How to Get Free Medicaid Transportation to Therapy in New York

A decision to start therapy takes effort, and figuring out how to get there should not deter you. With New York Medicaid, you may not have to solve it on your own. The program pays for rides to and from Medicaid-covered mental health care and substance use treatment at no cost to you, once the trip is approved. The one rule to remember is that every trip has to be approved before you go. You arrange it through Medical Answering Services (MAS), the company that runs the program.

If getting to appointments has been a challenge, you are not alone. In 2024, 14% of Medicaid members ages 19 to 64 said a lack of reliable transportation kept them from medical appointments or other daily needs — less than a third of the rate reported by people with private insurance. This guide explains how the benefit works, what kind of ride to expect, and how to book your first trip.

Does Medicaid Cover Rides to Therapy?

Yes. New York Medicaid provides free transportation to Medicaid-covered medical services, including therapy and counseling, once the trip is approved in advance. Federal law requires every state Medicaid program to make sure members can get to and from their providers, and people with mental health and substance use conditions are among the most frequent users of these rides. It does not matter whether your Medicaid comes through a health plan or directly from the state — both groups book rides through MAS.

What Kind of Ride You Will Get

Medicaid pays for the most medically appropriate, lowest-cost option that works for you. In most cases, that means traveling the same way you get around in daily life. The main options are:

• Public transit, with bus or subway passes or fare paid back to you.
• Taxi, for people with a medical reason they cannot use transit.
• Ambulette, a van equipped for wheelchairs and for people who need help getting to and from the vehicle.
• Your own car, with mileage paid back on approved trips, with limits in New York City.

Taxi and ambulette rides need approval from your provider. Your provider sends MAS a short medical form, called a 2015 form, that explains why you need that type of ride. If you are not sure whether you qualify, do not hesitate to ask your provider. There is also some room for mental health needs: a crowded bus or subway can be hard to face on a difficult day, and a transportation manager may assign door-to-door rides to people with mental health needs even when public transit is the default.

How to Schedule Your Ride

Booking a ride for the first time can feel like one more task on a long list. Once the first trip is set up, the rest follow the same steps. MAS splits New York into regions, and all five boroughs, along with Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and Putnam, are part of the Downstate region. If you live in Queens, for example, you use the Downstate line. Here is how to set up a ride:

• Confirm your appointment. Make sure your provider accepts Medicaid; the benefit only covers rides to providers who offer Medicaid-covered services in your local area.
• Ask your provider about a form if you need a taxi or ambulette. Your provider, meaning the therapist, doctor, or clinic you are going to see, fills out the 2015 form and sends it to MAS. You do not send it yourself. If you usually take the bus or subway, you can skip this step.
• Have your details ready. To open an online account, you need your name, email, cell phone, Medicaid ID number, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and your birth date. It also helps to keep your appointment date, time, and address nearby.
• Call MAS or book online. Downstate members can call MAS Monday through Friday, 7am to 6pm, or create an account on the Medical Answering Services website and book online at any time.
• Tell MAS early about any change. Plans change, and that is okay. If your appointment moves or is canceled, let MAS know as soon as possible.

If English is not your first language, or you are hard of hearing, the phone line offers translation and relay services.

How Far Ahead Do I Book?

A little planning keeps the ride from turning into a last-minute worry. Book at least three days ahead for routine and recurring appointments, such as weekly therapy. Other timelines depend on the type of trip: public transit needs at least five days ahead so MAS can mail your fare before the appointment, urgent or sick visits can be booked the same day, and long-distance trips need at least seven days ahead. There is no set number of miles that defines “long distance” — Medicaid covers rides within the area where people in your community usually get their care, based on your home address. Not everything can be planned: the MAS contact center takes urgent requests and hospital discharges 24 hours a day, every day.

Using the Subway, Bus, or Your Own Car in New York City

If you usually ride the bus or subway, expect MAS to set you up with public transit. When passes cannot be mailed in time, you can get the fare paid back for an approved trip. Driving yourself works differently in the city: Medicaid pays mileage for approved trips, and you must send in the reimbursement form within 60 days of the appointment. If you live and get care in Queens, ask MAS which option fits before you drive.

What Medicaid Transportation Does Not Cover

This benefit is for non-emergency trips only. For a medical emergency, call 911. Rides to non-medical places such as pharmacies, gyms, schools, or grocery stores are not covered. Distance matters too — rides to providers outside your local medical area are covered only if a referring provider confirms that the care you need is not available closer to home.

What If I Need a Ride Somewhere Other Than an Appointment?

Getting to therapy is one need. Getting to other services is another. New York’s Social Care Network program can help some Medicaid members with rides to social care services. These rides do not cover medical appointments, so you still book therapy trips through MAS. Instead, they cover trips to places the program approves, such as a job interview, a parenting class, housing court, a local farmers market, or a city or state office to get important documents. In Queens, screening for the program runs through Public Health Solutions, and services are free for eligible Medicaid members and can last from one week to six months.

What Matters Most

• New York Medicaid covers rides to and from Medicaid-covered appointments, including mental health and substance use care, at no cost when MAS approves the trip first.
• In the Downstate region, which includes all five boroughs, you can call MAS or book online.
• Book routine and recurring appointments at least 3 days ahead, and public transit at least 5 days ahead.
• Most people travel the way they do in daily life. Taxi and ambulette rides need a form from your provider.
• Mileage payback does not apply to trips between the five boroughs.
• Rides to non-medical places are not part of this benefit, but the Social Care Network may help with some of them.

If getting there has been the reason you put off care, this benefit was built for that problem. You do not have to work it all out alone.

Counseling in Rego Park and Fresh Meadows, Queens

Rego Park Counseling offers mental health and substance use counseling at two Queens locations, in Rego Park and Fresh Meadows. We are licensed by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports and the New York State Office of Mental Health. Care includes individual, couples, family, and group therapy, and dual diagnosis treatment for people managing mental health and substance use together, with telehealth sessions available for days when a visit in person is not possible.

We also take part in New York’s Social Care Network program. If transportation or other needs are getting in the way, our intake team can screen Medicaid members and connect them with a Social Care Navigator. Rego Park Counseling accepts most Medicaid plans, and our team can review your insurance and Medicaid coverage with you before your first visit.

Reaching out can feel like a big step. Contact our intake team, and we will talk through your coverage and your next steps.