Protected transportation under Medical Assistance fee-for–service

A protected transportation provider must confirm the person’s eligibility for Medical Assistance (MA) before providing any service. The only way to ensure reimbursement from Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) is to confirm the person is eligible for both MA and protected transportation.

Protected transportation does not have an age limit. Refer to Transportation of a Minor in the Nonemergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) Guide (DHS-6825) (PDF).

Medical Assistance covers the least costly type of transportation that meets the person’s needs. The assessment is the tool the crisis team uses to ensure protected transportation is the most appropriate type of transportation.

The protected transportation level-of-service (LOS) assessment only determines if use of protected transportation is appropriate for the situation or event taking place at that time. If the crisis team member completing the LOS assessment feels using protected transportation is inappropriate due to safety concerns, he or she must consider other forms of transport. These could include transport by ambulance or law enforcement personnel.

The protected transportation or other Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) transportation providers are not required to transport a minor without a parent, guardian, or responsible person.

DHS is working on training for mental health crisis providers regarding IDD (intellectual and developmental disabilities), DD, TBI and substance use concerns. We are developing a training plan and will post information about it on the DHS website when it is available. We will share any information about training with teams as it is developed. 

Mental health crisis providers can bill the mental health crisis grant for staff time, just as they do for other trainings and nonreimbursable screenings.

DHS selected the crisis teams to perform the assessment to ensure a consistent resource for the LOS assessment would be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As we implement protected transportation and the related processes, DHS will note any issues and concerns. We will then evaluate and reassess the process in 12–18 months.

Protected transportation is not just for people experiencing a mental health crisis. Using mental health crisis teams to do the level-of-service (LOS) assessment for protected transportation was a decision based on accessibility to teams at any time of day, 365 days a year, and the training and expertise of the crisis team staff. You could get referrals for the LOS assessment from any sources.

Transportation providers are not required to provide protected transportation. However, we know that several companies are providing this level of transport. Find a current protected transportation provider through the Provider Directory.

DHS does not require certain hours of operation for protected transportation providers. The time between when the ride is requested and when the person is picked up will depend on the availability of providers at that time.

Providers may choose to offer protected transportation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. However, we do not require that protected transportation providers be available at all times.