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Nevada Adds Nevada Check Up Children to Medicaid Rides in Its January 1, 2026 Transportation Manual
Nevada Medicaid’s updated transportation chapter makes children in Nevada Check Up, the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program, eligible for nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT). The chapter, Medicaid Services Manual (MSM) Chapter 1900, took effect January 1, 2026 and removed the rule that barred Check Up recipients from rides. Nevada Medicaid posted the chapter on February 10, 2026 in Web Announcement 3836.
The same chapter says rural health plans now arrange rides for their own Medicaid and Check Up members, while one statewide broker keeps urban and fee-for-service trips. On March 5, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved State Plan Amendment NV-26-0001, which rewrites the transportation pages of the Medicaid state plan from January 1, 2026. As of September 30, 2026, Nevada Medicaid’s transportation page still says Check Up recipients are not eligible for NEMT and asks Check Up families who need a ride to email transportation@nvha.nv.gov. Until the page and the manual match, treat the broker’s eligibility check as the final word on each child’s ride.
What changed on January 1, 2026
The transmittal letter for MSM Chapter 1900 (MTL 34/25) lists these changes:
| Rule | What the January 1, 2026 chapter says |
|---|---|
| Nevada Check Up children | The prohibition on NEMT for Check Up recipients is removed |
| Service areas | Urban means Clark and Washoe counties. The other 15 counties are rural |
| Urban rides | The statewide broker arranges rides for fee-for-service and health plan members |
| Rural rides | Rural health plans arrange rides for their enrolled Medicaid and Check Up members |
| Rural fee-for-service rides | Still arranged by the statewide broker |
| Ground ambulance | Removed as a NEMT option, because it is beyond the scope of NEMT |
| After a birth | The broker may skip the public transit assessment for riders up to six months after delivery |
| Teens riding alone | A minor over 15 may ride without an adult if a parent signs a Parental Consent form |
| Meals on long trips | Paid as a half day or full day per diem instead of at General Services Administration rates |
| Rural trips to the city | No distance check when a rural rider goes to the closest urban provider |
Nevada also moved managed care statewide on January 1, 2026. MSM Chapter 3600 says mandatory managed care was limited to Clark and Washoe counties before that date.
Who Nevada Check Up covers
Nevada Check Up is Nevada’s program under Title XXI of the Social Security Act for low-income, uninsured children from birth through age 18. Nevada Medicaid’s program page says it delivers the basic Medicaid state plan benefits, with some minor exceptions. Families pay a quarterly premium of $25, $50, or $80 based on income, charged per family, and pay no copays or deductibles. Members of federally recognized tribes and Alaska Natives pay no premium.
Children on Nevada Medicaid itself already had rides. Federal rules for EPSDT, Medicaid’s benefit for children, require the state to offer transportation and scheduling help (42 CFR 441.62). The 2026 chapter extends NEMT to Check Up children too. For how child riders change your trips, see children in NEMT.
Who arranges a Check Up child’s ride
The member’s ZIP code decides who books the ride. Nevada Medicaid’s March 2026 transportation flyer and its transportation page give these lines:
| Where the child lives | Coverage | Who arranges the ride | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark or Washoe County | Health plan or fee-for-service | MTM Health, the statewide broker | 844-879-7341 |
| A rural county | CareSource | CareSource, which routes the ride to SafeRide Health | 833-230-2058 |
| A rural county | SilverSummit Healthplan | SilverSummit, which routes the ride to SafeRide | 844-366-2880 |
| A rural county | Fee-for-service | MTM Health | 844-879-7341 |
SilverSummit’s rural list also includes outlying towns in Clark and Washoe counties, such as Laughlin, Mesquite, and Incline Village. MTM schedules routine trips Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and urgent trips at any hour. Rural members with ride problems can call SafeRide at 877-841-1379. Unresolved complaints go to ManagedCare@nvha.nv.gov for health plan members and Transportation@nvha.nv.gov for fee-for-service members.
The two documents describe plan roles differently
Read the state plan amendment and the manual side by side, because they do not tell the same story:
- The state plan amendment. CMS’s March 5, 2026 approval letter says NV-26-0001 “carves out” NEMT from Nevada’s managed care organizations to an alternative delivery model. The amendment’s summary calls it the MCO NEMT carve-out for statewide managed care. Its pages describe one broker, chosen by competitive bid, that arranges rides statewide around the clock, is paid by risk capitation and other methods, and pays the transportation providers.
- The manual. MSM Chapters 1900 and 3600 say the statewide broker handles urban and fee-for-service rides, while rural health plans must authorize and arrange rides for their rural members and may subcontract that work.
- What happens on the road. Nevada Medicaid’s flyer and transportation page follow the manual. Rural health plan members call their plan and ride with SafeRide.
The amendment covers the Medicaid state plan under Title XIX. Check Up runs under Title XXI, and it is the manual that adds Check Up children to NEMT.
Rules that matter on a child’s ride
These come from MSM Chapter 1900, effective January 1, 2026:
- A child under 18 rides with one attendant unless the child is married, emancipated, or going for family planning services. The attendant must be 18 or older, or the child’s parent of any age.
- A teen over 15 may ride alone only with a signed Parental Consent form. Confirm with the broker that the form is on file before you carry the teen without an adult.
- Every ride needs prior approval from the broker or, for rural plan members, the health plan. The only exception is rides by Indian Health Programs.
- Riders should book at least three days ahead for local, non-urgent trips. A hospital discharge must be picked up within three hours.
- Wait 15 minutes before a no-show. The broker and its providers may not charge the rider for a ride or a no-show, and MTM does not pay providers for no-shows.
- No rides while an application is pending. NEMT starts on the date eligibility is determined and is not paid retroactively.
For attendant rules in more depth, see escorts and caregivers.
What providers should do now
- Be ready for Check Up children on trips from MTM and SafeRide once the broker confirms they are eligible, and make sure your drivers know the attendant and consent rules above.
- Join the right network for your area. MTM’s Nevada provider page asks for general and auto liability of at least $1,500,000 each, with MTM named as certificate holder and additional insured, plus workers’ compensation. MTM sends trips through its Electronic Trip Download system and sets rates with each provider. For rural plan trips, apply to SafeRide.
- Run only authorized trips. The broker verifies eligibility and the appointment when the ride is booked, so an unauthorized ride may go unpaid.
- Keep your paperwork current. The state plan requires a provider agreement with the broker, the state-issued exemption from Nevada Transportation Authority rules, liability insurance, driver background checks, and a drug and alcohol testing program.
For licensing, insurance, and both brokers in full, see the Nevada state guide. For how broker credentialing works, see NEMT broker credentialing.