How to Become a TransLink Provider for RVTD Medicaid Rides in 2027

TransLink is the Medicaid ride brokerage of Rogue Valley Transportation District (RVTD), the public transit district formed in 1975 to serve the Rogue Valley around Medford. RVTD’s Accessible Transportation Department runs TransLink next to Valley Lift, the district’s paratransit service. TransLink’s office is at 239 E. Barnett Road in Medford.

TransLink works as a broker. It takes each ride request, confirms the member is eligible, picks the least costly ride that fits, and books it. When a member needs a vehicle, TransLink sends the trip to a transportation company under contract with it. Cascade Health Alliance’s 2026 rider guide also mentions TransLink reserve fleet vehicles that it calls in on busy days.

Who TransLink arranges rides for

Oregon splits Medicaid rides by plan and county. Each coordinated care organization (CCO) picks a ride service, and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) contracts regional brokerages for open card members, who are on fee-for-service Medicaid. As of September 2026, TransLink runs three programs:

Program	Members it carries	Area
Jackson Care Connect	Members of this CCO. CareOregon manages its NEMT benefit and contracts RVTD to run it.	Jackson County
Cascade Health Alliance	Members of this CCO, including full benefit dual eligible members	Parts of Klamath County, the CCO’s service area
OHA open card	Open card members who live in TransLink’s counties	Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Lake counties

In most of those counties, other plans use other ride services. If you want every Oregon Health Plan trip in your area, you will need more than one agreement. OHA’s CCO list, its 2026 open card handbook, and PacificSource’s ride page show this split:

County	TransLink carries	Other ride services in the county
Jackson	Jackson Care Connect and open card	AllCare CCO: ReadyRide
Josephine	Open card	AllCare CCO: ReadyRide
Klamath	Cascade Health Alliance and open card	PacificSource Community Solutions: Modivcare
Coos	Open card	Advanced Health: Bay Cities Brokerage
Curry	Open card	Advanced Health: Bay Cities Brokerage. AllCare CCO: ReadyRide
Douglas	Open card	Umpqua Health Alliance: Bay Cities Brokerage. AllCare CCO, in part of the county: ReadyRide. Trillium, in western Douglas: RideSource
Lake	Open card	Eastern Oregon CCO: GOBHI

OHA’s older brokerage map, effective July 1, 2023, still shows TransLink for all Klamath County members, and OHA’s CCO list names RideSource for PacificSource’s Central Oregon plan. PacificSource’s own ride page (September 2026) sends its Klamath County members to Modivcare, so check a member’s plan before you plan around it.

Open card volume is set to change. OHA says all Healthier Oregon members move from CCOs to OHP Open Card in January 2027 because of federal changes (notice updated August 7, 2026). In all seven of TransLink’s counties, open card rides go through TransLink. The Oregon state guide lists the ride service for every plan and county in the state.

How TransLink decides what kind of ride a member gets

TransLink calls its intake the screening process. Under its 2026 rider guide for Jackson Care Connect, a member who can use public transit is offered bus fare. A member who can drive, or has someone to drive them, is offered mileage reimbursement at $0.49 a mile. A vehicle ride is booked for a member with no access to a vehicle who cannot take transit. TransLink may send a sedan, wheelchair van, stretcher vehicle, or non-emergent ambulance, based on the member’s medical needs.

That follows Oregon’s open card rule. OAR 410-136-3020 (amended effective January 1, 2025) requires a brokerage to pay for the least costly mode that meets the member’s medical needs, which can mean a shared ride. It also has to check whether the member can drive or get a ride from family, friends, or neighbors. Rides with TransLink are not guaranteed to be private, and other riders may be picked up or dropped off along the way.

A few booking rules shape the trips you will see:

• Advance booking. Members can book up to 90 days ahead, including recurring rides, and TransLink asks for two business days’ notice. Same-day rides go first to urgent needs, such as hospital discharges and same-day visits for a serious condition.
• Long trips. Cascade Health Alliance’s guide asks members to call at least 48 hours ahead for trips over 70 miles, so TransLink can find a driver. TransLink’s online scheduling portal takes requests from 30 days to two business days ahead, but trips over 70 miles one way must be booked by phone.
• Out of state. The open card rule covers rides to care in California, Idaho, or Washington up to 75 miles past the Oregon border. The CCO rule (OAR 410-141-3930) covers care out of state that borders the plan’s area and sits within 75 miles of the border. See rural NEMT for planning long runs.
• Secure rides. Secure medical transport is used when a doctor or peace officer has found a member in a mental health crisis to be in danger of harming themselves or others. CareOregon’s manual limits these rides to companies that meet OAR 309-033-0200 to 309-033-0970.

For open card rides, OHA pays TransLink a fixed rate per ride, worked out from its direct and indirect costs divided by projected monthly rides, and settles it against actual costs every year (OAR 410-136-3200). TransLink pays its transportation companies from that funding.

How to become a TransLink transportation provider

Joining starts with a phone call to TransLink.

1. Match your counties to its programs. Use the tables above to see which of your counties and riders TransLink covers.
2. Set up the company. Register the business and check whether you need an ODOT for-hire permit or a city permit. The Oregon state guide explains both.
3. Buy insurance. The open card rule, OAR 410-136-3060, makes every subcontractor with employees carry workers’ compensation unless an exemption in ORS 656.126(2) applies. Liability limits come from your agreement, so ask TransLink for its minimums first. See NEMT insurance requirements.
4. Get an NPI and plan for OHA enrollment. For Jackson Care Connect and Cascade Health Alliance rides, Oregon’s CCO billing rule, OAR 410-141-3565 (effective January 1, 2025), requires providers to be enrolled with OHA before their encounter claims are accepted. CCOs enroll transportation companies on form OHP 3108 (January 2025), which lists Transportation Provider as provider type 1. See how to get an NPI number for NEMT.
5. Ask which background check to run. The CCO rule calls for a check under ORS 181A.195 and 181A.200. The open card rule calls for one under ORS 181A.195, or, when the brokerage is a mass transit district formed under ORS chapter 267, one under ORS 267.237 and the district’s own policy. ORS 267.237 lets a transit district ask the Oregon State Police to check drivers of companies under contract with it. Ask TransLink which check it requires.
6. Call TransLink. RVTD lists 888-518-8162, or 541-842-2062 in Jackson County, for questions about TransLink. Ask how it adds transportation companies, what its agreement covers, what it pays for each mode, and how it sends trips.
7. Credential every driver and vehicle. Send the documents TransLink asks for before any driver carries a member, and keep them current.

Keep your files in order with the NEMT credentialing checklist. How to get NEMT broker contracts covers how to pitch a brokerage.

What TransLink’s programs require of drivers and vans

Each program brings its own rule book. Jackson Care Connect and Cascade Health Alliance trips follow Oregon’s CCO rule, OAR 410-141-3925 (last amended effective January 1, 2022). Open card trips follow OAR 410-136-3040 (amended effective January 1, 2025). For Jackson Care Connect, CareOregon’s Transportation Provider Manual (version 1.3, February 2024) adds the items CareOregon requires its NEMT managers to pass on to transportation companies.

Requirement	Jackson Care Connect	Cascade Health Alliance	Open card
Driver license	Right class and endorsements for the vehicle	Right class and endorsements for the vehicle	A valid Oregon DMV license of the right class
Before hire	Clear OIG exclusion list check, background check, and disclosure of drug law violations and driving history	Same as Jackson Care Connect	Background check at hire or contracting
First aid, CPR, blood spill	Before driving any member	Before driving any member	Within 6 months of hire
Defensive driving and PASS	Within 3 months of hire, then every 3 years. Wheelchair van drivers take the securement part.	Within 3 months of hire, then every 3 years	Within 6 months of hire, then every 3 years
Other training	NEMT basics, emergencies, state driving laws, cultural responsiveness, plus a road test in the type of vehicle driven	NEMT basics, emergencies, state driving laws	NEMT basics and fraud reporting at hire and every year
Vehicle equipment	State list plus seat belt extender, spill kit, spare tire or repair kit, jack, belt cutter, non-latex gloves, and seasonal gear	State list	State list
Vehicle papers	Registration, an ASE-certified mechanic’s safety inspection within the last year, a yearly ADA check for wheelchair vans, insurance card or ACORD certificate, and incident forms	Regular inspections for mechanics, cleanliness, and safety	Inspection and maintenance records kept for audit

The state equipment list is the same in both rules: seat belts where the law requires them, a first aid kit, fire extinguisher, roadside warning devices, flashlight, traction devices when needed, disposable gloves, and everything needed to secure wheelchairs and stretchers. Every vehicle follows at least the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule, never allows smoking or vaping, and has working mirrors, horn, lights, turn signals, and wipers.

CareOregon’s manual also sets a technology floor for Jackson Care Connect trips. You need internet and a computer that can receive ride assignments and email attachments, a current browser, an operating system that still gets security updates, a password or locked access to member data, and software that can bill electronically. Each driver needs a phone or tablet to receive assignments. It strongly recommends inside and outside dash cameras too.

See NEMT driver requirements and NEMT vehicle requirements for the wider checklist.

Trip rules TransLink drivers follow

These come from TransLink’s 2026 rider guide for Jackson Care Connect and Cascade Health Alliance’s 2026 rider guide, which tell members what to expect from you.

Situation	Rule
Arriving	Let the member know you are there by calling, knocking, or coming into the facility lobby
Waiting	Wait at least 15 minutes after the scheduled pickup time. Tell the TransLink dispatcher before you leave.
Running late	Arrive no more than 15 minutes after the scheduled pickup time or window. Members are told to call TransLink at 10 minutes, and the trip may go to another company.
Pickup time	Never change it without TransLink’s documented approval
Drop-off	At least 15 minutes before the appointment, never more than an hour early, and never more than 15 minutes before the office opens unless the member asks
Last visit of the day	Pick up no more than 15 minutes after the clinic closes, unless the visit will run later or the member asks
Will-call returns	Arrive within 60 minutes of the member’s call
Pharmacy stops	Only when added to the trip by TransLink. The member chooses a 15 minute wait or a call for pickup.
Other stops	None that TransLink has not approved, including food or drink
Help	Up or down one or two steps and into the lobby. No entering homes or rooms except for hospital discharges and stretcher rides, no dressing, and no transfers between bed, wheelchair, and vehicle.
Children	A child 12 or under rides with an adult attendant who brings, installs, and removes the car seat. Drivers do not help with car seats.
Service animals	Allowed. Ask only what the animal is, whether it is needed for a disability, and what task it does. Pets ride only in closed carriers.
Wheelchairs and scooters	Wheelchair riders use the lap and shoulder belt. Scooter riders may choose to move to a seat but do not have to.
Oxygen	Members may bring their own. Secure the tanks during the ride.
Money	No fares or tips

A member who cancels less than two hours before pickup, is not ready within 15 minutes, or turns the driver away at the door is a no-show. Repeated no-shows can limit the member to one company, public transit, confirming each trip, or riding with an attendant, so report each one to TransLink.

How TransLink pays for open card trips

For open card trips, the payment rules are in OAR 410-136-3220 (effective January 1, 2024). For Jackson Care Connect and Cascade Health Alliance trips, your agreement with TransLink sets the pay, so ask for its rate sheet.

Situation	What the open card rule says
Base rate	TransLink and your company agree a base rate for each mode of transport
Route	The most cost-effective route from origin to destination that best serves the member
Miles	Actual miles traveled only, however many members ride
Shared ride, same mode	Full base rate for the first member, half the base rate for each added member
Shared ride, mixed modes	Full base rate for the highest mode, half the base rate of the right mode for each added member
Shared ride miles	From the first pickup to the final destination
Walking a member to the van or helping them in	Not paid
Waiting time	Only in special cases: a member on your gurney who cannot transfer at the facility, a member who is sick after dialysis or chemotherapy, or a stop for prescriptions or medical supplies
Ambulatory member in a wheelchair van	Paid at the ambulatory base rate
Ambulance used as a stretcher car	Paid at the stretcher rate, unless the trip runs over two hours and needs a health care professional on board
Reclining wheelchair	Paid at the wheelchair base rate

Two more rules touch your books. Brokerages must require subcontractors to account for NEMT costs separately from any other work, using generally accepted accounting principles (OAR 410-136-3200), and TransLink may ask for your records to support the costs it reports to OHA. You can never bill a member for a ride to covered care, even when payment is denied (OAR 410-136-3020 and OAR 410-141-3920).

Expect checks on your trips. The open card rule makes brokerages confirm the appointment with the medical provider on at least 5 percent of ride requests, and RVTD’s 2023 job description for a TransLink quality assurance representative includes auditing at least 5 percent of rides booked. For CCO trips, Oregon treats transportation companies as participating providers for its records rule, which keeps clinical records at least 10 years (OAR 410-141-3520). The NEMT trip log template and how to bill NEMT brokers cover the paperwork.

Busy days, bad weather, and incidents

Cascade Health Alliance’s 2026 rider guide spells out TransLink’s plans. When use is above average or vehicles run 15 minutes or more late, TransLink calls in its reserve fleet, re-routes vehicles by location, and gives more work to subcontractor vehicles. In extreme heat, cold, flooding, heavy snow, or ice, dialysis and chemotherapy rides come first and all-wheel drive vehicles cover them. Drivers carry a bad weather go-bag, traction devices, and a flashlight. The Jackson Care Connect guide adds that routine rides may be canceled when conditions are unsafe. See the NEMT bad weather policy guide to write your own plan.

TransLink must report any vehicle accident or member incident to Cascade Health Alliance in writing within 24 hours. For Jackson Care Connect trips, CareOregon’s manual asks companies to report every accident or incident to the brokerage within 24 hours, and in writing immediately for an injury, a death, or an abuse allegation against a driver. Include the driver, member, date, time, place, what happened, any injuries, and any police report. The same manual gives you 3 business days to answer a general grievance, or 1 business day for a serious one.

A driver who is suspended can be challenged. CareOregon’s manual lets the transportation company file a written appeal with the brokerage, which reviews the driver’s record before it decides.

Who to call at TransLink

For	Contact
Questions about TransLink (quality improvement line)	888-518-8162, or 541-842-2062 in Jackson County
Scheduling line	888-518-8160, or 541-842-2060 in Jackson County. TTY 711
Fax	541-842-2063
Office	239 E. Barnett Road, Medford, OR 97501
Office hours	Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. RVTD’s Accessible Transportation page and Cascade Health Alliance’s guide list 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Fraud, waste, and abuse	541-842-2084 or translinkfwa@rvtd.org
RVTD administration	101 S. Front Street, Medford. 541-779-5821
Jackson Care Connect	855-722-8208
Cascade Health Alliance	541-883-2947 or NEMT@cascadecomp.com

The call center closes on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, though rides already booked still run. For the rest of 2026, that means Thanksgiving on November 26 and Christmas on December 25. Tell TransLink ahead of time which of those days your drivers will work.