Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Program (NEMT) FAQs

What is NEMT?

NEMT stands for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation. The purpose of the NEMT Program is to ensure transportation to eligible MO HealthNet fee for service and Managed Care Health Plan participants who do not have access to free appropriate transportation to and from scheduled MO HealthNet covered services. The NEMT Program may use public transportation or bus tokens, vans, taxi, ambulance, ride shares or even an airplane, if necessary, to get participants to health care appointments. Participants may also receive help with gas costs if they have a car, or have a friend or a neighbor who can take them. The NEMT broker must approve this before the appointment.

Tips about getting a ride before using NEMT:

  • If the participant’s city has public transportation, the participant can ride the bus to their health care appointments at no cost.
  • Participants can contact local community organizations for assistance.
  • Participants should secure a ride from another agency, if available, prior to calling NEMT.
Who can get NEMT services?

Participants must be eligible for MO HealthNet or MO HealthNet managed care on the day of the appointment. Participants in a MO HealthNet Managed Care Health Plan get their NEMT services from the health plan. Some participants on MO HealthNet or MO HealthNet Managed Care do not get NEMT services as part of their benefits. The NEMT broker will let participants know if their benefits do not cover NEMT.

If participants need to be away from home overnight, the NEMT Program may be able to help with meals and lodging. If a child under the age of 21 needs someone to go along, NEMT will only pay for the child and one (1) parent or guardian. NEMT will only pay for other children or adults to ride along for specific circumstances on a case-by-case basis. Participants under the age of 17, must have a parent or guardian travel with them.

What health care services can a participant get NEMT to take them to?
  • An appointment with a health care provider that takes MO HealthNet or MO HealthNet managed care.
  • An appointment for a service covered by MO HealthNet or MO HealthNet managed care.
  • An appointment with a health care provider near where the participant resides. If the provider is far away, the participant may need to say why and get a note from their doctor. There are rules about how far a participant can travel to a health care appointment and get a ride from the NEMT Program.

NEMT will not provide rides to these services:

  • Pharmacy, unless receiving a scheduled vaccine
  • Certain Durable Medical Equipment (DME) services
  • Some Comprehensive Substance Treatment Abuse and Rehabilitation (CSTAR) services
  • Developmental Disability (DD) waiver services
  • Some Community Psychiatric Rehabilitation (CPR) services
  • Adult day care services
  • Services provided in the participant’s home

School districts must supply a ride to a child's individual education plan (IEP) services and IEP medicalrelated services.

How do participants use the NEMT Program?

MO HealthNet fee for service participants should call (866) 269-5927 at least three (3) calendar days before the day of the appointment. Participants may call this number Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for regular-scheduled appointments. Participants may be able to get a ride sooner if a medical problem comes up and their doctor says they can be seen. For these "urgent care appointments," participants can call this number 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week. In an emergency, participants must dial 911, or the local emergency phone number.

Participants with MO HealthNet Managed Care need to call the number on their health plan card to set up transportation.

What does a participant need when they call (866) 269-5927 for a ride?

The caller will need the following information when requesting a ride:

  • Participant’s name, date of birth, address, phone number and the MO HealthNet or MO HealthNet managed care ID number
  • Name, address and phone number of where the participant is going
  • Date and time of the appointment
  • Medical reason for the transportation request
  • The type of MO HealthNet-covered service (doctor, dentist, therapy, etc.)
  • Special needs of the participant; such as the participant uses a walker, cane or wheelchair
  • Tell the NEMT broker if the participant needs someone to go along if they are under the age of 21. If the participant is under the age of 17, a parent/guardian must ride with them.
What is the policy regarding transportation providers or NEMT broker notifying participants?

Transportation providers or the NEMT broker are required to let participants know all trip details no later than 24 hours before the trip. This includes confirmation of the pickup and drop-off address, estimated time of pickup, type of transportation, phone number to call to get a return ride if pick up time was not set during reservation and information on what to do if the ride is late.

What to do if a ride is late?

If a ride is more than 15 minutes late, after the pickup time scheduled during the original request, the participant can call (866) 269-5944. Participants with MO HealthNet Managed Care Health Plans need to call the number on the health plan card.

Who do participants contact for reoccurring issues?

All issues should be reported to the NEMT broker through the We Care Line (866) 436-0457.

What are the participant’s rights?
  • The right to be treated with respect and dignity.
  • The right to privacy.
  • The right to exercise rights without being worried about the way the NEMT broker will treat the participant.

Participants may not always be happy with NEMT services. Participants can file a complaint with the NEMT broker by calling (866) 436-0457 or writing to MTM at 16 Hawk Ridge Drive, Lake St. Louis, MO 63367.

If the participant is in a MO HealthNet Managed Care Health Plan, the participant can call the Managed Care Health Plan to file a complaint.

Can a participant choose their transportation provider?

A participant may request a preferred provider. The NEMT broker will try to schedule transport with the preferred provider; however the broker cannot guarantee the provider will be available for the specific trip.

Can a participant request not to ride with a specific transportation provider?

A participant may request not to ride with a specific provider. The NEMT broker will investigate any incident resulting in such a request.

What if the NEMT broker assigns a rideshare (i.e., Lyft) for a participant, but the participant does not have texting abilities?

If a participant cannot use a rideshare provider, they should contact the broker and have rideshare excluded from their file.

How are the drivers credentialed and trained for these trips?

All approved transportation providers are required to meet a rigorous credentialing process. This process requires all drivers to have a current driver's license, a clean driving record (including the Missouri State Highway Patrol Request for Criminal Record Check and the Family Care Safety Registry) and a negative result on a stringent drug test. Once all the information is received, the NEMT broker's Compliance Department will review to make sure the driver meets all the standards set forth by the state of Missouri. The driver is then either approved or denied to transport participants.

Once approved to transport MO HealthNet participants, each driver must complete specific training related to NEMT transportation. Training, which is administered by the transportation provider, includes several key topics: defensive driving; use of safety equipment; basic first aid and universal precautions for handling body fluids; operation of lifts, ramps and wheelchair securement devices; methods of handling wheelchairs; use of common assistive devices; methods of moving, lifting and transferring passengers with mobility limitations; and instructions on proper actions to be taken in problem situations.

Are the vehicles used for NEMT inspected on a regular basis?

Along with the driver credentialing process and training, each vehicle operated by a transportation provider must undergo an initial 45-point vehicle inspection by the broker’s Field Monitor before the vehicle can transport MO HealthNet participants. Once approved, each vehicle is inspected every six (6) months. Wheelchair and stretcher vehicles receive more in-depth inspections with regard to the special equipment needed for transport. Once inspected, a NEMT broker window decal is applied to the vehicle. This provides for a quick visual identification of the broker-approved vehicle.

What can participants do if an NEMT service is denied?

The NEMT broker will send the participant a letter if they do any of the following:

  • Deny or give a limited approval of service
  • Suspend or end a service already approved
  • Deny payment for a service

Participants have the right to ask for a State Fair Hearing within 90 days from the date of the letter. Participants may ask anyone such as a family member, your minister, a friend or an attorney to help them. A decision will be made within 90 days from the date a State Fair Hearing was requested unless it is an expedited request. For information on a State Fair Hearing, call the Participant Services Unit at (800) 392-2161 (Toll Free) or (573) 751-6527 (at your cost)

What else do participant’s need to know about the NEMT Program?

Participants should call the NEMT broker to cancel transportation if they cannot go to their scheduled appointment or need to change the date. The broker will give them a ride that meets their needs. Participants do not get to choose what kind of vehicle or the company that will give them the ride.

Missouri law requires the following:

  • Children less than four (4) years old or less than 40 pounds must be in an appropriate child safety seat.
  • Children ages four (4) through seven (7) who weigh at least 40 pounds must be in an appropriate child safety seat or booster seat unless they are 80 pounds or 4'9" tall.
  • Children ages eight (8) and over or weighing at least 80 pounds or at least 4'9" tall must be in a secure safety belt or buckled into an appropriate booster seat.

If participants do not have an appropriate child safety seat or booster seat, they must provide this information when they make the reservation and the appropriate child safety seat or booster seat will be provided at the time of transport.