P.O. Box 12000, Syracuse, NY 13218 is the additional insured. Limits are in the contract's Scope of Work, item 13. |
| Exclusion checks | Every owner, key manager, and driver is checked against the Death Master File, the OMIG and HHS OIG exclusion lists, and SAM. A Social Security number is required for each driver. |
| Driver licenses | Drivers must be 18 or older with a valid license, entered in the MAS system for monitoring through the DMV's LENS program. A driver can work for only one MAS provider at a time. |
| Training | Every driver completes the CTAA PASS program, or an equal program MAS approves. The 2023 manual gives drivers 3 months from your MAS network start date, and MAS sets the date with you when you contract. Drivers who miss it cannot drive in the network. |
| Vehicles | NYS registration, VIN, and insurance checked in the MAS system. A driver inspects each vehicle before every shift, and MAS can audit those records. |
| GPS | Since April 3, 2023, every trip sends its starting point, end point, and GPS trail to MAS. |
| Service | Pickups within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, rides under one hour, and a 15-minute wait before a no-show. Same-day hospital discharges are picked up within three hours. |
| Incidents | Accidents and incidents go to MAS within 48 hours on the NYSDOH NEMT Accident and Incident Report. A death, ambulance response, or hospitalization is reported right away. |

Every vehicle also needs a cell phone or two-way radio, working heat and air conditioning, a way to secure child safety seats, a posted no-smoking notice, and a packet with the registration, insurance card, and accident forms. The federal floor applies too: no excluded provider or driver, a valid license for every driver, and processes for drug law violations and driving history reports. Our [NEMT incident report form](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-incident-report-form/) and [vehicle inspection checklist](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-vehicle-inspection-checklist/) cover the paperwork.

For GPS, MAS can give you access to a free app that meets the minimum requirement. You can also use a trip management system that sends data to MAS. A billing or routing company working for you must register with MAS, sign a business associate agreement with it, and get a data key. Billing agents must also enroll with New York Medicaid as a service bureau. GPS data that does not match the pickup, drop-off, or miles on the trip invoice keeps the attestation from generating a prior authorization, so the trip cannot be billed. See NEMT GPS tracking.

## How MAS assigns trips

MAS sends trips in this order:

1. **Preferred Provider Opportunities (PPO).** These are partnerships between a medical provider and a transportation company. A PPO trip cannot be refused or reassigned, and PPO hospital discharges need a vehicle within 60 minutes of assignment.
2. **The member's choice** among companies that offer the right mode.
3. **The medical provider's choice,** when the office booked the ride.
4. **Random rotation** among companies that meet the trip's needs and show availability.

Keep your Transportation Provider Profile accurate, because it tells MAS when you can take trips. MAS says refusals within 48 hours of pickup are ten times more likely to bring a complaint. It can change your profile to stop a pattern of refusals. Never change a pickup, destination, or time because a member or clinic asks. Changes must go through MAS first. Giving a member or clinic anything of value to steer trips to you is illegal, and MAS reports it to the state.

## How you get paid

MAS does not pay transportation providers. New York Medicaid does, through eMedNY.

1. **Do the trip** exactly as the trip invoice in your MAS trip roster shows.
2. **Attest it in the MAS system** within 30 days of the date of service. Time spent waiting on a correction MAS requested is not counted. For members approved late, you have up to 120 days from the date eligibility appears in the system.
3. **Get the prior authorization number.** Attestation, with matching GPS data, generates an 11-digit [prior authorization](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/prior-authorization/) number from eMedNY.
4. **Bill eMedNY** within 90 days of the date of service, on an 837P electronic claim or paper Form A (eMedNY-000201). Put your 8-digit Medicaid ID and the prior authorization number on the claim, and make it match the authorization.
5. **Read your remittance.** If a claim is rejected, MAS asks you to wait until the third business day before acting, since its own systems fix most rejections.

Bill loaded miles only, to the tenth of a mile, a rule since August 1, 2019. When several members ride together, bill the base rate for each but mileage only once, from the first pickup to the last drop-off. Members who live together and go to the same place count as one trip. Each trip leg needs a record with the member's name and Medicaid ID, date, pickup and drop-off places and times, plate number, driver license number, and the driver's printed name, signature, and attestation. Keep it for six years from the date of payment. An electronic signature with GPS coordinates counts. See [NEMT trip documentation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-trip-documentation/).

### Rates

MAS negotiates rates with each network provider, and the policy manual says negotiated rates replace the state fee schedule. The schedule still shows the starting point. These are the base codes without a modifier, from the eMedNY fee schedule file dated April 5, 2026: [A0130](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/a0130/) and S0209 for wheelchair ambulettes, [T2005](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/t2005/) for stretchers, and [A0100](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/a0100/) and S0215 for taxi or livery. Effective dates run from April 1, 2022 to August 16, 2024. The same codes carry other amounts with modifiers.

| County | Wheelchair base | Per mile | Stretcher base | Taxi or livery base | Per mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | $52.90 | $3.60 | $230.00 | $22.97 | $2.93 |
| Nassau | $64.00 | $3.00 | $230.00 | $7.38 | $3.62 |
| Suffolk | $64.00 | $3.00 | $230.00 | $6.89 | $3.87 |
| Westchester | $47.00 | $3.50 | $200.00 | $7.41 | $2.34 |
| Albany | $43.00 | $3.00 | $101.00 | $7.52 | $1.34 |
| Erie | $41.00 | $3.00 | $101.00 | $7.36 | $2.66 |
| Monroe | $44.00 | $3.00 | $101.00 | $3.23 | $3.47 |
| Onondaga | $40.00 | $3.75 | $280.00 | $3.01 | $3.40 |

At those rates, a New York City wheelchair ambulette trip with 5 loaded miles pays $52.90 plus $18.00, or $70.90. To ask for a rate change, call the MAS Transportation Provider Hotline. No-shows are never paid, and members never pay a copay. See [NEMT billing codes](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-billing-codes/) for what each code means.

## Revalidating with MAS and New York Medicaid

New York is revalidating every Medicaid provider by June 2028, as of its September 2026 revalidation page. Once you get the notice, you have 123 calendar days to finish in the Provider Services Portal, or your enrollment ends. Every provider needs an NPI before its next revalidation.

Transportation companies need a new MAS letter for it. Fill out the MAS Transportation Provider Revalidation Application to request a MAS Provider Revalidation Letter. It is valid for 90 days, so send it to New York Medicaid with your revalidation application promptly. A missing letter can end both your Medicaid enrollment and your place in the MAS network. See Medicaid revalidation.

## Who to call at MAS

- **MAS Transportation Provider Hotline:** 866-242-2578, business days 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
- **MAS provider support email:** tpissues@medanswering.com
- **Letter of support questions:** tprelations@medanswering.com
- **Accident and incident reports:** compliance@medanswering.com
- **MAS issue form for providers:** tpissues.medanswering.com
- **MAS mailing address:** P.O. Box 12000, Syracuse, NY 13218
- **eMedNY Call Center (enrollment and billing):** 1-800-343-9000
- **NYSDOH Bureau of Medicaid Transportation:** medtrans@health.ny.gov, 518-473-2160

Complaints about MAS itself go to the Department of Health at the email and phone above. For the state's licensing, insurance, and vehicle rules in one place, see our [New York state guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/new-york/). For how broker contracts work in general, see [how to get NEMT broker contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-to-get-nemt-broker-contracts/).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a MAS letter of support?

It is a letter from Medical Answering Services saying it supports your application to join the New York Medicaid transportation network. You request it with the MAS Transportation Provider Network Application, and MAS reviews your company before it decides whether to issue one. eMedNY requires the letter with every new non-medical transportation application, and applications sent after April 15, 2024 without it are rejected and returned.

### How long does it take to become a MAS provider?

Plan for several months. MAS reviews your network application first. After you get the letter of support, MAS says the Medicaid enrollment decision can take 90 days or longer. You must submit your Provider Services Portal application within 45 days of starting it, and answer any request for more information within 45 days. After approval, you still contract with MAS, credential drivers and vehicles, and get system access.

### What is the difference between ambulette and livery in New York Medicaid?

An ambulette (category of service 0602) is a special-purpose van for riders who use a wheelchair, need a stretcher, or have another disability. It gives door-to-door personal assistance, needs NYSDOT operating authority, and uses drivers qualified under Article 19-A. Livery (category 0605) is curb-to-curb car service in New York City only, licensed by the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. Outside NYC, curb-to-curb car service is taxi, category 0603. Each category enrolls separately.

### How does MAS pay transportation providers?

MAS does not pay providers directly. After a trip, you attest it in the MAS system, and MAS gets an 11-digit prior authorization number from eMedNY. You then bill New York Medicaid through eMedNY on an 837P electronic claim or paper Form A, and Medicaid pays you. Claims are due within 90 days of the date of service. MAS negotiates rates, which replace the state fee schedule.

### How does MAS decide which company gets a trip?

MAS assigns trips first to Preferred Provider Opportunity partners, then to the company the member picks within the right level of service, then to the company a medical provider picks. When nobody picks, MAS chooses at random among companies that meet the trip needs and show availability in their MAS profile. Enrollment alone does not guarantee trips.

### Does MAS pay for no-shows?

No. MAS says Medicaid pays for transportation only when the member is transported and receives Medicaid services. New York's policy manual requires you to wait at least 15 minutes after the scheduled pickup time before you mark a no-show, and to document every no-show.

## Official resources

- [MAS: Become a Transportation Provider](https://wp2.medanswering.com/transportation-providers/become-a-provider/)
- [eMedNY: Transportation provider enrollment instructions and forms](https://www.emedny.org/info/providerenrollment/transportation/Option2.aspx)
- [eMedNY: Required documents for each transportation category of service](https://www.emedny.org/info/ProviderEnrollment/ProviderMaintForms/Additional_Requirements_for_Transportation_Enrollment.pdf)
- [NYSDOH: Medicaid Transportation Policy Manual](https://www.emedny.org/ProviderManuals/Transportation/PDFS/Transportation_Manual_Policy_Section.pdf)
- [eMedNY: Transportation manuals, fee schedule, and billing guidelines](https://www.emedny.org/ProviderManuals/Transportation/index.aspx)
- [MAS: Transportation Provider Network Manual](https://masvmwp01.medanswering.com/wp-content/uploads/MAS-Transportation-Provider-Network-Manual-October-2023-v.1.1.pdf)
- [MAS: Forms and resources for transportation providers](https://wp2.medanswering.com/transportation-providers/forms-resources-for-transportation-providers/)
- [NYSDOT: Apply for passenger operating authority](https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/operating/osss/bus/passenger)
- [NYSDOH: Medicaid provider revalidation schedule](https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/integrity/provider_revalidation.htm)
- [HHS OIG: List of Excluded Individuals and Entities](https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/)