Modivcare in New Jersey: How to Drive NJ FamilyCare Rides (2027)

Modivcare, formerly LogistiCare, is the one broker for NJ FamilyCare non-emergency rides. It takes bookings from members and facilities in all 21 counties and hands each trip to a licensed transportation company in its network. The state has run its rides through a broker since 2009, and the licenses, insurance, and vehicle rules you need first are in the New Jersey guide. For Modivcare in its other states, see the Modivcare guide.

Modivcare and the next New Jersey contract

The Division of Purchase and Property put the broker contract out to bid for DMAHS as bid 24DPP01040 (T2503, Transportation Broker Services). Its final agency decision of August 20, 2026 lays out what happened:

Date	What happened
May 7, 2025	The state issues the bid
December 12, 2025	Modivcare protests the bid’s terms. A February 20, 2026 decision upholds the revised bid
March 4, 2026	Three quotes are opened: Modivcare, MTM, and HBSS Connect Corp
July 15, 2026	The state asks Modivcare and MTM for best and final offers. HBSS scored below the competitive range
August 6, 2026	The state announces its intent to award the contract to MTM
August 13, 2026	Modivcare protests the award
August 20, 2026	The Acting Director cancels the planned award to MTM and sends the contract back for award to Modivcare

The decision found MTM’s quote non-responsive. MTM said it would use a third-party vendor for language interpretation but filed its subcontractor form as not applicable, and a missing required form cannot be fixed after bids close. That left Modivcare as the only remaining responsive bidder in the competitive range. The decision can be appealed to the Appellate Division within 45 days, and DMAHS still lists Modivcare as the state’s broker in September 2026. MTM Health does not arrange NJ FamilyCare rides. For how these bids work, see NEMT broker RFPs.

What the new contract changes for your company

The new contract runs four years, with up to two one-year extensions, and service must start within 120 days of the award. Within those 120 days, Modivcare must finalize a new service agreement with every provider and inspect every provider’s vehicles. Expect new paperwork and a vehicle visit even if you drive Modivcare trips today. The revised bid of February 20, 2026 also sets these terms:

Topic	What the new contract says
Facility trips	Nursing homes and hospitals book with a preferred provider they choose from the network
Long trips	A closest provider certification for every trip over 35 miles
Driver licenses	A valid license from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, or Delaware
Credentialing	Every provider rechecked each year, with fingerprints every five years
Inspections	One twelfth of the fleet inspected at random each month, and every provider at least once a year
Vehicle rules	Your company name, fleet number, and phone number posted inside, a step stool when the first step is over 7 inches, and front tires with at least 4/32 inch of tread
Ride-hail	No transportation network companies. Modivcare’s New Jersey member brochure lists rideshare among its ride types
Pending applicants	Rides for up to 90 days for a nursing home resident whose Medicaid application is still pending
Where the money goes	At least 80 percent of the state’s monthly payments must go to direct transportation costs

The same bid sets insurance floors, driver history rules, 20 hours of driver training, and on-time standards, all listed in the New Jersey guide. The broker transition checklist covers what to have ready when a new agreement arrives.

Where Modivcare’s New Jersey trips are

The utilization data the state released with the bid on December 9, 2025 counts 4,198,250 verified paid trips in 2024. Of those, 1,161,035 were bus passes. The rest went to livery, wheelchair, and stretcher companies:

Level	Rider	License you need	Trips in 2024
Ambulatory	Walks to the vehicle alone, curb to curb	Town livery license	2,036,632
Special rate ambulatory	Walks, but must ride alone	Town livery license	1,467
Ambulatory MAV	Walks, but needs a hand door through door	Ask Modivcare	242,413
Wheelchair MAV	Rides in a wheelchair, handed off inside at both ends	Department of Health MAV license	464,133
Wheelchair MAV with oxygen	Needs oxygen you supply and monitor	MAV license, with an EMT-Basic on board	20,514
Special rate wheelchair	Needs a two-person crew, such as on stairs	MAV license	141,925
BLS	Can travel only on a stretcher	BLS ambulance license	98,226
BLS with oxygen	Stretcher rider on oxygen you supply	BLS ambulance license	12,065
Bariatric stretcher	Stretcher rider who needs bariatric equipment	BLS ambulance license	13,969
Specialty care transport	Needs a registered nurse on board	Department of Health specialty care transport license	5,871

Wheelchair riders took 626,572 trips in 2024 once oxygen and two-person rides are counted. State MAV rules require a second crewmember when a wheelchair rider goes up or down five or more steps, or two or more steps for a rider of 200 pounds or more. In 2022, the bid says, Modivcare used about 157 transportation companies a month statewide.

The next table splits the same trips by county, grouped by the four regions Modivcare’s facility liaisons cover, as the state long-term care ombudsman listed them on September 29, 2026. Wheelchair counts include oxygen and two-person rides, and stretcher counts include oxygen and bariatric stretchers.

County	Modivcare region	Trips, not counting bus passes	Wheelchair	Stretcher
Hudson	North	243,958	51,231	10,365
Passaic	North	195,798	41,086	13,143
Bergen	North	193,322	43,464	8,403
Warren	North	36,999	6,365	543
Sussex	North	26,877	3,627	360
Hunterdon	North	17,310	2,104	331
Essex	Central	395,305	92,939	24,273
Union	Central	189,359	42,970	10,626
Morris	Central	99,620	22,866	3,736
Somerset	Central	63,363	12,376	1,516
Middlesex	Southern Central	250,219	44,037	9,054
Monmouth	Southern Central	199,479	38,562	5,159
Ocean	Southern Central	189,417	38,814	3,788
Mercer	Southern Central	132,119	28,434	3,506
Burlington	Southern Central	109,578	23,180	6,477
Camden	South	308,239	54,483	12,054
Atlantic	South	142,408	33,687	4,117
Cumberland	South	105,461	18,576	2,974
Gloucester	South	78,866	15,992	2,385
Salem	South	37,962	4,589	482
Cape May	South	21,556	7,190	968

Essex County had 24,273 stretcher trips, about one in five in the state. Salem, Warren, Sussex, Hunterdon, and Cape May counties each had fewer than 40,000 trips beyond bus passes.

How to join Modivcare in New Jersey

You apply to Modivcare, not to NJ FamilyCare. State rule N.J.A.C. 10:50-1.3 requires DMAHS approval of every transportation company under contract with the broker.

1. Get the license for your level. A Department of Health MAV license for wheelchair riders, a BLS ambulance license for stretchers, or a town livery license and MVC plates for sedans. Fees and vehicle rules are in the New Jersey guide.
2. Pick your counties. Use the county table and the priority map on Modivcare’s Join Our Network page.
3. Send the provider form. The Become a Transportation Provider form asks for your NPI, tax ID, services, vehicle count, base county, insurance amounts, and any minority, woman, or disabled veteran business certification.
4. Pass credentialing. Modivcare checks driver training, drug screens, driving records, and background checks, plus each vehicle’s registration, inspection, and insurance. Owners and drivers also complete Modivcare’s compliance training when they contract and every year after. The full list is in the Modivcare guide, and the credentialing guide covers how to prepare.

New Jersey watches its broker’s network closely. A July 5, 2016 federal audit (A-02-14-01001) estimated that 2,538,674 claims worth $64.7 million did not meet contract or state rules on vehicles, driver licensing, insurance, and trip records. DHS runs a Modivcare State Monitoring Unit, and the new contract has that unit audit Modivcare’s credentialing on site.

How New Jersey trips reach your company

Nursing homes and hospitals pick their provider

Under the bid for the new contract, Modivcare schedules nursing home and hospital trips with the facility’s preferred transportation company, which must be in its network. When a facility books with less than 48 hours’ notice, Modivcare gives it a trip number and assigns the trip to that company, and the facility confirms with you. The state long-term care ombudsman says each long-term care facility already has a linked provider for its Medicaid residents’ appointments. Modivcare places every skilled nursing resident at the ambulatory MAV level or higher, so these riders need door-through-door help. See how to get facility contracts.

Standing orders

Dialysis, mental health, and substance abuse clinics send standing orders for members who ride three or more days a week to the same place at the same times. Each one lasts three months, and Modivcare staff recertify it without a new form. A nursing home may book a dialysis resident’s first three trips before the clinic takes over the order. The form asks for the wheelchair type, the rider’s weight and height, the number of stairs, whether there is a ramp or elevator, and whether the member can sign the driver’s log. See standing orders and dialysis transportation.

Discharges, will-calls, and same-day trips

• Hospital discharges come in on the facility line with no Medical Necessity Form, and the provider has three hours to pick up. See hospital discharge transportation.
• Will-call returns start when the member or the doctor’s office calls Where’s My Ride. Modivcare’s facility FAQ gives the provider up to 90 minutes, and the new contract cuts that to 60.
• Same-day trips are booked only when a doctor needs the member seen that day or the next, such as dialysis, wound care, chemotherapy, or radiation. Modivcare checks each one with the doctor’s office.
• Out-of-state trips go to Medicaid-covered care. A trip past the next county in a neighboring state needs NJ Medicaid approval.

Forms and distance limits

A doctor, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse signs the Medical Necessity Form for ambulatory MAV, wheelchair, stretcher, and specialty care riders. The form offers 90 days, 180 days, a year, or lifetime, while Modivcare’s facility FAQ asks for a new form every six months except for dialysis and nursing home riders. Modivcare’s current Closest Provider Policy limits rides to 20 miles when an equal provider is available in the community, with exceptions for a unique specialist and for treatment already under way, and it allows up to three courtesy trips while a member finds a closer provider.

What Modivcare pays in New Jersey

The state pays Modivcare a fixed monthly amount for each member, a capitation rate, and Modivcare pays you. The Office of Legislative Services put that rate at $9.42 per member per month from September 2022 to August 2023, an estimated $241.0 million a year. The state fee schedule in N.J.A.C. 10:50-2.2 lists only ambulance codes, so your livery and MAV rates are whatever you agree with Modivcare.

The new contract sets four terms that bear on your pay:

• Rates by level. Modivcare negotiates rates for each level, including wheelchair, specialty care, bariatric stretcher, and two-person wheelchair trips.
• Payment time. Full payment is due within 30 days of a clean claim. The contract charges Modivcare $2,500 when any provider payment runs past 30 days and $5,000 past 60 days.
• Billing limit. You must bill within one year of the trip.
• Hard trips. The contract charges Modivcare $1,000 for each trip with no vehicle available beyond four a month, and $15,000 when it completes fewer than 98 percent of bariatric and non-first-floor trips. If you can carry bariatric riders or take riders up and down stairs, say so when you apply.

Shared rides need care. In its 2023 estimate, the Office of Legislative Services noted that mileage on multi-passenger trips was set by negotiation between Modivcare and its providers, so read how your agreement pays one before you accept it. The new contract allows up to four adults or nine children in a vehicle at once, and 90 percent of shared rides may take no more than 45 minutes longer than the same trip alone. See how to negotiate broker rates.

Trip records decide whether you get paid. The new contract has Modivcare give network companies a live electronic system that tracks vehicles and captures rider signatures in at least 90 percent of vehicles, in place within 90 days after service starts. Modivcare’s 2025 billing tips list a driver or vehicle that does not match its credentialing record as a top reason for denied claims, and a trip log with no signature may be denied. Keep a trip log for every leg, and see how to bill NEMT brokers.

Who to call at Modivcare in New Jersey

For	Contact
Member bookings	1-866-527-9933, TTY 1-866-288-3133
Standing orders and hospital discharges	Facility line, 1-866-527-9945
Will-call returns and late rides	Where’s My Ride, 1-866-527-9934
Member complaints	1-866-333-1735
Provider billing questions	Your local Modivcare network team, then 1-800-930-9060
Joining the network	The Become a Transportation Provider form on modivcare.com

Some New Jersey trips cross the state line. In 2022 the program paid for 19,888 trips to Philadelphia, 10,702 to New York City, and 2,350 to Delaware. Modivcare also runs Delaware’s statewide program and Philadelphia’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program, so if you are based near a border, see Modivcare in Delaware and Philadelphia County.

What to do first

1. Choose your level. Livery rides for walking riders are two of every three trips beyond bus passes, and the new contract charges Modivcare $15,000 when it misses too many bariatric and upstairs trips.
2. Get the license for it from the Department of Health or your town.
3. Visit the facilities near your base. Ask nursing homes, dialysis centers, and clinics who their Modivcare provider is and what it would take to become their preferred one.
4. Send Modivcare’s provider form with your counties and levels.
5. Keep every driver and vehicle file current for the new agreement and inspection due within 120 days of the award.
6. Check NJSTART under bid 24DPP01040 for the signed award, and the New Jersey guide for rule changes.