NEMT Medicaid Changes in 2026: What Providers Must Know

If you run NEMT trips against Medicaid, 2026 is the year the map underneath you shifted. The trips are the same. Who pays for them, which portal you file in, and which credentialing path you follow — those moved.

This roundup walks the changes that actually touch your money: broker consolidation, states carving NEMT into managed care, single-broker statewide moves, rate whiplash, and new state rules. Where a fact affects your payments, confirm the specifics with your broker or state Medicaid program before you act. It condenses what our team tracks every day inside our NEMT back office.

SS Support Network is an independent billing and credentialing support provider, not affiliated with or endorsed by any broker or state Medicaid agency.

What changed with NEMT brokers in 2025-2026?

The broker layer got smaller and more concentrated. MTM now owns both Access2Care and Veyo, so several names that used to be separate credentialing relationships now sit inside one organization. Fewer independent brokers to enroll with, but larger portals behind each one.

The bigger story is Modivcare. It filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2025 and emerged from restructuring on December 29, 2025. It kept operating trips and paying claims the entire time, so this was a balance-sheet event, not a service shutdown.

What that means for you is practical, not dramatic: confirm your current Modivcare portal, remittance, and contact details, because restructuring can quietly change back-office specifics even when the trips keep running. If you are new to these networks, our guide on getting approved by Modivcare, MTM, and Access2Care covers the enrollment path.

Which states moved NEMT into managed care?

Several states carved NEMT into managed care, which means the payer stops being the state and becomes the health plan's own broker. That single shift changes who you bill, which portal you use, and whose rules govern the trip.

Michigan carved NEMT into its Medicaid health plans effective October 1, 2024. Instead of one state route, you now follow the broker each plan uses.

Florida launched Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC 3.0) on February 1, 2025 across nine regions. The broker now varies by plan and region — you may be filing to Modivcare, MTM, Alivi, or Ride2MD depending on the member. Getting the payer wrong on a Florida trip is an easy, avoidable denial.

Texas has run most members through managed care for years, using programs like STAR, STAR+PLUS, and STAR Kids, where each plan brings its own broker. The latest example: SafeRide Health became the UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas vendor effective January 1, 2026. If you serve UnitedHealthcare members in Texas, that is a new portal and a new relationship to confirm.

Texas, Florida, California, and New York are also simply the largest NEMT markets by enrollment — roughly 4.4M, 3.7-4.3M, 14.9M, and 7M Medicaid enrollees respectively, per KFF Medicaid state fact sheets (2025). When a payer changes in one of these states, it touches a lot of trips at once.

Which state went to a single statewide broker?

Georgia consolidated to one broker. Verida — formerly Southeastrans — became the sole statewide NEMT broker for all five regions on April 1, 2026. One portal, one credentialing path, statewide.

For providers, single-broker moves cut both ways. Enrollment is simpler because there is only one door to walk through, but there is no backup payer relationship if the portal or a payment run has a problem. If you operate across state lines, our note on multi-state NEMT expansion covers how these per-state broker differences stack up.

What new state rules took effect?

Beyond payers, a set of enrollment, rate, and vehicle rules changed in ways that affect whether you can bill and how much.

Rate whiplash in North Carolina

North Carolina put a statewide NEMT rate cut in place on October 1, 2025, then reversed it on December 10, 2025, with Medicaid Direct phased back to the prior rates. If you repriced trips during the fourth quarter of 2025, you need to reconcile those claims against the restored rates and confirm the correct amounts with the state.

New vehicle and enrollment rules

California now requires a Vehicle Safety Systems Inspection (VSSI) certificate for NEMT vehicles, in effect since March 27, 2025. The older brake-and-light certificate is no longer accepted, so a lapsed or wrong certificate can stall trip assignments.

New Jersey is operating under a CMS moratorium on new NEMT provider enrollments, extended through July 1, 2026. New entrants there are effectively paused, so if you were planning to enter New Jersey, confirm the current status before you invest in the market.

Ohio's Molina dropped prior authorization for routine NEMT on October 1, 2025, and is migrating trips to the MTM Link portal. That removes a step on the front end, but it also means learning a new portal for those trips.

The changes at a glance

Treat this table as a starting point, not the final word. Dates and details can shift, so confirm anything that affects a payment with your broker or state Medicaid program.

Did EVV rules change for NEMT in 2026?

No — and this is worth saying plainly, because it is a common myth. There is still no federal Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) mandate for NEMT.

The 21st Century Cures Act EVV requirement covers personal-care and home-health services only. It does not apply to transportation.

What NEMT providers experience as "EVV" is broker GPS and mobile trip verification — the Modivcare and MTM apps that capture trip data. That is a contract requirement from the broker, not a state or federal law. The distinction matters because you comply by meeting your broker agreement, not by chasing a statute that does not exist for NEMT.

What should NEMT providers do about it?

The through-line across every 2026 change is the same: a payer, a portal, a rate, or a credentialing path moved, and your job is to catch it before it turns a clean trip into a denial. A short, concrete list handles most of the exposure.

Re-verify who the payer is on each trip, especially in Florida, Texas, and any state that just carved NEMT into managed care. The member's plan, not the state, now often decides the broker.

Confirm your portal and remittance details on every broker you work — Modivcare after its restructuring, Georgia's move to Verida, and Ohio's shift to MTM Link are all reasons a login or a payment route may have changed.

Reconcile any North Carolina trips you repriced in the fourth quarter of 2025 against the restored rates. Keep your credentialing current, including California's VSSI certificate, so a lapsed document never pauses trip assignments. Our broker credentialing and NEMT Medicaid billing teams handle exactly this kind of moving-target work.

If tracking all of this is pulling you away from drivers and vehicles, outsourcing the back office is worth pricing out. A dedicated team typically runs 35-70% versus fully-loaded in-house cost — see our pricing for what that looks like.

Frequently asked questions

Is Modivcare still operating after its 2025 bankruptcy?

Yes. Modivcare filed Chapter 11 in August 2025 and emerged from restructuring on December 29, 2025, and it kept operating trips and paying claims throughout the process. If you work Modivcare routes, confirm current portal, remittance, and contact details with the broker directly, since restructuring can change back-office specifics even when service continues.

Which states carved NEMT into managed care recently?

Michigan carved NEMT into its Medicaid health plans effective October 1, 2024. Florida launched Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC 3.0) on February 1, 2025 across nine regions, with the broker varying by plan and region. Texas runs most members through managed care programs such as STAR, STAR+PLUS, and STAR Kids, where each plan uses its own broker. Confirm the exact payer for each member with your broker or state Medicaid program.

Who is the NEMT broker in Georgia now?

Verida, formerly Southeastrans, became the sole statewide NEMT broker for all five Georgia regions on April 1, 2026. That means one portal and one credentialing path across the state. Providers that previously worked separate regional arrangements should confirm their enrollment and portal access with Verida.

Is EVV required for NEMT in 2026?

No. There is no federal Electronic Visit Verification mandate for NEMT. The 21st Century Cures Act EVV requirement covers personal-care and home-health services only. What NEMT providers experience as EVV is broker GPS and mobile trip verification through apps such as Modivcare and MTM, which is a contract requirement, not a state law.

Did North Carolina cut NEMT rates?

North Carolina put a statewide NEMT rate cut in place on October 1, 2025, then reversed it on December 10, 2025, with Medicaid Direct phased back to the prior rates. Providers that repriced trips during the fourth quarter need to reconcile those claims against the restored rates and confirm the correct amounts with the state Medicaid program.