Fidelis Care Medicaid Rides in Rockland County Move to Medical Answering Services

On April 1, 2026, Medical Answering Services (MAS), the broker that runs New York’s Medicaid transportation program, took over non-emergency rides for Fidelis Care’s Medicaid members in Rockland County. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) posted the change as a transportation alert on its Medicaid transportation page. Fidelis updated its transportation provider manual in April 2026 to match. For a ride company, those trips now come from MAS and are paid by New York Medicaid, not by Fidelis.

What changed on April 1, 2026

Item	Detail
Who it covers	Fidelis Care Medicaid members in Rockland County
Who arranges rides	MAS, New York’s statewide Medicaid transportation broker
How members book	The MAS upstate contact center at 866-932-7740, or an online MAS account, at least 72 hours before the appointment
Who approves each trip	MAS, which issues the prior authorization on your trip roster
Who pays the ride company	New York Medicaid fee-for-service, through eMedNY, the state’s claims system
Where it leaves Fidelis	Its manual now says Fidelis Medicaid rides are fee-for-service Medicaid in all counties, with Rockland’s move effective April 1, 2026

Rockland was not new to the state’s system. NYSDOH’s August 2015 Medicaid Update lists it among the 13 counties where managed care members’ rides first moved to a state transportation manager, on January 1, 2012. On August 1, 2023, MAS became the broker for every county except Nassau and Suffolk, Rockland included. Fidelis was the exception. Its June 2024 manual says its Medicaid members’ rides had moved to fee-for-service Medicaid in every county except Rockland, where Fidelis still covered them and used its own vendor to arrange livery and ambulette trips. That exception ended on April 1, 2026.

The state’s transportation policy manual explains why the payer matters. When a health plan includes transportation in its benefits, eMedNY denies claims for those members and the provider must bill the plan. Once Fidelis stopped covering these rides, the claims belong with fee-for-service Medicaid. See NEMT carve-out for how this split works.

How each Fidelis plan handles rides

Fidelis’s April 2026 manual sorts its plans this way:

Fidelis plan	Non-emergency rides
New York Medicaid (Medicaid managed care)	Booked through MAS and paid by fee-for-service Medicaid in all counties, Rockland from April 1, 2026
Fidelis Care at Home and Wellcare Fidelis Dual Plus	Arranged by MAS and paid by fee-for-service Medicaid
Essential Plan 3 and 4	Personal vehicle, bus, taxi, ambulette, or transit rides booked through MAS: 844-666-6270 in New York City, 800-850-5340 elsewhere
Essential Plan 1, 2, and 200-250	Not covered, except ambulance transfers between facilities with prior authorization
Wellcare by Fidelis Care Dual Access	Members use Medicaid fee-for-service transportation
Wellcare by Fidelis Care No Premium	Livery and ambulette rides not covered
Social adult day care rides	Still covered by Fidelis when the center provides the ride

Since January 1, 2025, social adult day care centers manage their own rides under the plans, with their own vans or a company they contract with directly. If you drive for a Rockland adult day program, that contract is with the center, not MAS. See adult day care transportation.

What it means for ride companies

Trips come only from MAS. eMedNY says MAS assigns Medicaid trips by the member’s choice of network company first, then the medical practitioner’s choice, then by rotation. Because the practitioner’s choice counts, your standing with Rockland clinics and dialysis centers still matters.

You need two approvals to get them. Your company must be enrolled with New York Medicaid and in the MAS network. Since March 1, 2024, transportation companies can no longer enroll as managed care only (non-billing) providers. Since April 15, 2024, eMedNY rejects any new application sent without a MAS letter of support. A company that carried these members only under a Fidelis agreement needs both before it can take the trips.

MAS sets your rate. These are the Rockland rows of the state fee schedule dated April 5, 2026:

Service	Code	Rockland rate	In effect since
Ambulette (wheelchair van) trip	A0130	$45.00	September 6, 2024
Ambulette mileage	S0209	$3.75 a mile	September 6, 2024
Stretcher van trip	T2005	$200.00	August 1, 2024
Taxi trip	A0100	$9.39	December 31, 2022
Taxi mileage	S0215	$2.05 a mile	December 31, 2022

The schedule says its fees apply to the fee-for-service broker and may reflect network negotiations. The policy manual says rates MAS negotiates with a company supersede the schedule, so your MAS agreement sets what you are paid.

What to do now

1. Check your enrollment. Confirm your company is enrolled with New York Medicaid in the right category of service: 0602 for ambulettes, 0603 for taxis outside New York City, or 0609 for transportation network companies. Taxi companies must keep records that each driver holds a Class E license and each car has livery plates.
2. Join MAS if you are not in its network. Send the MAS Transportation Provider Network Application. If MAS issues a letter of support, apply through NYSDOH provider enrollment, which charges the $750 federal application fee in 2026, then sign the MAS network contract. MAS says the enrollment decision can take 90 days or longer.
3. If you are already in the network, confirm Rockland. Ask MAS Transportation Provider Relations to confirm that Rockland is in your service area.
4. Attest each trip within 30 days. MAS needs your trip attestation before it issues the prior authorization number. The policy manual says requests later than 30 days after the date of service may be disallowed.
5. Bill eMedNY within 90 days. Enter the 11-digit prior authorization number from your roster in field 19 (837P loop 2300, REF02 when REF01 is G1) and the ordering provider’s NPI. Claims without that NPI are rejected. Initial claims are due within 90 days of the date of service under 18 NYCRR 540.6.
6. Close out older Fidelis claims. For Rockland rides Fidelis covered before April 1, 2026, its manual gives 90 days to file and 60 days from the remittance advice to correct a claim. It accepts late claims only for litigation, primary insurance delays, retroactive eligibility, or a rejection for a reason other than timely filing, with proof of the earlier billing or a letter giving the reason.

For the full enrollment path, see how to start a NEMT business in New York and the MAS provider guide. For running your fleet through any broker switch, see NEMT broker transitions.

Key dates

Date	What happened
January 1, 2012	Managed care members’ rides in Rockland and 12 other counties move to a state transportation manager
August 1, 2023	MAS becomes the Medicaid transportation broker for every county except Nassau and Suffolk
March 1, 2024	Transportation companies can no longer enroll as managed care only providers
April 15, 2024	eMedNY starts rejecting new applications without a MAS letter of support
January 1, 2025	Social adult day care rides stay with managed long term care plans
April 1, 2026	MAS takes over rides for Fidelis Medicaid members in Rockland County
April 2026	Fidelis updates its transportation provider manual

Who to contact

• MAS upstate contact center: 866-932-7740, for members and medical offices booking Rockland rides
• MAS Transportation Provider Relations: tprelations@medanswering.com, for letters of support and network questions
• NYSDOH Medicaid transportation: medtrans@health.ny.gov or 518-473-2160
• Fidelis Care provider services: 1-888-343-3547, for claims on rides before April 1, 2026
• eMedNY Call Center: 800-343-9000, for eligibility and claims