Medicaid Transportation in Virginia: How to Get a Ride

Who qualifies for Medicaid transportation in Virginia

Non-emergency medical transportation, usually shortened to NEMT, is a Medicaid benefit, not a separate program. A member generally qualifies when three things are true:

• The trip is to a Medicaid-covered service. Doctor and specialist visits, dialysis, chemotherapy and radiation, physical therapy, behavioral health, dental visits and pharmacy trips all count. A stop that is not a covered service, such as an errand on the way home, does not.
• The member has no other way to get there. Medicaid expects members to use a family car, a friend or public transit when they can. Members on dialysis, chemotherapy or radiation, and members on waiver programs, have wider eligibility under DMAS rules.
• The level of service matches the member’s needs. A member who can walk rides in a car or van. A member who stays in a wheelchair rides in a wheelchair van. A member who cannot sit up safely for the trip needs a stretcher van.

A few programs are narrower. Plan First covers rides only to family planning services, and FAMIS (the children’s health insurance program) does not include routine transportation, only ambulance. If you are unsure which program a member is in, the Medicaid ID card and the Cover Virginia member line are the places to check.

Which Virginia Medicaid plans can send your ride to H&M Transport

Most Virginia Medicaid members belong to a Cardinal Care health plan, and each plan uses its own transportation broker. The broker takes the call, checks eligibility and assigns the trip to a transportation company in its network. H&M Transport is in the MTM Health and SafeRide Health networks, which cover these members:

• Anthem HealthKeepers Plus, whose rides are arranged through MTM Health.
• UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, whose rides have been arranged through SafeRide Health since March 1, 2026.
• Fee-for-service Medicaid, for members who are not in a health plan, arranged through MTM Health.

Members of Aetna Better Health of Virginia, Humana Healthy Horizons in Virginia and Sentara Health Plans use their own plan’s transportation vendor. Call the transportation number on the ID card for a covered ride. We can still take those members as a private-pay trip when the plan can’t schedule one in time.

How to book a Medicaid ride with H&M Transport

1. Find the transportation number on the Medicaid ID card. Call the transportation number on your Medicaid ID card; the brokers we work with are MTM Health and SafeRide Health. Request H&M Transport specifically when you book your ride.
2. Have the details ready: the member’s Medicaid ID, the appointment address, date and time, the doctor’s name and phone number, and whether the member needs a wheelchair van or a stretcher.
3. Say what the member needs at the door. Steps at the home, oxygen, a service animal or a caregiver riding along all need to be on the trip record.
4. Ask for H&M Transport by name. The broker makes the final assignment, but a request for a specific company is noted on the trip.
5. Keep the confirmation. If the ride is late or does not come, call the broker’s ride-assist line printed on the card or in the member handbook.

For recurring treatment such as dialysis, ask the broker or the treatment center to set up a standing order so the rides repeat without a call each time.

How far ahead to book

Medicaid rides need more notice than a private booking. Virginia’s fee-for-service program asks for five business days for a routine appointment, not counting the day you call. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan also asks for five business days, and Anthem HealthKeepers Plus asks for at least two. Check the member handbook for the plan’s current rule.

Urgent trips are different. When a doctor needs to see a member sooner, the broker can arrange an urgent ride with less notice, and the member handbook explains how. Same-day urgent rides can take a few hours to arrive.

If the appointment is sooner than the plan can schedule, or a discharge can’t wait, a private-pay trip is the fallback. We need a minimum of three hours notice for same-day requests and discharges, and booking 24 hours ahead guarantees availability.

Caregivers, children and mileage

• A companion. Virginia Medicaid allows one adult to ride with the member at no charge. Tell the broker when you book so the seat is on the trip.
• Children. A parent or guardian’s consent is required for minors, and a child 12 or under must ride with an adult. The family provides any car seat.
• Driving yourself. If a family member or friend drives, the plan may reimburse mileage. Call the broker before the appointment; the treating office signs the form.

When Medicaid can’t cover the ride

Medicaid won’t pay for a trip that isn’t to a covered service, a trip booked with less notice than the plan allows, or a member in a plan that doesn’t use MTM Health or SafeRide Health. Families often need a ride in those gaps, especially on discharge day.

Private pay. When a ride is not covered, or the plan cannot schedule it in time, families can book H&M Transport directly at our published rates. Wheelchair trips start at $55 per leg on a round trip and stretcher trips at $230 per leg, the same in Virginia, Maryland and DC. No doctor’s order is needed for a private-pay ride. See our private-pay guide or the full rates page.

Medicare. Original Medicare does not cover wheelchair or stretcher vans. Members with both Medicare and Medicaid get their rides through Medicaid. See does Medicare cover wheelchair transportation and our Medicare Advantage transportation guide.

Facilities. Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, dialysis centers and hospices book on contracted rates; see our facilities page.

What happens on a Medicaid ride with H&M Transport

A Medicaid ride gets the same crew and vehicles as any other trip. Every trip is door-through-door: the driver comes to the door, helps the rider out, and at the other end takes them inside to the check-in desk or the dialysis chair.

• Wheelchair: the rider stays in the chair. It goes up a ramp on our minivans or a hydraulic lift on our full-size vans and is secured at four points.
• Stretcher: bed to bed, with two crew on every trip.
• Bariatric: specialized vehicles with wider ramps and roomier interiors for riders over 300 lbs.

Every driver is CPR and first-aid certified, every vehicle is air-conditioned, and service animals are welcome. H&M Transport was the first NEMT provider in Virginia to earn NEMTAC accreditation, and our dispatch in Gainesville answers 24 hours a day.

Maryland and DC Medicaid

Virginia’s rules don’t carry over the river. H&M Transport is not a Medicaid provider in Maryland; see Maryland Medicaid transportation for how the county programs work. In Washington DC we serve one Medicaid plan; see DC Medicaid transportation.

Common questions

Does Virginia Medicaid pay for wheelchair van rides?

Yes, when the trip is to a Medicaid-covered service, the member has no other way to get there, and the member needs a wheelchair van. The ride is booked through the plan’s transportation number, not directly with a transportation company.

How do I get H&M Transport for a Medicaid ride?

Call the transportation number on your Medicaid ID card; the brokers we work with are MTM Health and SafeRide Health. Request H&M Transport specifically when you book your ride.

Which Virginia Medicaid plans work with H&M Transport?

Anthem HealthKeepers Plus and fee-for-service Medicaid, through MTM Health, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, through SafeRide Health.

How far ahead do I need to book a Medicaid ride?

Usually several business days: five for fee-for-service and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, and at least two for Anthem HealthKeepers Plus. Urgent rides can be arranged with less notice through the plan.

Can a family member ride along?

Yes. Virginia Medicaid allows one adult companion at no charge. Tell the broker when you book.

What if Medicaid can’t schedule the ride in time?

Book H&M Transport directly as a private-pay trip. Wheelchair trips start at $55 per leg and we need three hours notice for same-day requests.

What we don’t do

H&M Transport runs non-emergency medical transportation. There is no medical care or monitoring on board, we never take anyone to an emergency room, and we do not move patients between hospitals for a higher level of care. We do run scheduled, stable transfers between facilities, such as hospital to rehab or to a nursing home. If a rider becomes unwell during a trip, the driver stops safely and calls 911. In an emergency, call 911.