Virginia NEMT Broker Guide 2026: MTM Health, Cardinal Care and Who Sends Your Trips
MTM Health now manages Virginia's Cardinal Care fee-for-service rides, and each managed care plan has its own vendor. Here is who sends trips and what providers must do.
Who is the NEMT broker in Virginia?
Quick answer
Since October 1, 2026, MTM Health has managed Virginia's Cardinal Care fee-for-service NEMT, replacing ModivCare. Managed care members ride through their plan's vendor: ModivCare for Humana and Sentara, MTM for Anthem, MediDrive for Aetna and SafeRide Health for UnitedHealthcare, so providers may need several broker contracts.
NEMT Operations Expert
Virginia no longer has one familiar NEMT broker for Medicaid. Since October 1, 2026, MTM Health manages Cardinal Care fee-for-service (FFS) transportation, replacing ModivCare, while each Cardinal Care managed care plan uses its own vendor. If you run wheelchair, ambulatory or stretcher trips in the Commonwealth, the Virginia NEMT broker you contract with now depends on the member's plan, not just the state.
This guide maps who sends trips for each program, what the switch changed for providers, and what MTM, DMAS and the DMV require before you can carry a Medicaid member. Every requirement below comes from the agency or broker page linked next to it, so you can check it against your own contracts.
Who Is the Virginia NEMT Broker Now?
A Virginia Medicaid transportation broker is the company DMAS or a health plan pays to verify eligibility, book rides and assign them to credentialed transportation providers. In a September 2026 DMAS bulletin, the agency said it selected MTM through a competitive procurement for Cardinal Care FFS members and listed the vendor for each managed care plan.
| Cardinal Care program | NEMT broker or vendor | What it means for providers |
|---|---|---|
| Fee-for-service, including CL, BI and FIS waiver trips | MTM Health (since October 1, 2026) | Join MTM's Virginia network to keep FFS and waiver standing-order trips |
| Anthem HealthKeepers Plus | MTM | Same broker as FFS; confirm with MTM that your agreement covers Anthem trips |
| Humana Healthy Horizons in Virginia | ModivCare | Keep your ModivCare credentialing current for these members |
| Sentara Health Plans | ModivCare | Same ModivCare network as Humana trips |
| Aetna Better Health of Virginia | MediDrive | Separate credentialing file with MediDrive |
| UnitedHealthcare Community Plan | SafeRide Health | Separate credentialing file with SafeRide |
The practical takeaway: a fleet that wants access to most Virginia Medicaid volume now deals with up to four companies. For Cardinal Care transportation under managed care, members call the number on their plan card, and that plan's vendor decides which provider gets the ride.
What Changed in the Virginia NEMT Broker Change of 2026?
For members, very little on the surface. The Virginia NEMT program site now states that MTM manages FFS operations, and DMAS says the program phone numbers, policies, standing-order trips and reservation process did not change. The reservation line stays 1-866-386-8331 and the late-ride line 1-866-246-9979.
For providers, the change is bigger. The payer behind your FFS trips is now MTM, so trip assignments, credentialing files, rates and payment come from a different company. The DMAS bulletin also says FFS members can use MTM's mobile app from October 1, 2026, and that members who were paid mileage reimbursement by ModivCare now submit their mileage logs to MTM.
Standing orders and waiver facilities
Standing orders matter most for dialysis, chemotherapy, wound care and day-support routes. Under the bulletin, IDD Waiver facilities keep scheduling standing transportation for Building Independence, Family and Individual Support and Community Living waiver services, and MTM reviews all standing orders with those facilities. If a recurring route you ran for years disappears from your manifest, ask the facility whether its order was renewed with MTM before assuming the trips went to another provider.
How to Join MTM Health Virginia as a Transportation Provider
MTM's Virginia transportation provider page describes three recruiting phases (application, credentialing and contracting) handled with a designated MTM representative. Expect the steps to look like this:
- Complete MTM's provider network questionnaire and application
- Submit driver files: criminal background check, Virginia DMV driving record and a valid Virginia driver's license
- Train drivers in MTM driver training, defensive driving and basic first aid, plus wheelchair securement for wheelchair service
- Pass MTM's vehicle inspection, which repeats twice a year, and display the sticker in the lower right corner of the passenger-side rear window
- Name MTM as certificate holder and additional insured on your insurance policies, and carry workers' compensation
- Agree rates with MTM, which sets them with each provider individually, then sign the contract
Credentialing files move faster when every license, training card and policy date lives in one place. ZeitRide's NEMT compliance tracking stores driver and vehicle documents with expiry alerts, so a lapsed first aid card does not pull a driver off MTM trips. For the national view of MTM's process, see our MTM Health provider guide.
Virginia NEMT Provider Requirements Before Any Broker Contract
Brokers credential you, but the Commonwealth sets the floor. Two sets of rules apply to every Virginia NEMT company, whichever broker sends the trips.
DMV operating authority
The Virginia DMV NEMT carrier page requires operating authority filed on Form OA 151, a $50 filing fee and a $3 registration fee, and a $25,000 surety bond or letter of credit kept on file for three years. Vehicles need NEMT-designated registration and plates. Minimum liability is $350,000 for vehicles carrying one to six passengers including the driver, $1.5 million for seven to 15, and $5 million for 16 or more.
DMAS driver, attendant and vehicle standards
The DMAS driver, attendant and vehicle requirements, updated May 26, 2026, set minimums the broker enforces:
- Drivers at least 18, licensed for at least two years, with no more than two chargeable accidents or moving violations in the past three years
- No barrier crime convictions, with state police or national background checks and a sex offender registry search before the first trip
- Broker driver training completed before transporting any member
- Vehicles inspected before they carry members and again every six months
- Business name and phone number on both sides in letters at least three inches high, and never the words Medicaid or FAMIS
- A seat belt cutter, a Class A, B, C fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a spill kit on board
- Two crew members, trained in first aid, bloodborne pathogens and patient transfer, on every stretcher van
Twice-yearly broker inspections are easier to pass when drivers log daily pre-trip checks. ZeitRide's digital vehicle inspections record those checks in the driver app and store them per vehicle, ready to pull by date when a broker inspector asks. If you are still forming the company, our guide to starting a NEMT business in Virginia covers registration and insurance planning.
MTM Service Rules That Affect Your Revenue
Winning the contract is the first half. MTM's Virginia rules decide how many trips you keep and how many you lose to complaints. The provider page sets these standards:
- Arrive within 15 minutes before or after the scheduled pickup time
- Tell MTM right away about any known delay of 15 minutes or more
- Keep ride time within direct travel time plus 45 minutes, with no unscheduled stops
- Use hands-free devices only, and only to reach your own dispatcher
- Do not carry a member or a wheelchair up or down steps
- Provide the assistance level on the trip: curb to curb, door to door or hand to hand
Two rules hit cash flow directly. MTM does not reimburse no-shows and asks providers to confirm each pickup the day before. And under the facility rules, will-call return trips are booked without a time, and the provider is expected to arrive within 45 minutes of the call. Routine trips are booked at least five business days ahead, and standing orders can be booked for up to six months.
A day-before confirmation call, logged on the trip, and a dispatcher who can see every open will-call protect both numbers. When a member says they never got the call, that log is your evidence.
How Should Providers Handle Multiple Virginia Brokers?
Most Virginia fleets now run at least two broker relationships, and each comes with its own portal, trip format and cancellation feed. MTM sends assignments through the MTM Link provider portal and driver app, and its page says MTM Link integrates with several third-party dispatch platforms. ModivCare, MediDrive and SafeRide trips arrive through their own systems.
Re-keying trips from four portals is where errors start: a cancelled ride still on a manifest, a wrong pickup time, or a missing signature that delays payment. ZeitRide's NEMT broker integrations pull MTM Health trips straight into the schedule, and bulk imports bring in files from other brokers, so dispatchers work from one board.
Keep Your Virginia NEMT Broker Trips Flowing
The Virginia NEMT broker for FFS trips is now MTM Health, and managed care trips are split across MTM, ModivCare, MediDrive and SafeRide. Confirm which contracts you hold, update credentialing and insurance certificates for MTM, and check every standing order against your manifests this month. Providers who do that early keep their routes while others wait on paperwork.
ZeitRide gives Virginia fleets dispatch, routing, a driver app, compliance tracking and billing in one platform for $49 per vehicle per month, with MTM Health trips imported automatically. Book a ZeitRide demo and we will set up your vehicles, drivers and broker connections with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is the NEMT broker in Virginia?
For Cardinal Care fee-for-service members, MTM Health has managed NEMT since October 1, 2026. Managed care members ride through their plan's vendor: ModivCare for Humana and Sentara, MTM for Anthem, MediDrive for Aetna and SafeRide Health for UnitedHealthcare, according to a September 2026 DMAS bulletin.
Q: Did ModivCare lose the Virginia Medicaid transportation contract?
ModivCare no longer manages Cardinal Care fee-for-service transportation. DMAS selected MTM through a competitive procurement, and MTM took over FFS operations on October 1, 2026. ModivCare still serves Humana and Sentara managed care members, so many Virginia providers keep a ModivCare contract for those trips.
Q: Do I need a new contract to keep fee-for-service trips in Virginia?
Yes, FFS trips now come from MTM, so you need to be in MTM's Virginia network. MTM recruits through application, credentialing and contracting with a designated representative. Rates are set with each provider individually, and MTM must be named as certificate holder and additional insured on your policies.
Q: What are the Virginia NEMT provider requirements?
You need DMV operating authority as an NEMT carrier, with NEMT plates, a $25,000 bond and at least $350,000 of liability for vehicles carrying one to six people. DMAS requires drivers aged 18 or older with two years of licensed driving, background checks, broker training and vehicle inspections before service and twice a year.
Q: Does MTM pay for no-shows in Virginia?
No. MTM's Virginia provider page says it does not reimburse no-shows, and asks providers to confirm each pickup with the member the day before and cancel the trip if the member will not attend. Logging that confirmation call protects you in disputes and keeps your no-show rate low.
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