# How to Get More NEMT Broker Trips in 2027: What Brokers Reward and a 30-Day Plan

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/guides/get-more-broker-trips/ · Updated 2026-09-28

Brokers send trips to providers whose profile says they can take them, whose drivers and vans are credentialed, and whose numbers are strong. To get more NEMT broker trips, keep every credential current, open more hours, areas, and vehicle types in your broker profile, run above 95 percent on time, hand trips back rarely and early, and ask your broker which trips go unassigned.

- Brokers assign trips by what your profile says you can run, whether your credentials are current, how you perform, and in some programs what you cost.
- MTM Health in Virginia expects more than 95 percent on-time pickups and fewer than 0.5 percent of assigned trips handed back.
- Hand trips back early. In Indiana in May 2026, trips sent back within 48 hours found a new provider 77 percent of the time, against 89 percent for earlier ones.
- Expired documents cut your trip volume at MTM Health, and SafeRide Health keeps drivers with expired documents off its trips until they renew.
- Never pay or give gifts to broker staff for trips. Federal rule 42 CFR 440.170 bars it.

A broker contract does not come with a trip count. MTM Health's standard agreement, in the January 1, 2023 version Pennsylvania posts, leaves trip volume to MTM's discretion and lets it reassign any trip, recurring trips included. WellTrans's agreement, revised October 16, 2025, says it has no obligation to send any number of trips. Trips go to the providers a broker's system and staff can count on. Most of what they look at is in your hands.

## How brokers decide which provider gets a trip

Each broker runs its own process, but the published ones weigh the same few things. They look at what your profile says you can run, whether your drivers and vans are credentialed, how you perform, and in some programs what you cost.

MTM Health's Virginia handbook, approved August 10, 2026, lays out the steps for Virginia fee-for-service trips:

| When | What happens to the trip |
|---|---|
| Once the trip is approved | Trips go straight to the provider set on a standing order, named as a member's required provider, or used by a facility as its sole source |
| 7 days before the appointment | Trips go to eligible providers in the area based on capacity, hours of operation, trip distance, and credentialing status |
| 5 days before | The marketplace shows every open trip in your authorized service area, and you can accept them |
| 4 to 5 days before | Dispatchers call providers about trips not yet offered and offers still pending |
| 24 hours before pickup | The last point to turn back a trip you cannot run |

Other brokers and states name the same factors:

- **SafeRide Health** says providers receive volume based on vehicle capacity, service area, cost, and how well they meet service standards. The providers with the highest performance and capacity are considered first for expansion opportunities (provider guide, June 2023).
- **Modivcare** says on its Texas facility page that it notes a facility's preferred provider. Trips are still assigned by routing criteria that include provider compliance.
- **Louisiana Medicaid** requires brokers to assign trips by the least costly means that fits the member's level of service. When two providers cost the same, the member may choose, and the broker should favor a provider based in the member's region that can meet travel and wait time standards (Chapter 10, Section 10.2, issued July 14, 2025).

That gives you four levers: your profile, your credentials, your numbers, and your rate. For how offers reach you and the deadlines to accept them, see broker trip offers.

## The numbers brokers grade you on

Brokers publish their standards in handbooks, agreements, and provider pages. Three of them show the range:

| Broker and document | On time | Offers and handbacks | Complaints and no-shows | Records and billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTM Health, Virginia handbook (August 2026) | Above 95%. On time means within 15 minutes before or after the pickup time. | Hand back under 0.5% of assigned trips | Substantiated complaints under 0.1% of completed trips. Provider no-shows under 0.25%. | GPS on more than 90.01% of trips. Denied claims under 0.29%. |
| SafeRide Health, provider page (as of September 2026) | 95% | A 100% ride response rate, a 95% ride acceptance rate, and a kickback rate under 5% | Complaints under 1% | Bill trips daily (June 2023 guide) |
| WellTrans, Indiana agreement (October 16, 2025) | $25 per pickup more than 15 minutes late, once over 1% of a month's pickups are late | Reroute no more than 15% of trips a month, or pay $200 per point over | $100 per provider no-show | $50 for each trip billed but not run |

In Virginia, an MTM field monitor reviews these numbers with you on a regular basis. Missing them can bring a performance improvement plan, liquidated damages, or removal from the network.

Meeting them can pay. MTM's Virginia On-Time Performance Incentive Program pays providers at 95% on-time or better each calendar quarter. The money comes from liquidated damages collected across the network, and higher on-time tiers and higher trip volume earn a larger share. SafeRide's Tier 1 program works the other way around: it is built for providers that deliver an agreed number of rides a month, and meeting that volume and its service levels helps you get priority access to more rides in the markets you want (one pager, June 2023).

On-time pickups are the one measure every published standard shares. See [how to improve NEMT on-time performance](https://nemtguide.com/guides/improve-nemt-on-time-performance/) for the fixes, and NEMT broker scorecards for how each measure is counted.

## What makes a broker send you fewer trips

### Expired credentials

MTM's Virginia handbook says letting company, driver, or vehicle documents lapse will result in a decrease in trip volume. It can also bring a performance improvement plan, no pay for trips run by drivers with expired documents, or a contract that is not renewed. SafeRide's June 2023 provider guide says drivers with expired documents cannot take its trips until they are renewed, and it expects an answer to any compliance request within 48 hours.

Training counts the same way. MTM's Virginia handbook says drivers who miss required training cost you trip assignments or your place in the network. Keep every file current with the [driver file checklist](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-driver-file-checklist/), and see [NEMT broker credentialing](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-broker-credentialing/).

### Late turnbacks

A trip handed back late is harder to cover, and brokers know it. In May 2026, providers in Indiana's fee-for-service program sent back 1,965 of the 17,080 trips Verida assigned them, according to the state's monthly report. Of the trips sent back more than 48 hours ahead, 89.46% found another provider. Of those sent back within 48 hours, only 77.33% did.

Know each broker's deadline:

- **MTM Health, Virginia:** at least 24 hours before the pickup.
- **WellTrans:** at least 12 hours before the pickup, for trips assigned at least 36 hours ahead. If a late reroute forces WellTrans to buy a pricier ride, it can deduct the difference. A trip that is never covered costs $100.

### Turning down short trips

Louisiana tells brokers to watch for providers who reject local trips in favor of long ones. A pattern can bring trip reductions or other sanctions, especially when a member is harmed or put at risk (Section 10.2, July 14, 2025).

### Infraction points

MTM's Virginia program scores safety, compliance, and service problems with points that stay on your record for one year:

| Points | What happens |
|---|---|
| 3 | Your marketplace access is suspended until the points come off |
| 5 | A 5-day business suspension |
| 8 | A 10-day suspension and the loss of any assigned recurring trips |
| 10 | Removal from MTM's network |

A driver seen without the MTM name tag, or unbuckled passenger seat belts, costs 1 point each. An expired driver or vehicle credential costs 2 points each, so an expired driver in an expired van is 4 points at once. Using a driver or vehicle that was never credentialed, failing to report an incident or accident, or leaving a member at the wrong place costs 3 points each.

### Complaints and incidents

Substantiated complaints count against you at MTM, and incidents have hard reporting deadlines. SafeRide's June 2023 guide says it wants to hear within 1 hour about an accident with injury or property damage, and within 24 hours about any other accident or incident. It expects answers to its complaints team within 24 hours. See NEMT broker complaints and NEMT broker penalties.

## Where brokers need more capacity

Brokers do run out of providers. In May 2026, 340 trip legs in Indiana's fee-for-service program, 1.0% of scheduled rides, were missed because no provider was assigned. Ask your broker where its gaps are, then set up your company to cover them.

These trip types carry the tightest published response times:

| Trip type | Published standard |
|---|---|
| [Will-call](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/will-call-trip/) returns | MTM Virginia: the van arrives within 45 minutes of the call. Modivcare Texas: up to 1 hour. WellTrans: $25 when the van is not there within 60 minutes. |
| Hospital discharges | MTM Virginia: within 3 hours, with liquidated damages if missed, and a wheelchair carried on board. Modivcare Texas: up to 4 hours to respond and pick up. Louisiana: the later of 3 hours after notice or 2 hours after the scheduled discharge. |
| Urgent and same-day trips | MTM Virginia: keep enough drivers and vans for short-notice trips, and MTM will not assign one without your OK. SafeRide: accept 50% of same-day bookings. |
| Trips later in the week | SafeRide: confirm the rides you can run by 2 p.m. local time and look 5 days ahead. MTM Virginia: the marketplace opens 5 days out. |

Keep your broker profile matched to your fleet. MTM assigns by capacity, hours of operation, trip distance, and credentialing status, so a van, driver, county, or shift the system does not know about draws no trips. MTM's standard agreement also allows it to refuse payment for trips run with drivers or vehicles it has not credentialed. Add each new van and driver to your roster before you count on them.

Modivcare's provider page points to one more source of work: its marketplace, where providers take extra trips to fill the gaps that cancellations, no-shows, and long waits leave in their day.

## Standing orders and facility requests

Standing orders bring you the same rides every week. In MTM's Virginia process, a standing order set to a named provider goes straight to that provider, and so do trips for facilities with a sole source provider. MTM asks you to keep the same driver on a standing order when you can, and to note when an alternate drives. Louisiana says that when several providers meet the least costly standard, a standing order should stay with the same provider, and the broker reviews every standing order at least once a month.

None of these trips belong to you. MTM's standard agreement says recurring trips can be reassigned, and that you have no right to carry any particular member or anyone going to any particular facility. Modivcare says it records a facility's preferred provider but does not guarantee the assignment, and that changes to a standing order must go through Modivcare.

Here is how to earn and keep them:

- **Be the provider dialysis centers ask for.** Send the same driver, arrive on time, and call before you are late.
- **Ask facilities to name you.** When a clinic sets up a standing order, it can tell the broker it prefers your company.
- **Send schedule changes through the broker.** A change the broker never hears about can move the trip to someone else.

See NEMT standing orders, [dialysis transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/dialysis-transportation/), and [NEMT facility contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-to-get-nemt-facility-contracts/).

## A 30-day plan to get more broker trips

### Days 1 to 7: measure

1. **Pull your last 90 days** from each broker portal: on-time rate, acceptance rate, turnbacks, how many turnbacks came within 24 or 48 hours, no-shows, complaints, GPS tracking, and denied claims.
2. **Compare each number** to the standards table above and circle the ones that miss.
3. **List every document** that expires in the next 60 days: licenses, driving records, background checks, drug tests, training, insurance, and inspections.
4. **Check your broker profile** against your real fleet: service area, days, hours, vehicle types, and seats.

### Days 8 to 14: fix what loses trips

5. **Renew everything** on the expiring list and upload it before the due date.
6. **Review the next week's trips every morning.** Hand back anything you cannot cover at least 24 hours out, and earlier when you can.
7. **Call each member the day before** to confirm the pickup time, as MTM's Wisconsin provider page advises. Members who need to cancel or change a trip call the broker.
8. **Turn on GPS tracking for every trip** and check that drivers keep it running.

### Days 15 to 21: add capacity

9. **Check the marketplace every day** for open trips in your area.
10. **Offer will-call returns and hospital discharges** in the hours you can staff.
11. **Widen your hours or service area** only where you can still hold 95% on time.
12. **Add vehicle types** the broker is short on, such as wheelchair or stretcher vans, once each vehicle is credentialed.

### Days 22 to 30: talk to your broker

13. **Meet your broker contact,** such as MTM's field monitor or SafeRide's network vendor manager. Bring your numbers and ask which zip codes, times, and service levels go unassigned.
14. **Ask about incentive programs,** such as MTM's quarterly on-time incentive in Virginia or SafeRide's Tier 1 program.
15. **Add a second payer** so one contract is never your whole business. See working with multiple NEMT brokers and NEMT payer mix.

Run the same check every month. A broker's rating of your company moves with every trip.

## What never to do for more trips

- **Pay or give gifts for trips.** Federal rule [42 CFR 440.170(a)(4)(ii)(C)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-IV/subchapter-C/part-440/subpart-A/section-440.170) bars transportation providers from giving the broker any payment, kickback, rebate, cash, gift, or service in kind to influence referrals. MTM's standard agreement has you promise that no money or gifts go to its employees or agents for favors. Modivcare's 2023 provider compliance training lists offering anything of value to its staff or its members for more or better trips as fraud, waste, and abuse, and its gift policy bars providers from exchanging anything of value with riders or its staff.
- **Accept trips you cannot run.** MTM's standard agreement gives accepted trips equal priority with your other work, and it requires a backup plan for every accepted trip.
- **Book or change rides yourself.** Louisiana's manual says ride requests come from members or their health care providers. MTM's Wisconsin provider page tells you to have the member call MTM for any change, and Modivcare says standing order changes must go through it.
- **Bill a trip you did not run.** WellTrans charges $50 in liquidated damages for each one, and Modivcare's compliance training lists billing for trips that did not occur as fraud, waste, and abuse. See [NEMT fraud](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-fraud/).

More trips come from the same habits that keep a contract: current files, on-time rides, early handbacks, and a profile that tells the broker exactly what you can do. To add brokers in the first place, see [how to get NEMT broker contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-to-get-nemt-broker-contracts/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Why is my NEMT broker sending me fewer trips?

The usual causes are expired driver or vehicle documents, a drop in on-time or acceptance rates, late turnbacks, complaints, or a portal profile that no longer matches your fleet. MTM Health's Virginia handbook (approved August 10, 2026) says lapsed credentials will decrease trip volume. Ask your broker contact for your scorecard and which measure moved.

### What on-time rate do NEMT brokers expect?

Plan on 95 percent or better. MTM Health's Virginia handbook requires more than 95 percent, with a pickup on time when the driver arrives within 15 minutes before or after the scheduled time. SafeRide Health asks for 95 percent. WellTrans's agreement, revised October 16, 2025, charges $25 for each pickup more than 15 minutes late once over 1 percent of a month's pickups are late.

### Does turning a trip back hurt my standing with the broker?

Yes, when it happens often or late. MTM Health's Virginia standard is fewer than 0.5 percent of assigned trips handed back, at least 24 hours before pickup. WellTrans allows up to 15 percent a month. Louisiana tells brokers that a pattern of rejecting local trips can bring trip reductions or other sanctions.

### Can a facility or a member ask the broker for my company?

They can ask, but it only sometimes decides the trip. MTM Health's Virginia process assigns trips straight to a provider set on a standing order, named as a member's required provider, or used by a facility as its sole source. Modivcare says on its Texas facility page that it notes a facility's preferred provider but does not guarantee it. Louisiana lets members choose when two providers cost the same.

### Do NEMT brokers pay bonuses for good performance?

Some do. MTM Health's Virginia program pays a quarterly On-Time Performance incentive to providers at 95 percent on-time or better, funded from liquidated damages collected across the network, with larger shares for higher on-time tiers and more trips. SafeRide Health's Tier 1 program is for providers that deliver an agreed number of rides a month, and meeting that volume and its service levels helps them get priority access to more rides.

### Can I pay or reward someone to send me more trips?

No. Federal rule 42 CFR 440.170(a)(4)(ii)(C) bars transportation providers from offering the broker any payment, kickback, rebate, cash, gift, or service in kind to influence referrals. MTM Health's standard agreement has you promise no money or gifts go to its employees for favors. Modivcare's provider compliance training lists offering anything of value for more or better trips as fraud, waste, and abuse.

### Does a broker contract guarantee a minimum number of trips?

No. MTM Health's standard agreement, in the January 1, 2023 version Pennsylvania posts, guarantees no minimum number of trips and leaves volume to MTM's discretion. WellTrans's agreement says it has no obligation to send any number of trips and can withdraw any trip it assigned. Your volume depends on how the broker rates you.

## Official resources

- [MTM Health: Virginia transportation provider handbook](https://www.mtm-inc.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/VA-Provider-Handbook-2026.pdf)
- [MTM Health: Join the transportation provider network](https://www.mtm-inc.net/service-providers/)
- [Modivcare: Transportation providers and drivers](https://www.modivcare.com/who-we-serve/transportation-provider-driver/)
- [SafeRide Health: Performance standards and Tier 1 program](https://www.saferidehealth.com/what-to-expect-nemt-provider)
- [Verida: Transportation providers by state](https://verida.com/transportation-providers/)
- [Indiana FSSA: Monthly NEMT broker performance reports](https://www.in.gov/fssa/ompp/non-emergency-medical-transportation/sea-480-data-reports/)
- [eCFR: 42 CFR 440.170, the federal NEMT broker rule](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-IV/subchapter-C/part-440/subpart-A/section-440.170)