Ohio DODD Non-Medical Transportation: Certification, Rates by Trip and Mile, and Driver Rules (2027)

Ohio’s Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) pays for rides that Medicaid’s medical ride benefit does not cover: a young woman to her job at a grocery store, three men to their day program, a volunteer to the food pantry. These rides often repeat on the same days each week, and DODD pays a set rate per rider, so one van with several riders on a regular route can earn steady money between medical trips. This guide covers the DODD rules in detail. For licensing, brokers, and Medicaid medical trips, start with the Ohio NEMT guide.

What DODD non-medical transportation covers

Rule 5123-9-18 of the Ohio Administrative Code (effective January 2, 2025) defines the service for three waivers DODD runs for people with developmental disabilities: Individual Options, Level One, and Self-Empowered Life Funding (SELF). Each is a 1915(c) waiver. A trip qualifies when it goes to, from, or between:

• a place of employment
• a site for adult day support, career planning, group or individual employment support, or vocational habilitation
• a volunteer activity
• a post-secondary education program
• an internship or practicum
• a drop-off or transfer point on the way to one of those places

Medical appointments are not on the list. A waiver rider’s ride to the doctor is a Medicaid medical trip, arranged through the rider’s health plan or county, not a DODD trip. See NEMT vs NMT for the difference, and the waiver transportation guide for how other states run these programs.

How a ride gets approved

The rider’s service and support administrator (SSA), who works for the county board of developmental disabilities, assesses the need and writes it into the rider’s individual service plan (ISP). The rule says family, neighbors, friends, or community agencies that drive for free should be used first, and a need for a modified vehicle must be written in the plan. The county board then authorizes the service in DODD’s Payment Authorization for Waiver Services system (PAWS), and you bill against that authorization in DODD’s billing system, eMBS. Riders choose their provider with their team, so the SSAs in your county are the people who need to know you.

Unless the plan says otherwise, a trip between the rider’s home and one of the listed places is billed per trip, and every other trip is billed per mile. DODD’s service page says there is no limit on trips per day. The only limit is the rider’s budget.

What DODD pays per trip and per mile

The rates sit in Appendix A to rule 5123-9-18, enacted December 23, 2024. When DODD added the job ride rates on January 1, 2025, it said the per-trip and per-mile rates did not change.

Per-trip rates by county

A per-trip rate is paid per rider for each one-way trip, however many riders share the van, and it includes the cost of the driver. It depends on the cost-of-doing-business (CODB) category of the county where most of the service happens, from $26.91 in category 1 to $28.85 in category 8. The codes are ATB (Individual Options), FTB (Level One), and STB (SELF).

CODB category	One-way trip, per rider	Counties include
1	$26.91	Athens, Belmont, Ross, Scioto
2	$27.19	Highland, Lawrence, Muskingum
3	$27.47	Allen, Marion, Richland
4	$27.75	Licking, Mahoning, Stark, Trumbull
5	$28.01	Delaware, Lucas, Montgomery
6	$28.29	Franklin, Lorain, Summit
7	$28.57	Butler, Cuyahoga, Warren
8	$28.85	Hamilton

Appendix B to the rule lists all 88 counties. The rider must be in the vehicle for the time you bill. You also cannot bill adult day support, career planning, employment support, vocational habilitation, or the driver’s homemaker/personal care for the same time as a per-trip ride.

Per-mile rates

Per-mile rates are paid per rider per mile. The rate depends on how many people ride, counting riders from any funding source, and on whether the vehicle is modified. The codes are ATX, FTX, and STX for a modified vehicle and ATW, FTW, and STW for a regular one.

Riders in the vehicle	Modified vehicle	Regular vehicle
1	$1.44	$0.83
2 or 3	$0.72	$0.42
4 or more	$0.55	$0.32

A modified vehicle is one permanently modified for a rider’s physical or behavioral needs, or a wheelchair vehicle with permanent floor or side fasteners, rider belts, and a ramp or lift. When one rider’s plan documents the need, every rider is billed at the modified rate for the whole trip. Unlike per-trip rides, per-mile rides may overlap with day services or the driver’s homemaker/personal care, and DODD says the driver’s time is billed through that service.

You bill only miles with a rider aboard. The exception is miles driven on a rider’s behalf for individual employment support or the job development and worksite accessibility parts of career planning. Even then, DODD’s FAQ says the miles to the first site and from the last one are not billable.

Special rates for rides to a job

Since January 1, 2025, agency and independent providers can bill a higher per-trip rate for taking one rider at a time to or from competitive integrated employment: a regular job, at regular pay, alongside coworkers without disabilities. The rate depends on the one-way distance and the vehicle. The agency rates are:

One-way trip	Regular vehicle	Modified vehicle
0 to 15 miles	$36.21	$47.34
16 to 30 miles	$67.09	$79.39
31 miles or more	$107.47	$121.29

Independent providers are paid $33.10 to $110.86 on the same grid. The modified rate applies only when the rider needs a modified vehicle. Before authorizing it, the SSA confirms the job qualifies, estimates the distance, and tells the rider how the higher rate affects the budget. DODD’s November 2024 questions and answers say a team may keep the regular per-trip rate instead, and that nothing stops you from billing the regular rate for a ride to a job.

A worked example and the budget limit

Here is an example in Franklin County, category 6. Three riders go from their homes to one day program in your van and home again that afternoon. That is six one-way trips at $28.29, or $169.74 for the day. If, at midday, two of them ride 8 miles to a volunteer site and one has a wheelchair van need written in the plan, that leg pays 2 riders × 8 miles × $0.72, or $11.52.

Individual Options riders have a separate budget limit for non-medical transportation in each waiver eligibility span, the 12 months after the rider’s enrollment or eligibility redetermination date. Appendix B to rule 5123-9-19 (effective July 1, 2026) sets it from $14,594 in category 1 to $15,602 in category 8, and $15,311 in Franklin County. A rider who rides to a day program and back five days a week at $28.29 a trip uses $282.90 a week, or $14,710.80 over 52 weeks, close to the limit. Level One and SELF have no separate transportation limit, only each waiver’s overall budget.

Who can provide it

Rule 5123-9-18 allows three kinds of providers, each certified by DODD and, except for a government bus or rail system, holding a Medicaid provider agreement with the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM):

• Agency providers. A business that employs at least one person besides its director of operations, certified under rule 5123-2-08. A van company with employed drivers applies this way.
• Independent providers. A self-employed person who drives the riders and employs no one, certified under rule 5123-2-09. The fee is $125, and the applicant shows a BMV driving record dated no more than 14 days before applying.
• Operators of commercial transportation. Only a government bus or rail system, or an on-demand taxicab service licensed by a local authority that charges a published fare and earns more than half its revenue that way. These operators bill their published usual and customary fare, the same rate the public pays, under codes ATT, FTT, and STT.

DODD certification does not replace Ohio’s carrier rules. Every for-hire passenger carrier other than a taxi or ambulance needs a certificate from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (R.C. 4921.01 and 4921.03), and wheelchair rides to hospitals, dialysis centers, nursing homes, or doctors’ offices need an ambulette license (R.C. 4766.04). The Ohio guide explains both.

What an agency must show

The DODD agency page and rule 5123-2-08 ask for:

• a certificate of good standing from the Ohio Secretary of State for your corporation, LLC, or LLP
• a continuing line of credit of at least $10,000, or a bank account with a daily balance of at least $10,000 for the last 90 days
• general liability insurance of at least $1 million that covers riders’ losses from theft or property damage
• a director of operations who is at least 21, meets the experience and education rules in 5123-2-08(H), passes a BCI background check, and completes DODD’s orientation course
• at least one employee besides the director of operations
• an IRS employer identification number, a Bureau of Workers’ Compensation certificate, and proof that payroll taxes and premiums are current
• the name, country of birth, date of birth, and Social Security number of every owner of 5% or more
• written policies on records, riders’ funds, incident reporting, and billing, plus the vehicle accessibility, maintenance, and driver policies rule 5123-9-18 requires
• a type 2 NPI for your company, which DODD says can take up to 10 business days (see how to get an NPI)
• a nonrefundable fee of $800 if you serve or plan to serve 50 or fewer people, or $1,600 for 51 or more

An agency already certified for other DODD services adds transportation for $75 (small) or $150 (large). A commercial transportation operator applying only for this service pays no fee.

Driver and vehicle rules

Drivers

Rule 5123-9-18 sets the driving rules for agency drivers:

• License and insurance. A valid driver’s license and liability insurance as Ohio law requires.
• Driving record. A BMV record dated no more than 14 calendar days before the person starts driving for you, and again at least every three years. Six or more points disqualifies the driver, and drivers must tell you in writing at once if they reach six points or lose their license. Rule 5123-2-02 (effective February 19, 2026) also bars anyone with six or more points charged in the last 24 months from transporting riders.
• Testing after a crash. A controlled substance test from a certified lab within 32 hours and a blood alcohol test within 8 hours after a crash during a trip that killed someone. The tests also apply when the driver got a moving violation citation and someone was treated away from the scene or a vehicle was towed. The drug testing guide covers how to set up a testing program.

Before you hire, rule 5123-2-02 has you check seven lists: the federal OIG exclusion list, Ohio’s abuser registry, the nurse aide registry, the sex offender database, SAM, ODM’s exclusion and suspension list, and the state prison system’s offender search. You also get a signed statement about disqualifying offenses and a BCI criminal records check, with an FBI check unless the applicant proves five years of Ohio residency. You may hire conditionally for up to 60 days while the check is pending. Within 14 days of the result, you enroll each driver in Rapback, the state’s retained fingerprint database, and you recheck the lists at least every five years. See NEMT driver background checks for how the checks work.

Drivers who are alone with riders are direct support professionals, so they must be at least 18 and hold first aid and CPR certification with an in-person skills assessment. Appendix C to rule 5123-2-08 then sets their training:

1. Before the first ride: your mission, policies, services, and service documentation, plus DODD’s curriculum on empathy-based care, the support professional’s role and code of ethics, riders’ rights, carrying out service plans, recognizing and reporting incidents, and infection control. Each driver also learns the service plan of each rider they will drive.
2. Within 30 days of hire: person-centered planning, community integration, incident rules, and empathy-based care.
3. Every year: two hours of DODD curriculum and six hours of your own training, including incident reporting and topics such as transportation safety.

Vehicles

Any modified vehicle, and any vehicle equipped for five or more passengers, must have secure storage for equipment and riders’ belongings, a two-way communication system (a cell phone counts), and a secured fire extinguisher and first aid kit. Each day it is used, the first driver checks the lights, washers and wipers, emergency equipment, mirrors, horn, tires, and brakes before the first rider, and documents the check. A wheelchair vehicle also gets a documented daily check of its fasteners, belts, and ramp or lift before the first wheelchair rider. Once every 12 months, the State Highway Patrol’s safety inspection unit, or a mechanic certified by a dealership or by ASE, must find the vehicle in good working condition. The free vehicle inspection checklist covers the daily check.

How to get DODD certified

New agencies face a wait first. ODM’s statewide moratorium stops all new enrollments for provider types 45 (waivered services organization) and 55 (waivered services individual) from May 14 to November 14, 2026, unless CMS extends it. DODD’s agency and independent provider pages carry the notice and say ODM will not accept new applications from waiver individuals and organizations. Because certification ends with an ODM provider agreement, plan to submit after the pause ends, and use the months before to finish steps 1 to 4.

1. Call your county board of developmental disabilities. DODD says every county board has a provider liaison, and it suggests asking the board’s provider support staff which services to apply for.
2. Start the background check. Your director of operations visits a WebCheck location for a BCI check (reason code 5123.169), plus an FBI check (code 5126.28) if they lived outside Ohio in the last five years. Results go straight to DODD and can take up to 45 days.
3. Set up your accounts. Create an OH|ID account and subscribe to My DODD for MyLearning and eMBS. Register in OhioPays for a payee ID, which can take 10 to 14 days, and get your NPI.
4. Finish the orientation. Your director of operations completes DODD’s orientation on MyLearning and saves the certificate.
5. Apply in PNM. Start a new provider application in ODM’s Provider Network Management module in the CEO/Administrator role. It hands you to DODD’s Provider Services Management system (PSM), where you have 120 days to submit, or the application is deleted.
6. Submit everything at once. Add non-medical transportation under Add Services, upload each document, pay the fee, and sign. Every required part must arrive within 30 days of submitting, or DODD closes the application and you pay again.
7. Answer DODD’s questions. DODD reviews within 30 days of a complete application and may send a supplemental request in PSM. ODM may then make a site visit before it issues the provider agreement.
8. Watch for the approval email. It lists your DODD contract number, Medicaid provider number, and certification dates. Certification lasts three years.
9. Tell the county board you are ready. Ask how it authorizes new providers, and introduce your company to the SSAs who write service plans.

DODD emails a renewal notice at least 90 days before your certification expires. File at least 45 days ahead to avoid a gap in billing. After it expires, you cannot provide or bill services until DODD has your renewal application, and after a year you must apply as a new provider.

Trip records and incident reports

Rule 5123-9-18(H) lists what every trip record must show, written at the time of the ride:

• whether the trip is per trip or per mile, and the date
• the vehicle’s license plate number
• the rider’s name and Medicaid ID number
• your company name and provider number
• the starting point and destination
• the times the trip started and stopped
• the driver’s signature, or initials if signature and initials are on file
• the names of everyone in the vehicle during any part of the trip

Per-mile trips add the miles of each leg by odometer or GPS. Job rides at the special rate add the employer’s name and address and the miles of each one-way trip. The NEMT trip log template has room for these items.

Rule 5123-17-02 (effective July 1, 2025) governs incidents. Staff report a major unusual incident at once, and your agency protects the riders at risk right away, including removing any employee accused of physical or sexual abuse from contact with riders. For abuse, neglect, exploitation, misappropriation, a peer-to-peer act, prohibited sexual relations, an unexplained or unanticipated death, or a media inquiry, you notify the county board within four hours of discovery. The written incident report is due to the county board by 3 p.m. on the first working day after you learn of it. Medical emergencies, significant injuries, and unanticipated hospitalizations that happen while you are serving a rider are major unusual incidents too.

Smaller events are unusual incidents. The rule’s examples include a car crash with no harm. Staff report them to your designated person within 24 hours, and you investigate, keep a log, and review it at least monthly. The incident report form is a good place to start.

If you also want county trips to medical care, the Ohio county NET contracts guide explains how county job and family services offices buy rides.