NEMT & Senior Transportation Assistance Guide
If you have no way to get to a medical appointment, three kinds of help exist: a ride benefit that every Medicaid program must provide, local senior transportation, and paratransit.
If you have Medicaid, non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) to covered appointments is a mandatory federal benefit that your state must provide (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(4); 42 CFR 431.53). Call the number on your Medicaid or Medicaid managed care ID card to book a ride, usually a few days ahead. If you do not have Medicaid, start with your local Area Agency on Aging for volunteer driver programs and senior shuttles. If a disability keeps you from using the regular bus or train, your transit agency's ADA paratransit service is a separate, federally required option.
There is no national hotline for transportation help. This guide covers the three routes that exist, in the order most people should try them.
Find a Ride
1. On Medicaid? Call the number on your card first
NEMT is a mandatory Medicaid benefit in every state. Your state Medicaid agency or Medicaid managed care plan contracts with a transportation broker who books the ride; the phone number is on your Medicaid or plan ID card, or on your state Medicaid agency's website. Most states want a few days' notice for a routine, non-urgent appointment.
Medicaid.gov: NEMT Overview →2. Not on Medicaid, or need more than medical rides? Start with your Area Agency on Aging
Area Agencies on Aging often run or coordinate volunteer driver programs, senior center shuttles, and other local transportation resources that don't require Medicaid enrollment and can cover errands and social trips, not just medical appointments.
Find Your Area Agency on Aging →3. Can't use the regular bus or train because of a disability? Ask about ADA paratransit
Any public transit agency running fixed-route buses or trains must also offer a comparable, federally required paratransit service (shared rides, door to door or curb to curb) for riders whose disability prevents them from using the regular route. Contact your local transit authority to apply. Each agency runs its own service, so there is no national application.
| Option | Who can use it | Cost | How to arrange it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicaid NEMT | People enrolled in Medicaid with no other way to get to a covered appointment | Free | Number on your Medicaid or plan ID card |
| Senior transportation | Generally people 60 and older | Free or a suggested donation | Area Agency on Aging |
| ADA paratransit | People whose disability prevents use of regular buses or trains | A fare, capped at twice the regular fare | Local transit agency application |
Medicaid NEMT. A federal regulation, 42 CFR 431.53, has long required every state Medicaid plan to ensure necessary transportation to and from covered medical providers. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 wrote the requirement into the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(4)). Every state has to offer it. Each state decides how: which broker runs it, how far ahead you call, and whether the ride is a van, taxi or rideshare, or mileage reimbursement for a friend or relative who drives you.
When you call to book, have ready:
- your Medicaid ID number
- the date, time and address of the appointment, and the provider's name
- whether you use a wheelchair or walker, or need someone to come with you
- a pickup time for the return trip
Book as soon as you have the appointment. Most brokers ask for two or three business days' notice for routine visits. If a ride does not arrive, call the broker's "where's my ride" line, and report repeated problems to your state Medicaid agency or your plan.
Medicare. Original Medicare generally does not cover routine rides to appointments. It covers ambulance transport when that is medically necessary. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a limited number of rides as an extra benefit, so check your plan's Evidence of Coverage.
Without Medicaid. Area Agencies on Aging, funded under the Older Americans Act, run or know of volunteer driver programs and senior shuttles in nearly every region. Names and rules differ locally.
ADA paratransit. Federal disability law requires transit agencies that run fixed-route buses or trains to serve riders who cannot use them. Each local transit authority runs its own service and decides eligibility through an application, which often includes a form from your doctor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Medicaid pay for rides to the doctor?
Yes. Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) is a mandatory Medicaid benefit under federal law (42 U.S.C. 1396a(a)(4)) and regulation (42 CFR 431.53), for enrollees who have no other way to get to a covered medical appointment. Every state must offer it. The broker, the booking process and the notice required differ by state.
How do I book a Medicaid ride?
Call the transportation or member services number on your Medicaid or Medicaid managed care ID card. Most states use a transportation broker that schedules the trip, usually with a few days' notice for a routine appointment.
Does Medicare cover non-emergency transportation?
Original Medicare generally does not cover routine rides to medical appointments. Some Medicare Advantage plans include a limited transportation benefit as an extra. Check your plan's details.
What if I'm not on Medicaid?
Start with your local Area Agency on Aging. It often runs or knows of volunteer driver programs, senior center shuttles and low-cost local transportation that do not require Medicaid.
What is ADA paratransit?
It is a service required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Public transit agencies that run fixed-route buses or trains must also offer shared rides, door to door or curb to curb, for people whose disability prevents them from using the regular service. Contact your local transit authority to apply.
NEMT booking procedures, notice periods and types of ride differ by state and by Medicaid managed care plan. This page covers the federal framework and not any one state's process. This site is not affiliated with Medicaid.gov, any state Medicaid agency or any transit authority.