California Has No NEMT Broker — Here’s How Medi-Cal Transportation Actually Gets Contracted
No Modivcare, no MTM statewide: Medi-Cal routes NEMT through managed-care plans and PAVE enrollment. The path, step by step.
SACRAMENTO — Operators moving into California from broker states keep looking for the broker. There isn't one. Medi-Cal — the largest Medicaid program in the country — runs transportation through its managed-care plans, and the contracting path runs through state enrollment plus plan-by-plan network agreements.
Two benefits, two bars
California splits the benefit in a way that matters for your fleet and licensing:
| Benefit | What it is | Vehicle/level |
|---|---|---|
| NEMT | Transport for members who cannot use public or private transport for medical reasons — requires a physician authorization | Ambulance, litter van, wheelchair van |
| NMT (non-medical transportation) | Transport to medically necessary services for members without a medical barrier — a required managed-care benefit since 2017 | Sedan/van, ride-share-style |
The path
- 1. Enroll with DHCS. Transportation providers enroll through the state's PAVE online portal; the Medi-Cal Transportation Provider Application (form DHCS 6206 for the paper flow) covers NEMT; NMT-only providers use the PAVE e-Form path. Existing NEMT providers adding NMT file a supplemental change request in PAVE.
- 2. Contract with plans. Enrollment makes you eligible, not busy. Trips flow from each managed-care plan's network — Kaiser, Health Net, Anthem, CenCal, Partnership and the rest each manage transportation directly or through a transportation subcontractor. Each plan (or its subcontractor) has its own credentialing packet, rates and service-area needs.
- 3. Meet the vehicle and driver standards for the level you run — wheelchair securement, driver training, and the insurance the plans and the state expect. DHCS's provider FAQ and the plans' provider manuals carry the specifics.
Disclosure: NEMT Wire's parent company, Thrive Risk Management (CA Lic #6012320), brokers commercial insurance for NEMT operators, including through nemtinsurancepros.com. This article's regulatory content is drawn from state sources linked below, not from our parent's marketing.
Sources: DHCS — Transportation Services; DHCS Transportation Provider FAQ; DHCS — NMT Providers.