# Pennsylvania ODP Transportation in 2027: Trip Zones, Mile Rates, and How an Agency Qualifies

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/guides/pennsylvania-odp-transportation/ · Updated 2026-10-02

Pennsylvania ODP's fee schedule pays Transportation Trip by zone, measured on the most direct route for each rider: $36.54 for up to 10 miles, $65.78 for over 10 to 30 miles, and $74.73 for over 30 miles, in effect since July 1, 2024. Transportation Mile pays $0.76 a mile since July 1, 2026. To bill Trip, an agency completes ODP orientation and qualification, then enrolls as provider type 26.

- Trip pays one flat rate per rider per one-way trip, set by zone: $36.54, $65.78, or $74.73, unchanged since July 1, 2024.
- Each rider's zone uses the direct route from pickup to drop-off, never the miles spent picking up others.
- A van company bills Trip as provider type 26, specialty 267. Mile is a vendor service, and the one relatives may be paid for.
- Rides to medical care belong to MATP, not ODP. ODP rides go to day programs, jobs, and places in the person's plan.
- Plan on up to 120 days from orientation to an AE decision, then Medicaid enrollment before your first billable trip.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) runs Pennsylvania's waivers for people with an intellectual disability or autism. Its waivers pay for rides to day programs, jobs, and community activities in each person's plan, and the Community Participation Support provider that runs a day program is not responsible for the ride to and from home. That gap is the work for a van company. This guide covers what ODP pays, how a trip is counted, and the steps to get qualified. For licensing and county Medicaid rides in general, start with the [Pennsylvania guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/).

## What ODP transportation pays

ODP has two transportation services a van company can bill. Transportation Trip pays a flat amount per one-way ride, set by distance zone. Transportation Mile pays per mile, but only for miles with the person in the vehicle. The table shows the rates as of October 2026.

| Service and code | Distance, one way | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Trip, Zone 1 (W7274) | More than 0 and up to 10 miles | $36.54 per trip |
| Trip, Zone 2 (W7275) | More than 10 and up to 30 miles | $65.78 per trip |
| Trip, Zone 3 (W7276) | More than 30 miles | $74.73 per trip |
| Mile (W7271) | Miles with the person on board | $0.76 per mile |

The Trip rates are the statewide fee schedule for agencies that do not have a cost-based rate, effective July 1, 2024. They came from an 8% inflation adjustment to nonresidential rates, published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on August 31, 2024. Before that, from November 11, 2023, the three zones paid $33.83, $60.91, and $69.19. ODP's fee schedule posted for January 1, 2027 lists the same three trip rates. The Consolidated Waiver in effect January 1, 2026 says ODP's next rate study will be done no later than 2027.

Transportation (per trip) is the last ODP service that still uses cost-based rates. A provider with an approved cost report is paid its own rate. A new company with no cost history is assigned the fee schedule, so plan your budget on the table above.

Mile follows the rate the Commonwealth pays its own employees for business travel. ODP Announcement 26-086 set W7271 at $0.76 a mile starting July 1, 2026, up from $0.725 on January 1, 2026.

Three rules shape what you can charge. You cannot negotiate a different rate with a county program when a fee exists for the service (55 Pa. Code 6100.481). Medicaid payment, once you accept it, is payment in full. And ODP pays only up to the amount and frequency written in the person's plan (6100.482).

## How a trip and its zone are counted

A trip is one leg: home to a waiver service or a place in the person's plan, back home, from one waiver service to another, or to and from a job that meets the definition of competitive integrated employment. The ride to a day program and the ride home are two trips, or two units.

The zone comes from the most direct route between that rider's pickup and drop-off. Miles the van drives to collect other riders do not count. Riders in different zones can share the van, and each is billed by their own zone. The ISP Manual (updated August 11, 2026) says each provider must have the data to support every rider's trip: the home address for pickup and the drop-off address that set the miles and the zone.

### A worked example

These numbers are made up to show the math. One van runs four riders to the same day program each weekday morning and home each afternoon. Their direct routes are 6, 9, 14, and 33 miles.

- **Riders at 6 and 9 miles:** Zone 1, $36.54 each way, so $146.16 a day for both.
- **Rider at 14 miles:** Zone 2, $65.78 each way, so $131.56 a day.
- **Rider at 33 miles:** Zone 3, $74.73 each way, so $149.46 a day.

That is $427.18 a day, or $2,135.90 for a five-day week, if every ride is in each person's plan and every rider shows up. Your costs depend on how far the van drives to collect them, which the zones never pay for. Group riders by neighborhood and program so the van's own miles stay close to the riders' direct miles.

### When you need an aide

A van carrying more than 6 people must have an aide on board. The count is every rider in the vehicle, whatever program pays for them. Trips with an aide are billed with the U2 modifier, which appears on the claim only, not in the plan. With 6 or fewer riders, you decide whether an aide is needed based on their needs and safety.

## Which rides ODP covers

ODP transportation takes people to the waiver services and community places in their Individual Support Plan (ISP). It serves participants of the Consolidated, Community Living, and Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS) waivers, which are [1915(c) waivers](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/1915c-waiver/), and a version runs in the Adult Autism Waiver. The ride has to be on the plan before you drive it.

The Consolidated Waiver as of January 1, 2026 sets these limits:

- **No medical rides.** ODP transportation cannot replace the Medicaid rides the state must provide. Doctor, dialysis, and pharmacy trips go to MATP, which the [Pennsylvania guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/pennsylvania/) covers.
- **No double billing.** Transportation cannot run at the same time as the direct part of Community Participation Support, Small Group Employment, Supported Employment, therapies, and several other services. Community Participation Support includes rides during its activities, but its provider is not responsible for rides to and from the person's home.
- **Residential services include rides.** People in Residential Habilitation, Life Sharing, or Supported Living get transportation as a separate service only to and from a competitive integrated job.
- **Under 21.** Rides go only to and from waiver services or a competitive integrated job.
- **Where.** Pennsylvania and its neighboring states.

The Adult Autism Waiver sets its own rules in its Provider Information Table (July 1, 2026). It pays the same Trip rates as the table above and caps Transportation at $10,000 per person per plan year. Its Day Habilitation service already includes the ride to and from the facility. The general [waiver transportation guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/waiver-transportation-provider/) compares programs in other states, and [adult day care transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/adult-day-care-transportation/) covers a related day-program market.

### Trip or Mile: who bills what

Trip is the service for a van company. It is billed by provider type 26 (transportation), specialty 267 (non-emergency), per the ISP Manual. Mile is a vendor service billed by provider type 55, specialty 267, or through a financial management service for people who direct their own services. It reimburses the owner of the vehicle or another qualified licensed driver, and shared miles are split fairly among the riders.

Relatives and legal guardians may be paid for Transportation Mile but not Trip in the Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS waivers. A legally responsible person, such as a parent of a minor child, may be paid Mile only to drive that child to and from a waiver service or a job. So in these three waivers, family members cannot be paid for Trip rides.

## How an agency qualifies and enrolls

ODP keeps provider enrollment open all year to any willing and qualified provider, under the January 1, 2026 waiver. The order of steps matters, because Medicaid enrollment comes after qualification.

1. **Get your passenger authority.** The waivers require Public Utility Commission certification when state law requires it, or a comparable certificate in a neighboring state. The PUC says any paid trip that starts and ends in Pennsylvania needs its authority, with a $1,000 fine per violation (FAQ revised June 25, 2024). A paratransit application costs $350 and takes about 3 months or longer to process, and you may not run or advertise trips until the certificate is issued. The PUC's exemptions list (revised July 17, 2025) covers transportation that is only incidental to another business, not a company whose business is the ride. See the [PUC paratransit guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/pennsylvania-puc-paratransit-rules/).
2. **Take Provider Applicant Orientation.** It is free on MyODP, and only the CEO or executive director may take it, on their own MyODP account. The certificate expires if you are not qualified within 120 days of its date.
3. **Sign the ODP Waiver Provider Agreement.** Your CEO or owner signs it, and you attach your IRS 147C letter showing your legal name and FEIN. Send it to ODP at RA-odpprovideragreem@pa.gov. ODP returns it stamped approved.
4. **Build your qualification packet.** It holds the ODP Provider Qualification Form (DP 1059), the New Provider Self-Assessment with your policies and procedures, the Provider Qualification Documentation Record with its supporting papers, the stamped agreement, your orientation certificate, and proof you submitted ODP's quality contact form.
5. **Send it to your assigned administrative entity (AE) within 60 days of your orientation certificate.** Your assigned AE is the one for the county where you plan to serve the most people. It confirms receipt within 7 days and reviews within 30. If something is missing, you get 14 days to fix it. The AE approves or denies by day 120, and you may take orientation at most twice a calendar year.
6. **Enroll in Medicaid.** Apply online as provider type 26, specialty 267, and upload the approved DP 1059. Pick at least one program eligibility for specialty 267, such as the Consolidated Waiver or P/FDS. Apply for your first service location as soon as the DP 1059 arrives.
7. **Add your services in HCSIS.** Once you are enrolled, ODP adds your company to its Services and Supports Directory, which supports coordinators share with participants and families when they choose providers. ODP also gives you an HCSIS role so you can add the services you are qualified for.
8. **Wait for an authorized plan.** You may drive only after an AE authorizes your service in a person's ISP.

These dates come from ODP Announcement 19-044 (April 2, 2019), which ODP's qualifications page still links as of October 2026. Send questions about orientation, qualification, or enrollment to ra-odpproviderenroll@pa.gov, the address named in the waiver.

### What the waiver requires of you and your drivers

Appendix C of the Consolidated Waiver (January 1, 2026) lists the standards for an agency transportation provider:

- A service location in Pennsylvania or a neighboring state.
- A signed ODP provider agreement, ODP orientation, and, for new providers, a passed self-assessment.
- Commercial general liability insurance, and workers' compensation insurance as state law requires.
- Auto insurance, current registration, and current state inspection for every vehicle used.
- Staff trained in each person's communication, mobility, and behavioral needs.

Drivers, aides, and volunteers who spend any time alone with a participant must:

- Be at least 18.
- Have a Pennsylvania State Police criminal history check before hire, plus an FBI check for anyone who has lived in Pennsylvania less than two years.
- Have a child abuse clearance when the participant is under 18.
- Hold a valid driver's license if they drive.

A record does not automatically bar a hire. You decide case by case, weighing the crime, the facts, the time since conviction, evidence of rehabilitation, and the job, and you document that review. ODP or its designee checks your qualifications at least once in each three-year monitoring cycle. Submit renewal paperwork at least 60 days before your qualification expires (55 Pa. Code 6100.83).

## Running ODP trips day to day

### The trip log

ODP's claim documentation guidance (revised June 22, 2023) says the trip log replaces a progress note. Each trip's log needs:

- Who rode, and your company's identifying information.
- The date.
- The pickup and destination addresses.
- Total miles for the trip.
- The purpose of the trip.
- The signature of the transportation coordinator, driver, or aide, confirming the ride was for an activity in the ISP.

When the log shows more than six riders at the same time, keep a timesheet that shows the aide was there. Chapter 6100 also requires you to document service on the day you deliver it (6100.226). Our [trip log template](https://nemtguide.com/templates/nemt-trip-log-template/) covers most of these; add a line for the trip's purpose and the ISP activity it serves.

### Training and incidents

Chapter 6100 requires orientation before staff work alone with people and within 30 days of hire (6100.142). It covers person-centered practice, abuse prevention and reporting, individual rights, incident reporting, and job skills. Yearly training follows (6100.143): 24 hours for direct service professionals, and 12 hours for volunteers and contractors who work alone with people. Ask your AE which group your drivers fall in. The [autism riders guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/transporting-riders-with-autism/) has practical training material.

Report serious incidents through ODP's system within 24 hours of discovery (6100.401). For a van, that list includes an injury needing more than first aid, police activity during the service, a person who goes missing and could be in danger, abuse, neglect, and a rights violation. Tell the person and those they name within 24 hours too.

### Billing deadlines

Claims go to Pennsylvania's Medicaid system within 180 days of the trip. Resubmissions of rejected claims and adjustments must arrive within 365 days of the date of service (55 Pa. Code 1101.68).

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does ODP pay for a transportation trip in Pennsylvania?

Agencies without a cost-based rate are paid the statewide fee schedule: $36.54 for Zone 1 (W7274, more than 0 and up to 10 miles), $65.78 for Zone 2 (W7275, more than 10 and up to 30 miles), and $74.73 for Zone 3 (W7276, more than 30 miles). These rates took effect July 1, 2024, and ODP's schedule posted for January 1, 2027 lists the same trip rates.

### Is a round trip one unit or two?

Two. Taking a person from home to a waiver service and back home is two trips, or two units, and each leg gets its own zone. A ride from one waiver service straight to another also counts as one trip.

### Can a family member be paid to drive an ODP participant?

For the Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS waivers, relatives and legal guardians can be paid for Transportation Mile, not Transportation Trip, under the waivers in effect January 1, 2026. A parent of a minor child may be paid Mile only to drive the child to and from a waiver service or a job. In the Adult Autism Waiver, friends and family may give Trip rides through an organized health care delivery system.

### Can ODP transportation be used for doctor visits?

No. The waivers bar using ODP transportation in place of the Medicaid rides the state must provide under 42 CFR 431.53. In Pennsylvania, rides to medical care go through the Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP).

### How long does it take to become a qualified ODP transportation provider?

ODP Announcement 19-044, still linked from ODP's qualifications page in October 2026, gives you 60 days after your orientation certificate to send your documents to the administrative entity. The AE confirms receipt within 7 days, reviews within 30, gives you 14 days to fix gaps, and decides by day 120. Medicaid enrollment and service setup in HCSIS come after that.

### Do I need Public Utility Commission authority for ODP trips?

The waivers require PUC certification when state law requires it, or a comparable certificate in a neighboring state. A company whose business is carrying passengers for pay needs PUC authority. The PUC's exemptions list covers transportation that is only incidental to a business whose main work is something else, and a company whose business is the ride does not fit it.

### When does an ODP transportation van need an aide?

When it carries more than 6 riders, counting riders funded by any program, an aide must be on board, and the trip is billed with the U2 modifier. With 6 or fewer riders, you decide based on the riders' needs and their health and safety. The trip log then needs a timesheet showing the aide was there.

## Official resources

- [Pennsylvania DHS: ODP Rates](https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/for-providers/developmental-programs-for-providers/odp-rates)
- [Pennsylvania DHS: ODP Provider Qualifications](https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/for-providers/developmental-programs-for-providers/odp-provider-qualifications)
- [MyODP: Provider Applicant Orientation registration](https://www.myodp.org/course/index.php?categoryid=303)
- [ODP: Individual Support Plan Manual, transportation service rules (Section 14)](https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dhs/documents/docs/documents/odp/00-22-05-attachment-1-individual-support-plan-manual-8-11-26.pdf)
- [ODP: Claim and service documentation guidance (trip log rules)](https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dhs/documents/docs/publications/documents/forms-and-pubs-ocd/Bulletin-00-22-03-Attachment-1_IDA_Waivers_TSM_Base_Guidance.pdf)
- [HCSIS: Services and Supports Directory and ODP waiver provider agreement](https://www.hcsis.dhs.pa.gov/hcsis-ssd/)
- [Pennsylvania PUC: Motor carrier forms and applications](https://www.puc.pa.gov/motor-carrier/forms-applications/)