Dispatch and operations
What Is a Will-Call Trip in NEMT? Meaning, Pickup Windows, and Scheduled Returns
A will-call trip is a NEMT return ride booked without a pickup time, because nobody knows when the appointment will end. The rider or the clinic calls when the visit is over, and the provider must arrive within a set window: 45 minutes for MTM Health in Virginia, one hour in Georgia and Texas, and two hours under Louisiana's Medicaid manual.
- A will-call is a return ride with no pickup time. The clock starts when the rider or the clinic calls.
- Will-call windows run from 45 minutes with MTM Health in Virginia to two hours in Louisiana, with one hour in Georgia and Texas.
- Hospital discharges have their own window, often three hours.
- A scheduled return has a fixed pickup time. A will-call has none until the call comes.
- Log the call time and your arrival time on every will-call, because the window is checked against them.
What a will-call trip means
A will-call trip is a ride booked without a pickup time. The pickup time is set later, when someone calls to say the rider is ready. CareOregon’s provider manual (version 1.3, February 2024) defines it as “a trip that is assigned without a scheduled pickup time,” with the time set by a call from the member or another party once the member is ready after an appointment.
It is almost always the ride home, the second trip leg of a round trip. The ride to the appointment has a set pickup time. The ride back becomes a will-call when nobody knows how long the visit will take. Modivcare’s West Virginia page puts it simply: if the return time is not known when the ride is booked, the return is assigned as a will-call trip.
A typical will-call runs like this:
- The ride is booked with a set pickup for the first leg and a will-call for the return.
- The rider or the clinic calls when the visit is over. In West Virginia the facility calls Modivcare. In Oklahoma the member or facility calls Modivcare’s “Where’s My Ride” line.
- The broker dispatches the return, or tells the provider already assigned to it.
- The clock starts. MTM Health in Virginia counts from notification that the member is ready for pickup.
- The driver arrives inside the window and records the arrival time.
How fast you must pick up a will-call
Each broker or state sets the window. Your broker agreement is the rule you follow.
| Program | Will-call return | Hospital discharge |
|---|---|---|
| MTM Health, Virginia Medicaid fee-for-service (handbook approved August 10, 2026) | Within 45 minutes of notice that the member is ready | Within 3 hours of notice. Missing it brings liquidated damages. |
| Georgia Medicaid (DCH manual, July 1, 2026) | Within 1 hour of notification | A same-day request, honored within 3 hours |
| Texas Medicaid health plans (HHSC Chapter 16.4, version 2.0.1) | Within 1 hour of the request for the return trip | Up to 3 hours |
| Modivcare, West Virginia (September 2026) | Within 1 hour | Taken outside the usual 5-business-day booking notice |
| Modivcare SoonerRide, Oklahoma (September 2026) | Up to 60 minutes | Up to 3 hours once the discharge is arranged |
| Louisiana Medicaid (Chapter 10, issued July 14, 2025) | No more than 2 hours after the will-call request, within the healthcare provider’s business hours | No later than 3 hours after notice of a scheduled discharge, or 2 hours after the discharge time, whichever is later |
Modivcare’s Delaware page takes hospital discharges 24 hours a day, with a goal of a ride within 3 hours of the request.
Texas health plans are measured on the window. The handbook’s standard is 95 percent of return pickups within one hour of the call. CareOregon lists member complaints that a provider arrived more than 30 minutes after a return-trip request among the service violations that can lead to suspension or termination of the contract.
Will-call vs scheduled return
A scheduled return has a pickup time fixed when the ride is booked. A will-call has no time until the call comes. The difference changes how late is measured and how you plan the day.
| Scheduled return | Will-call return | |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup time | Set when the ride is booked | None until the rider or clinic calls |
| The clock starts at | The scheduled pickup time | The call or notification |
| Late means | Outside the pickup window around the set time | Past the window after the call |
| Louisiana’s limit | No more than 2 hours after the appointment ends | No more than 2 hours after the will-call request |
| How you plan it | Place the van ahead of time | Keep a van free and near the clinic when the call is likely |
There is a third choice: the driver stays at the clinic and brings the rider home when the visit ends. See wait and return. Indiana’s bulletin BT2025119 (August 19, 2025) says legs with a driver wait in between are not billed as extra trips with the XE modifier. CMS says a long wait may cost more than having a second driver bring the rider home, but that sometimes the long wait is the most economical way home (SMD 23-006, September 28, 2023).
The end-of-day will-call
A will-call from a clinic that is about to close needs a van right away, because rules limit how long a rider can be left after closing time.
- Oregon. OAR 410-141-3920, amended effective July 1, 2026, bars drivers from picking up members more than 15 minutes after the office or facility closes. The exceptions are an appointment not expected to end within 15 minutes of closing, or a request from the member.
- Louisiana. Riders must be picked up within the healthcare provider’s business hours.
Ask each clinic its closing time and note it on the trip. The last will-calls of the afternoon are the ones to protect.
How to plan for will-calls
- List every will-call at the start of the day, with the clinic, its closing time, and the usual length of that kind of visit if the clinic can tell you.
- Keep capacity free near the clinics where your will-calls are, in the hours those calls usually come.
- Ask the facility to call ahead when the rider is close to done, where it will.
- Write down the time of every call and the time you arrive. That record shows you met the window.
- Call dispatch the moment you know you will be late. MTM Health’s Virginia handbook asks providers to tell the member or facility the new arrival time and to notify MTM. CareOregon asks providers to report right away when they cannot do a trip, so it can be reassigned.
The guide to managing will-call trips covers how much capacity to hold and what to tell facilities and riders. For long rural returns, see rural NEMT.
Frequently asked questions
What does will-call mean in NEMT?
It means the ride home has no pickup time yet. CareOregon's provider manual defines a will-call as a trip assigned without a scheduled pickup time, set when the member or someone else calls to say the member is ready. Modivcare's West Virginia page says it books the return as a will-call when the return time is not known at booking.
How long do I have to pick up a will-call?
The broker or state sets it. MTM Health's Virginia handbook (approved August 10, 2026) allows 45 minutes from notification. Georgia's manual and Texas Medicaid health plans allow one hour, and Modivcare's West Virginia and Oklahoma pages say one hour or 60 minutes. Louisiana's Medicaid manual allows up to two hours after the will-call request.
When does the will-call clock start?
When the call comes in, not at the appointment time. MTM Health in Virginia counts from notification that the member is ready, Georgia from the time of notification, and Louisiana from the will-call request. Write down the exact time you were told, because a late arrival is measured from it.
Is a hospital discharge a will-call?
It works the same way, but these programs give it a longer window. MTM Health in Virginia requires arrival within three hours of notice, and missing it results in liquidated damages. Texas health plans allow up to three hours, and Georgia treats discharges as same-day requests honored within three hours. Louisiana allows three hours after notice or two hours after the discharge time, whichever is later.
What if I cannot make the will-call window?
Tell dispatch right away. MTM Health's Virginia handbook asks providers to contact the member or facility and notify MTM when a pickup will be late. CareOregon asks providers to report to dispatch immediately when they cannot do a trip, so the brokerage can try another provider. A late call-in is better for the rider than a silent late arrival.