How to start a NEMT business in Arizona: AHCCCS registration, brokers, and rules
Arizona has no statewide NEMT broker. AHCCCS health plans arrange rides for their own members, most through a broker, and AHCCCS pays fee-for-service trips directly. Every provider starts the same way: AHCCCS registration as provider type 28, which screens NEMT companies at high risk with a $750 fee in 2026, a site visit, and fingerprinting. MTM Health and its subsidiary Veyo arrange rides for three of the six AHCCCS Complete Care plans.
Arizona NEMT at a glance
- Runs the program
- Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS)
- Program
- Medically necessary non-emergency transportation (NEMT), AMPM Policy 310-BB
- How rides are arranged
- Health plans each contract a broker. AHCCCS health plans arrange rides for their members, most through a contracted broker. AHCCCS pays fee-for-service trips, including the American Indian Health Program, directly.
- Brokers you will contract with
- MTM Health (including Veyo); Arizona Complete Health, Banner, and Mercy Care members book through the plan
- State operating license
- No NEMT license. AHCCCS provider type 28 registration requires an ADOT vehicle for hire permit, vehicle insurance, and the AHCCCS NEMT training certificate.
- EVV for NEMT trips
- Not required
- Medicaid enrollment
- 1,780,918 (September 2026, all AHCCCS enrollees)
On this page
How Medicaid NEMT works in Arizona
AHCCCS covers NEMT under AMPM Policy 310-BB for members who cannot provide, secure, or pay for their own ride and have no free transportation, to the nearest appropriate AHCCCS-registered provider. The policy does not cover emergency-only members in the Federal Emergency Services Program. In Maricopa and Pima counties, plan members get pharmacy rides only within 15 miles of the pickup, except to compounding or specialty pharmacies with plan approval.
Most members belong to one of six AHCCCS Complete Care (ACC) plans: Arizona Complete Health-Complete Care Plan, Banner-University Family Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Health Choice, Mercy Care, Molina Complete Care, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. Each plan owns its members' rides and decides whether to run them through a broker. Long-term care members in the ALTCS Elderly and Physically Disabled program are enrolled with UnitedHealthcare, Banner-University Family Care, or Mercy Care, and members with developmental disabilities with DES/DDD.
The AHCCCS Division of Fee-for-Service Management pays trips for the American Indian Health Program, Tribal ALTCS, TRBHA members, and other fee-for-service members. Providers bill those trips to AHCCCS on a CMS 1500, an 837P, or the online portal, attach the AHCCCS Daily Trip Report, and list the pickup and drop-off address on every claim. Prior authorization is needed only when one member's trips for the day exceed 100 miles, and never for IHS or tribal 638 providers.
Governing rule:AHCCCS Medical Policy Manual, Policy 310-BB: Transportation
Who brokers Medicaid rides in Arizona
Which company pays you depends on the member's health plan. MTM Health and Veyo name three ACC plans as clients, while Arizona Complete Health, Banner, and Mercy Care members book rides through the plan's member line. Fee-for-service members stay with AHCCCS.
| Broker | Serves | Provider sign-up |
|---|---|---|
| MTM Health | UnitedHealthcare Community Plan and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Health Choice ACC members. UnitedHealthcare members book non-urgent rides three days ahead. | Provider page |
| Veyo (MTM Health) | Molina Complete Care members. Rides are booked three business days ahead at 833-474-5060. MTM Health has owned Veyo since August 1, 2022. | Provider page |
| Arizona Complete Health-Complete Care Plan | The largest ACC plan. Members book rides through Member Services at 1-888-788-4408. The plan made Medical Transportation Brokerage of Arizona (MTBA) its exclusive NEMT vendor effective October 1, 2021, and MTM Health bought MTBA on July 1, 2023. Ask the plan which network carries its members before you apply. | |
| Banner-University Family Care and Mercy Care | Members book through the plan. Banner members call the Customer Care Center at 800-582-8686 and choose the transportation option, at least 72 hours ahead. Mercy Care runs rides through a contracted NEMT broker. Ask each plan which network to join. | |
| AHCCCS fee-for-service (DFSM) | American Indian Health Program, Tribal ALTCS, TRBHA, and other fee-for-service members. Registered PT-28 providers bill AHCCCS directly with the Daily Trip Report. | Provider page |
AHCCCS minimum subcontract provisions require every provider that subcontracts under a health plan to be registered with AHCCCS and to keep every license and permit current. Register as provider type 28 before you approach a plan or broker.
Transportation network companies may serve AHCCCS members only through an NEMT broker under a plan's contract, and may not take member calls or schedule rides directly (AMPM 310-BB).
AHCCCS posts a monthly list of registered NEMT providers and the tribal business licenses each one holds.
How to become a NEMT provider in Arizona
Registration with AHCCCS comes first, then plan and broker contracts. AHCCCS says applications are generally processed within 60 days.
Form the business and get an ADOT vehicle for hire permit
File your LLC or corporation papers with the Arizona Corporation Commission, get a federal EIN, and apply to ADOT for a vehicle for hire company permit under A.R.S. 28-9503. The permit is valid for three years. AHCCCS lists the ADOT permit among the PT-28 registration documents, and PT-28 is an atypical provider type, so AHCCCS does not require an NPI for it.
Register with AHCCCS as provider type 28 in APEP
Apply in the AHCCCS Provider Enrollment Portal. NEMT is a high-risk provider type, so new applicants have gone through an enrollment fee, a site visit, and a fingerprint-based criminal background check since May 1, 2023. The 2026 fee is $750. Upload vehicle insurance, vehicle registrations, the signed PT-28 profile form, and each driver's full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and employment dates. The site visit checks for your company logo on every vehicle. Registration revalidates every four years, and driver changes are reported in APEP within 30 days.
Complete the AHCCCS NEMT Certification Training
The business owner, and only the owner, completes the NEMT Certification Training in AZLearns, the state learning platform (course HCNEMT2026 in the 2026 packet), then uploads the certificate in APEP. Owners also attest that every driver holds current CPR, First Aid, and HIPAA training.
Get a tribal business license for every reservation you serve
Since October 1, 2014, any NEMT provider picking up or dropping off AHCCCS members on a reservation needs a business license from that tribe on file with AHCCCS Provider Registration. Without it, prior authorization is denied and paid claims are recouped.
AHCCCS Fee-for-Service Provider Billing Manual, chapter 14: Transportation
Contract with the plans and brokers in your area
Apply to MTM Health for UnitedHealthcare and Health Choice and to Veyo for Molina. Ask Arizona Complete Health, Banner, and Mercy Care which network carries their members. MTM Health's process runs from application to interview, contracting, credentialing, and training before the first trip, and every employee repeats fraud, waste, and abuse and HIPAA training each year.
Bill fee-for-service trips correctly
Put all of one member's trips for a date on one claim: trips on line 1, loaded miles on line 2, and wait time (T2007, 30-minute units) on line 3. Rural trips outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas use the TN modifier. Split claims and claims without the AHCCCS Daily Trip Report deny.
AHCCCS Fee-for-Service Provider Billing Manual, chapter 14: Transportation
Vehicle and driver requirements in Arizona
AHCCCS sets a short list of vehicle and driver rules in AMPM 310-BB, the PT-28 profile, and the fee-for-service manual. Plans and brokers add their own credentialing on top.
Vehicles
| Requirement | State rule | Broker contract |
|---|---|---|
| Operating permit | ADOT vehicle for hire company permit, valid three years (A.R.S. 28-9503), listed in the PT-28 profile. | AHCCCS subcontract provisions require every license and permit to stay current for the life of the contract. |
| Company identification | A company logo on every vehicle, checked at the PT-28 site visit. | Vehicles must also pass the broker's own inspection. |
| Condition and occupancy | Vehicles insured and in good working order, passengers inside the vehicle, occupancy within the manufacturer's seating (AMPM 310-BB). | MTM Health tracks licenses, insurance, and vehicle inspections and will not assign trips when a credential lapses. |
| Wheelchair vans | Doors wide enough to load a wheelchair, a lift that loads and unloads safely, and restraints that secure the wheelchair in transit (fee-for-service manual, chapter 14). | Covered by the broker's vehicle inspection. |
| Tribal lands | A tribal business license from each tribe whose land you serve, on file with AHCCCS. | Same requirement for plan trips on reservations. |
Drivers
| Requirement | State rule | Broker contract |
|---|---|---|
| Driver's license | Valid Arizona driver's license for every driver, kept on file and provided to AHCCCS on request (PT-28 profile). | License and background check records monitored by the broker. |
| Training | Owner provides CPR, First Aid, and HIPAA training for every driver. Owner completes the AHCCCS NEMT Certification Training. | MTM Health: fraud, waste, and abuse training and HIPAA training for every employee, every year. |
| Driver roster | Each driver's legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and employment dates entered in APEP; changes reported within 30 days. | Driver documents submitted during broker credentialing. |
| Drug laws | A written process to address any driver's violation of state drug laws, attested on the PT-28 profile. | Set in each broker contract. |
| Unaccompanied minors | Plans may allow 16 and 17 year olds to ride alone with a signed guardian release, if the driver holds a DPS Level I fingerprint clearance card and walks the member inside. Fee-for-service NEMT providers may not transport unaccompanied minors. | At the plan's discretion. |
Insurance minimums in Arizona
Two sets of minimums apply. State law sets the vehicle for hire floor by seating capacity, and AHCCCS sets higher limits for every provider that subcontracts under a health plan.
| Coverage | Minimum | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle for hire seating 8 or fewer, driver included, during an accepted ride | $250,000 per incident primary commercial liability, plus uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 per person and $75,000 per incident | A.R.S. 28-4033 and 28-4039 |
| Vehicle for hire seating 8 or fewer, available but no ride accepted | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident bodily injury, $20,000 property damage | A.R.S. 28-4039 |
| Vehicles seating 9 to 15, driver included | $750,000 combined single limit, plus $300,000 uninsured motorist | A.R.S. 28-4033 |
| Vehicles seating 16 or more | $5,000,000 combined single limit, plus $300,000 uninsured motorist | A.R.S. 28-4033 |
| Business auto liability | $1,000,000 combined single limit, with the State of Arizona as additional insured | AHCCCS Minimum Subcontract Provisions (effective October 1, 2024) |
| Commercial general liability | $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate; $500,000 and $1,000,000 for subcontracts under $50,000 | AHCCCS Minimum Subcontract Provisions |
| Workers compensation and employers liability | Statutory workers compensation; employers liability of $1,000,000 per accident | AHCCCS Minimum Subcontract Provisions |
| Carrier rating | A.M. Best A- VII or better | AHCCCS Minimum Subcontract Provisions |
Does Arizona require EVV for NEMT?
No. AHCCCS applies EVV to personal care and home health services under AMPM Policy 540. NEMT trips are documented on the AHCCCS Daily Trip Report instead.
The Daily Trip Report is the only accepted trip record for fee-for-service claims, and providers may not make their own version. It records the driver, the vehicle, pickup and drop-off addresses, clock times, odometer readings, and the member's signature, which a driver may never supply. A tablet is fine if the member and driver sign by pen or fingertip; typed names do not count. AHCCCS audits mileage, wait time, and medical necessity after payment and recoups trips with missing information.
AHCCCS Medical Policy Manual, Policy 540: Electronic Visit Verification
What changed in Arizona in 2025 and 2026
AHCCCS covered 1,780,918 people in September 2026, down 8 percent from a year earlier. That total includes 122,374 emergency-only members, who fall outside the NEMT policy, and 68,132 enrolled only for SLMB, QI-1, or transplant coverage.
ACC plan enrollment in September 2026: Arizona Complete Health-Complete Care Plan 339,950, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan 309,518, Mercy Care 285,876, Banner-University Family Care 209,736, Health Choice 176,252, and Molina Complete Care 34,291. The American Indian Health Program had 92,629 members. The three plans that name MTM Health or Veyo as their broker hold about 520,000 members.
The AHCCCS fee-for-service schedule effective October 1, 2026 pays $11.15 per wheelchair van trip plus $1.54 per mile in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas, and $12.21 plus $1.66 elsewhere. Stretcher vans pay $49.09 per trip plus $1.54 per mile ($86.70 and $1.66 rural), and wait time pays $4.59 per 30-minute unit. The only change from October 2025 is rural S0215 mileage, up from $1.53 to $1.63. Plans and brokers set their own rates in contract.
AHCCCS polices plan transportation rules. It issued Mercy Care a notice to cure on March 21, 2025 after the plan added prior authorization for longer trips and a three-day notice rule without state review. Mercy Care told its broker to drop the protocols that day, and AHCCCS released the plan from the notice on September 16, 2025.
Arizona Complete Health-Complete Care Plan moves NEMT from Veyo to MTBA as its exclusive vendor.
MTM Health closes its acquisition of Veyo.
AHCCCS begins high-risk screening (fee, site visit, fingerprints) for new PT-28 applicants.
MTM Health closes its acquisition of MTBA.
AHCCCS issues Mercy Care a notice to cure over new NEMT authorization and notice rules.
The current revision of AMPM Policy 310-BB, the AHCCCS transportation policy, takes effect.
AHCCCS releases Mercy Care from the notice to cure.
The AHCCCS provider enrollment fee for 2026 takes effect at $750.
The fiscal 2027 fee-for-service NEMT schedule takes effect.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the NEMT broker in Arizona?
- There is no single broker. Each AHCCCS health plan arranges its members' rides. MTM Health serves UnitedHealthcare Community Plan and Health Choice, and its subsidiary Veyo serves Molina Complete Care. Arizona Complete Health, Banner, and Mercy Care members book through the plan's member line. AHCCCS pays fee-for-service trips, including the American Indian Health Program, directly.
- Do I need a license to start a NEMT business in Arizona?
- Arizona has no NEMT license, but you need an ADOT vehicle for hire company permit, valid for three years, and AHCCCS registration as provider type 28. If you serve reservations, you also need a business license from each tribe.
- How do I register with AHCCCS as a NEMT provider?
- Apply in the AHCCCS Provider Enrollment Portal as provider type 28. Expect high-risk screening: a $750 enrollment fee in 2026, a site visit, and a fingerprint-based background check. Upload vehicle insurance, registrations, your ADOT permit, the signed PT-28 profile, driver details, and the owner's AHCCCS NEMT Certification Training certificate. AHCCCS generally processes applications within 60 days.
- Do I need an NPI to be an AHCCCS NEMT provider?
- No. AHCCCS enrolls NEMT companies as provider type 28, an atypical type, and its profile states that an NPI is not required. A plan or broker may still ask for one in its own credentialing.
- What insurance does an Arizona NEMT company need?
- For vehicles seating 8 or fewer, Arizona law requires $250,000 per incident of primary commercial liability during an accepted ride, plus uninsured motorist coverage. Vehicles seating 9 to 15 need $750,000. Providers that subcontract under a health plan must meet AHCCCS minimums: $1,000,000 combined single limit auto liability, $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate general liability, and workers compensation, with an A- VII or better carrier.
- When does an AHCCCS NEMT trip need prior authorization?
- For fee-for-service members, only when one member's trips on a date total more than 100 miles. IHS and tribal 638 providers are exempt. Plans set their own rules, and AHCCCS expects them to clear major changes with the state first.
- Does Arizona require EVV for NEMT?
- No. AHCCCS applies EVV to personal care and home health services under AMPM Policy 540. NEMT uses the AHCCCS Daily Trip Report, with odometer readings, clock times, and the member's signature for every trip.
- How much does AHCCCS pay for NEMT?
- The fee-for-service schedule effective October 1, 2026 pays $11.15 per wheelchair van trip plus $1.54 per mile in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas, $49.09 per stretcher van trip plus $1.54 per mile, and $4.59 per 30 minutes of wait time, with higher rural rates. Plans and brokers negotiate their own rates.
Running NEMT in Arizona with HealthRide
Arizona fleets bill several plans and brokers plus AHCCCS fee-for-service, often in the same week. HealthRide runs every trip on one dispatch board and records every payment, whichever payer it came from, in one ledger.
Signatures are captured on screen in the driver app, and the trip log exports as CSV or PDF for your own records.
Official resources
- AHCCCS Medical Policy Manual, Policy 310-BB: Transportation
- AHCCCS Fee-for-Service Provider Billing Manual, chapter 14: Transportation (July 2026)
- AHCCCS: NEMT PT-28 packet (profile and training instructions)
- AHCCCS: Non-emergency transportation provider types (high-risk screening)
- AHCCCS: Provider enrollment (APEP)
- AHCCCS: NEMT providers (registered provider list and Daily Trip Report)
- AHCCCS: Ground transportation fee schedule, non-emergency, effective October 1, 2026
- AHCCCS: Ground transportation fee schedule, non-emergency, effective October 1, 2025
- AHCCCS Minimum Subcontract Provisions (effective October 1, 2024)
- AHCCCS Medical Policy Manual, Policy 540: Electronic Visit Verification
- AHCCCS: Electronic Visit Verification
- AHCCCS: Health plans
- AHCCCS: Contract amendments
- AHCCCS: Population by category (September 2026)
- AHCCCS: Population by health care contractor (September 2026)
- AHCCCS: Notice to cure, Mercy Care (March 21, 2025)
- AHCCCS: Release from notice to cure, Mercy Care (September 16, 2025)
- ADOT: Vehicle for hire licensing
- ADOT: Taxi, livery, and limousine insurance requirements
- A.R.S. 28-9503: Vehicle for hire company permits
- A.R.S. 28-4033: Financial responsibility requirements
- A.R.S. 28-4039: Taxi, livery vehicle or limousine; financial responsibility
- Arizona Corporation Commission: Corporations Division
- Molina Healthcare of Arizona: Transportation services
- UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona: 2026 care provider manual
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Health Choice: Provider manual, chapter 3
- Arizona Complete Health: Vendor change for NEMT services (MTBA)
- Arizona Complete Health-Complete Care Plan: Member handbook (2026)
- Banner-University Family Care: Transportation
- MTM Health: Acquisition of MTBA
- MTM Health: Acquisition of Veyo finalized
- MTM Health: Join the transportation provider network
- Veyo: Join the Veyo provider network
- Medical Transportation Brokerage of Arizona (MTBA)
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