# NEMT Trip Intake in 2027: The Questions to Ask Before You Book a Ride

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-trip-intake/ · Updated 2026-09-29

NEMT trip intake is the call or form where you learn everything a ride needs before you accept it. Confirm who pays and that the rider is covered on the ride date. Then get the appointment time and address, the exact pickup door, how the rider moves, who rides along, and the plan for the ride home. In broker states, Medicaid rides are booked through the broker.

- Ask who pays first. A Medicaid ride to a covered service goes through the broker, the health plan, or the state approval process, never at a private price.
- Check coverage for the ride date. An Illinois ride approval includes no eligibility decision, so providers check on the day of each trip.
- Mobility answers set the vehicle. Georgia sends riders who cannot walk from the door to the vehicle, even with help, by wheelchair or stretcher.
- Ask who rides along and whether the rider will need more help after the visit, not only on the way there.
- Ask only what the ride needs, confirm who you are speaking with, and read every detail back before you hang up.

A ride can fail on the phone, days before the van leaves. A sedan is sent for a rider who cannot leave a power chair. The driver waits at the front door while the rider waits at the side entrance. A child arrives with no car seat. Each of those trips could have been saved by one question at intake.

This guide covers the intake call itself: who may book, what to ask and in what order, how each answer decides the vehicle, and what to save. To write the answers down, print the free [NEMT trip request form](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-trip-request-form/).

## Who books the ride: send each caller to the right place

Ask who pays before anything else. The answer decides whether you can take the booking at all.

| Who the rider is | Where the booking belongs | What you do on the call |
|---|---|---|
| Medicaid member, state uses a broker | The broker books and assigns the trip | Give the broker's number. You run the ride once it is assigned to you with a trip number. |
| Medicaid member in a health plan that runs its own rides | The plan or its transportation vendor | Send the caller to the plan's ride line |
| Medicaid member, fee-for-service program where providers arrange rides | You, following the state's approval rules | Take the full intake, check eligibility, and request approval where the state requires it |
| Facility paying for the ride | You, under your agreement with the facility | Take the full intake and the facility's billing details |
| Private-pay rider or family | You | Take the full intake and quote the price |

Broker states keep booking with the broker. Georgia's NEMT manual (July 1, 2026) says the member must contact the broker to request a ride, at least three business days before a routine appointment. The broker accepts requests from the member, an adult family member for a minor, a guardian, or a licensed health care professional for a resident of a nursing facility or other residential care facility. MTM Health's Virginia handbook (approved August 10, 2026) says providers perform only trips MTM has authorized, each with a unique trip ID, and never transport a member without one.

Health plans can run rides too. In Texas, each Medicaid health plan or its subcontractor approves and arranges NEMT under its own process (UMCM 16.4, effective August 1, 2021).

Some fee-for-service programs put intake in your hands:

- **Illinois.** The rider, the rider's representative, a medical provider, or the transportation provider may request prior approval from the state's agent, Transdev, at least 7 business days ahead (handbook of March 11, 2024). Single trips can be requested by phone at 866-503-9040, by fax, or online. Standing approvals, for visits to the same place more than three times a month, are never taken by phone. They go by fax to 630-873-1450 or online, with the medical documentation, at least 7 business days before services start.
- **Arizona fee-for-service.** Trips under 100 miles a day for one member need no prior authorization, and longer ones do (manual revised July 31, 2026). When a ride is first arranged, the provider must get enough information to confirm the trip is to a covered service. Checking that is the provider's responsibility even when the trip was authorized.

Never quote a Medicaid member a private price for a covered ride. A Medicaid provider accepts the program's payment, plus any cost sharing the state plan sets, as payment in full ([42 CFR 447.15](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/section-447.15)). [Private pay NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/private-pay-nemt/) covers when a rider may pay you directly.

## The intake call, step by step

Ask the questions in the same order on every call. The order follows the ride: who, where, when, how, with whom, and home again.

### 1. Who is calling, and may you talk with them

Get the caller's name, relationship to the rider, and a callback number. If the caller is a family member or facility staff, note that the rider agreed to let them book.

Illinois's approval agent asks for the rider's permission to speak with the person calling for them. HIPAA sets a similar rule for covered entities. Before sharing a rider's health information, verify the identity and authority of a caller you do not know ([45 CFR 164.514(h)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/section-164.514)). Talking with family or friends involved in the rider's care follows its own rule: you may share what is directly relevant to their involvement in the rider's care ([45 CFR 164.510(b)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/section-164.510)).

### 2. Confirm the rider and the coverage

Take the rider's full name, date of birth, phone, and Medicaid or health plan ID. For a fee-for-service ride, check eligibility in the state system for the ride date. Illinois says its ride approvals include no eligibility decision, so providers check on the day of the trip, before each transport, in MEDI or at 800-842-1461. See [Medicaid eligibility verification](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/eligibility-verification/) for each state's portal and phone line.

Two coverage questions come up often:

- **Is there another free ride?** CMS says states first use free rides from family or friends, then the least costly mode that fits the rider (SMD 23-006, September 28, 2023). Arizona covers NEMT when free transportation is unavailable and the member cannot arrange or pay for a ride. Georgia's broker may deny a ride when the member has a vehicle and can drive, but never only because a vehicle is in the household.
- **Does the coverage include rides?** Georgia says members with Qualified Medicare Beneficiary coverage alone cannot use NEMT, unless they also have full Medicaid.

### 3. The appointment: where, when, and for what

Ask for the provider's name, address, suite, and phone, the appointment time, and when the visit should end. Georgia asks members for all of these, plus the type of Medicaid service, to confirm it is covered.

Ask for the time the rider must arrive, not only the appointment time. Texas Medicaid health plans schedule arrival at least 15 minutes and no more than one hour early, unless the member asks otherwise (UMCM 16.4, effective August 1, 2021). For the first or last appointment of a provider's day, the member must not be dropped off more than 15 minutes before opening or picked up more than 15 minutes after closing.

Note far destinations. CMS says the state generally pays for rides to the nearest qualified provider unless there is a medical reason to go farther. Illinois's agent may call the referring doctor to confirm the provider is the closest appropriate one.

### 4. The pickup address and the door

A correct street address is not enough. Ask:

- Apartment, unit, or room number, and the building name.
- Which door the rider will use, and where the van can stop.
- Steps between the door and the curb, and whether there is a ramp or elevator.
- Gate codes, buzzers, or a front desk that must call up.
- Who brings the rider out, for facility pickups.

MTM Health's Virginia handbook asks members to be ready 15 minutes before pickup and to wait at the main entrance or door. Tell the rider that on the call. For places with no street address, Arizona accepts coordinates, or a nearby landmark with the mileage from it, on its Daily Trip Report.

Georgia's broker may require a member and escort to be picked up from and returned to the same address. Ask where the ride home ends before you promise a different drop-off.

### 5. How the rider moves

These questions decide the vehicle, so never skip them:

1. Can you walk from your door to a car without help?
2. Do you use a cane, walker, manual wheelchair, power wheelchair, or scooter?
3. If you use a wheelchair, can you move from it to a car seat?
4. What do you and your wheelchair weigh together?
5. Do you need to lie down for the ride?
6. Does someone need to walk you to the door, or hand you to a person at the other end?
7. Will you need more help after the visit than before it?

The last question matters after dialysis, procedures, and sedation. Georgia's broker must ask whether a member will need help walking after treatment, and must provide an attendant or a wheelchair or stretcher van when no escort is available.

### 6. Who rides along

Ask for the name of every person coming, and why:

- **Escort or caregiver.** Georgia allows one escort at no charge to the escort or member for members who are under 18, blind, deaf, or nursing home residents, among others. An escort must be an adult.
- **Attendant.** Texas Medicaid health plans approve an attendant for mobility, personal care, or language help. A written statement from the member's primary health care provider is needed to approve one for medical reasons.
- **Children.** Ask each child's age and who brings and installs the car seat. See the table below for how programs treat minors.
- **Service animal.** You must let a service animal ride ([49 CFR 37.167(d)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-37.167)).

You may not require a rider with a disability to bring an attendant ([49 CFR 37.5(e)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-37.5)). Ask who is coming to save seats, not to set a condition. Escorts and caregivers covers the rules in more depth.

### 7. Equipment on board

- **Oxygen.** Ask whether the rider brings a portable tank or concentrator. Georgia members supply and manage their own oxygen during the ride. Under ADA rules you may not stop a rider from traveling with a respirator or portable oxygen, within federal hazardous materials rules (49 CFR 37.167(h)).
- **Ventilator.** Georgia requires a ventilator-dependent member to tell the broker a trained escort is coming and the ventilator runs on battery.
- **Wheelchair size.** Ask for the seat width if it is wider than standard, and the combined weight. Lifts on ADA vehicles must have a design load of at least 600 pounds ([49 CFR 38.23](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-38.23)). You may decline a combined weight over your lift's specifications (49 CFR 37.165(b)). See [bariatric transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/bariatric-transportation/).

### 8. The ride home

Ask whether the return has a set time or is a [will-call](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/will-call-trip/), where the rider or clinic calls when the visit ends. Get the clinic's phone number for the will-call. Return windows differ: MTM Health's Virginia handbook requires the van within 45 minutes of the call, and Texas within one hour of the request.

### 9. Read it back and give the pickup time

Read every detail back to the caller: date, pickup time, both addresses and doors, vehicle, and who rides along. Tell the rider how early to be ready. Texas requires members to be told the pickup and drop-off time frames.

Then say when you will confirm. Texas Medicaid health plans confirm most rides 24 hours before pickup, never after 9 p.m. local time, and the provider keeps a record of each contact. MTM Health's Rhode Island handbook (July 1, 2026) has providers contact members 24 hours before the ride to confirm the pickup time. [Reducing no-shows](https://nemtguide.com/guides/how-to-reduce-nemt-no-shows/) covers the confirmation call.

## Match each answer to a vehicle and level of help

The mode and help level on a Medicaid trip are set by the broker or state. Your intake answers still tell you whether the trip fits your van, and what to report when it does not. The definitions below come from MTM Health's Virginia handbook.

| What the rider tells you | What it usually means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Walks without help | Sedan or minivan, curb to curb | Curb to curb is the default. The driver stays at or near the vehicle. |
| Needs an arm to the door | Door to door | The driver walks the rider between the building door and the vehicle, without lifting |
| Cannot be left alone, for example with dementia | Hand to hand | Who hands the rider over, and who receives them at the destination |
| Uses a wheelchair and sits upright | Wheelchair van | Combined weight, seat width, and whether the chair is manual or power |
| Cannot walk from the door to the vehicle, even with help | Wheelchair or stretcher | Georgia requires one of those two modes for these riders |
| Must lie down, with no medical monitoring | Stretcher van | Georgia's broker needs a letter of medical necessity in place before the third stretcher trip |
| Needs medical monitoring on the way | Non-emergency ambulance, not a van | Used only when medically authorized and no lower mode is safe |

A cane or walker is not an answer on its own. Ask how far the rider can walk and whether anyone helps. See [level of service](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/level-of-service/) and [medical necessity form](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/medical-necessity-form/).

If the answers do not match the trip, do not fix it yourself. MTM Health's Virginia handbook bars changing the assigned mode without approval, and an unapproved mode, a substituted vehicle, or help that does not match the authorized level may not be paid.

## Rules that change by program

Minors, extra passengers, and arrival times vary more than anything else on the call. Read your own program's manual, and use this table to know what to ask.

| Program | Minors | Extra passengers and children | Car seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Medicaid (July 1, 2026) | Under 18 must travel with an escort the parent, foster parent, guardian, or state agency provides | The broker may let an extra child ride when a seat is free and no one can watch the child | Members tell the broker about car seats when they book |
| Texas Medicaid health plans (UMCM 16.4, August 1, 2021) | 14 and under travel with a parent, guardian, or adult the parent authorized in writing. Ages 15 to 17 travel with a parent, guardian, or authorized adult, unless they present the parent's signed consent before the trip. | Attendants must be approved, with documentation where required | No seat, or a parent who cannot install it, means the trip is canceled as a member no-show |
| Louisiana Medicaid (July 14, 2025) | Under 17 must ride with an attendant: a parent, legal guardian, or person the parent designates, who can authorize medical care | The provider may refuse accompanying children. No one may be charged for extra passengers. | The parent provides the child restraint, and the broker tells them when scheduling. Drivers must make sure it is installed and used correctly. |
| MTM Health, Virginia (August 10, 2026) | The manifest shows whether an escort rides along | Members say at booking if another passenger is coming | Parents provide seats for children through age seven |
| Arizona fee-for-service (July 31, 2026) | Riders under 18 who are not emancipated need a legal guardian to sign the trip report | An escort's name and relationship go on the Daily Trip Report | Ask who brings and installs each seat |

More detail is in [children in NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/children-in-nemt/) and [service animals in NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/service-animals-in-nemt/).

## Broker trips: check the details before the ride

A broker trip arrives with most of the intake done. Your job is to check it. MTM Health's Virginia manifests carry the trip ID, the member's name and phone, pickup and appointment addresses and times, the doctor's name and phone, the mode and help level, whether an escort rides or you must supply an attendant, the member's weight with any mobility device, and special instructions.

1. **Read every field** the day the trip is offered, before you accept it. [Broker trip offers](https://nemtguide.com/guides/broker-trip-offers/) lists what to check.
2. **Call the rider the day before.** Use the same questions from steps 4 to 8 to catch a wrong door, a new wheelchair, or an extra passenger.
3. **Send every correction to the broker.** In Illinois, providers contact Transdev to correct errors or change a request, and the claim must match the approval or it is rejected. In Georgia, the broker decides whether a member's change can be met. MTM Health's Rhode Island handbook bars unauthorized address changes: if a member asks to go somewhere else, you contact MTM, and MTM updates the manifest before the trip goes ahead.
4. **Record cancellations the broker's way.** MTM Health's Rhode Island handbook lets you mark a trip as a member cancel in its portal when the member cancels with you directly.
5. **Report delays at once.** MTM Health's Virginia handbook has providers contact the affected members or facilities with a new arrival time, and notify MTM.

One Illinois rule rewards a good record. If the doctor or clinic cancels the appointment and the rider only learns of it on arrival, the provider can bill the trip there and back. If the rider learns first, cancel with Transdev.

## Same-day, urgent, and hospital discharge requests

Short-notice calls need the same questions, faster. Georgia honors valid urgent requests within three hours and treats a hospital discharge as urgent care. The broker may check with the treating provider that the rider must be seen that day. MTM Health in Virginia requires the vehicle within three hours of notice that a discharged member is ready, and some discharges need the provider to bring a wheelchair. Texas allows up to three hours of waiting for a hospital discharge return.

For a discharge, add these questions:

- The hospital, unit, room, and the time the patient will be ready.
- A direct phone for the nurse or case manager.
- Whether you must bring a wheelchair.
- Equipment and paperwork going home with the patient.
- Who will be at home to receive the patient.

[Hospital discharge transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/hospital-discharge-transportation/) covers discharge work in depth. For rides that repeat every week, such as dialysis, take one intake and use the [standing order form](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-standing-order-form/).

## Privacy on the intake call

Whether HIPAA reaches your company depends on your payers and how you bill. [HIPAA for NEMT providers](https://nemtguide.com/guides/hipaa-for-nemt/) explains the tests. If it applies, three rules shape intake:

- **Ask for the minimum.** Covered entities and business associates make reasonable efforts to limit health information to the minimum needed for the purpose ([45 CFR 164.502(b)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/section-164.502)).
- **Use a standard script for routine requests.** When you routinely ask a hospital or clinic for information, a standard protocol must limit the request to what is reasonably necessary, and you may not ask for a whole medical record unless it is specifically justified (45 CFR 164.514(d)).
- **Verify callers you do not know** before you share anything about a rider's trip (45 CFR 164.514(h)).

In practice, ask how the rider moves and what help they need, not why. Arizona's trip report asks for the reason for the visit and the diagnosis only as far as the member is willing to share. Leave voicemails with your company name, the pickup date and time, and a callback number, and nothing about where the rider is going.

## Language, hearing, and ways to book

You must give riders with disabilities enough information, and enough ways to reach you, to learn about the service and schedule it ([49 CFR 37.167(f)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-37.167)). Take bookings by phone as well as online, and read your form aloud to riders who cannot fill it in.

Relay calls reach you through 711: phone carriers must give toll-free 711 access to all relay services ([47 CFR 64.603](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/section-64.603)). Illinois lists 711 as the relay line for its approval agent. MTM Health's Rhode Island handbook says every contracted provider is subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on race, color, or national origin ([45 CFR 80.3](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/section-80.3)). Have a way to reach an interpreter before the first call in another language comes in.

## What to save from every intake

Keep the intake with the trip record for each [trip leg](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/trip-leg/), where only staff who book and dispatch can see it.

| Save | Why |
|---|---|
| Date and time of the call, and who took it | Shows when the request came in, against booking deadlines |
| Caller's name, relationship, and the rider's permission | Shows who you were allowed to talk with |
| Proof of the eligibility check | Shows the rider was covered on the ride date if a claim is denied |
| Broker trip number or approval number | Claims must match the approval, as in Illinois |
| Mobility answers and combined weight | Backs up the vehicle and help level you sent |
| Escort or attendant names and relationships | Georgia's vehicle manifests and Arizona's Daily Trip Report list them |
| Pickup time given and confirmation made | Texas requires a record of each confirmation contact |

The [trip documentation guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-trip-documentation/) covers the records you keep after the ride.

## Frequently asked questions

### What questions should I ask when someone books a NEMT ride?

Ask who is calling and who pays, the rider's name, phone, and Medicaid or plan ID, and the appointment date, time, address, and expected end time. Then ask for the pickup address and door, how the rider moves, the weight with any wheelchair, who rides along, any oxygen or equipment, and the plan for the ride home. Georgia's NEMT manual (July 1, 2026) asks members for nearly the same details.

### Can a Medicaid member book a ride directly with my company?

In most broker states, no. Georgia's manual says the member must contact the broker, and MTM Health's Virginia handbook (approved August 10, 2026) bars transporting a member without the trip ID MTM issues. Some fee-for-service programs differ. In Illinois, a transportation provider may request the approval itself at least 7 business days ahead (March 11, 2024). Arizona fee-for-service trips under 100 miles a day need no prior authorization (July 31, 2026).

### Do I need to check eligibility if the broker already approved the ride?

Checking protects your claim. Illinois says a ride approval includes no eligibility decision and does not guarantee payment, so providers verify eligibility on the day of the trip, before each transport, in MEDI or at 800-842-1461 (handbook of March 11, 2024). Coverage type matters too: Georgia says members with Qualified Medicare Beneficiary coverage alone cannot use NEMT (July 1, 2026).

### Can the rider bring a family member or a child along?

An escort, usually, if the program allows one. Georgia allows one adult escort at no charge for members who are under 18, blind, deaf, or living in a nursing home, among others. Louisiana (July 14, 2025) lets providers refuse accompanying children and bars charging anyone for extra passengers. MTM Health in Virginia asks members to say at booking if another passenger is coming.

### How far ahead does a NEMT ride need to be booked?

It depends on the payer. Georgia members book at least three business days before a routine appointment, counting the day of the call but not the appointment day, and urgent requests are honored within three hours (July 1, 2026). Illinois fee-for-service approvals are requested at least 7 business days ahead. For private riders and facilities, set your own lead time and say it on every call.

### Can I ask a rider why they are going to the doctor?

Ask only what the ride needs. Arizona fee-for-service providers must get enough information to confirm the trip is to a covered service, and the state says asking for it does not violate HIPAA (July 31, 2026). Illinois's approval agent asks the general reason for the visit. Under HIPAA's minimum necessary rule, limit what you ask to what the ride needs: how the rider moves, not the diagnosis.

### What if the rider needs a different vehicle than the trip lists?

Call the broker before the ride. MTM Health's Virginia handbook says providers may not change the assigned mode without approval, and an unapproved mode or vehicle swap can mean no payment. In Illinois, providers contact Transdev to correct errors or change a request. Tell the broker exactly what changed, such as a new power wheelchair or a rider who can no longer stand to transfer.

## Official resources

- [HHS: HIPAA for professionals](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/index.html)
- [Georgia DCH: NEMT Policies and Procedures (member responsibilities, section 811)](https://www.mmis.georgia.gov/portal/Portals/0/StaticContent/Public/ALL/Handbooks/Non-Emergency%20Medical%20Transportation%20(NEMT)%20Q3%20-%20July%202026%2020260918170713.pdf)
- [Illinois HFS: Handbook for Providers of Transportation Services (prior approval, section 207)](https://hfs.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/hfs/sitecollectiondocuments/transportationhandbook.pdf)
- [AHCCCS: Transportation billing manual, Chapter 14 (Daily Trip Report and authorization rules)](https://www.azahcccs.gov/PlansProviders/Downloads/FFSProviderManual/FFS_Chap14Transportation.pdf)
- [Texas HHSC: NEMT Services Handbook (UMCM 16.4), scheduling and attendant rules](https://www.hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/16-4.pdf)
- [eCFR: 49 CFR Part 37, Transportation services for individuals with disabilities](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-A/part-37)