Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Massachusetts program

Rides to appointments (the PT-1 request)

Free rides to covered appointments through MassHealth [PT-1 transportation].

What it is

Free rides to covered appointments through MassHealth [PT-1 transportation].

Regular clinic trips can be hard to manage when a car or driver is unavailable. MassHealth transportation can help after the clinic sends a PT-1 request. The regional ride service handles bookings.

Eligibility rules
  • Your child needs an eligible MassHealth coverage type and a PT-1 request from the treating clinic.
  • MassHealth approves the request. A regional transportation broker arranges travel to covered care.
What you get
  • No-charge rides to and from eligible MassHealth appointments.
What the help covers
  • MassHealth or the clinic confirms the broker assigned to your home address. MART and GATRA have different service areas; the hospital’s location alone does not decide your broker.
  • The broker assigned to your home address can confirm booking notice, urgent appointments, an escort and car-seat or wheelchair arrangements. Public-transit reimbursement and exceptional transportation have separate documentation rules. Before paying for distant-care travel, meals or lodging, the social worker can help get a written coverage and authorization decision; these costs are not automatically reimbursed.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the clinic to send a PT-1 request for your child’s appointments.
  2. Have the MassHealth card, appointment schedule, home address, and any wheelchair or car-seat needs ready.
  3. Ask which regional service covers your address, then arrange the trips with that service.

The transportation broker assigned to your home address. MART: 866-834-9991. GATRA: 800-431-1713. The clinic or MassHealth can confirm which broker handles your child’s authorized trips. · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • A booking includes a pickup window. The broker can explain standing appointments and what to do when an appointment changes.
  • If a trip is refused, the broker can explain why and the clinic can check whether the PT-1 covers that appointment.
Good to know

Three business days is routine scheduling guidance. The broker can check urgent trips rather than treating shorter notice as an automatic refusal.

Other details
  • MART scheduling is 866-834-9991; GATRA is 800-431-1713. The assigned broker confirms any escort, wheelchair or car-seat arrangements.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could PT-1 rides help with our child’s appointments, and what are the practical limits? If they fit, could you help the clinic send the request and identify our booking service?”

Why I’m asking: I want a reliable way to reach treatment and to understand what happens when an appointment changes.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Ask for the PT-1 early and book each ride with the broker.

Your social worker

The clinic files the PT-1 and names the appointments.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
MassHealth approves the request; the regional broker arranges the trips.
Ask your social worker
“Can the clinic file a PT-1 for my child’s appointments, and can you tell me which broker covers us and how to book a ride at short notice?”

How to apply

First step: Ask the clinic to file a PT-1 now, before the first clinic week you cannot drive to.

  1. Ask the clinic to file the PT-1 at the start of treatment.
  2. Book trips at least three business days ahead where you can.
  3. Ask the broker what to do for an urgent or same-day trip.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Ask the clinic to file the PT-1, then call the broker to book each trip. The south-eastern and Cape Cod scheduling line is 800-431-1713; the other region’s scheduling number was not published.

What to gather

  • The appointment schedule
  • The MassHealth card
  • Your address and any wheelchair or car-seat needs

How long: Book each trip at least three business days ahead whenever you can.

What a yes looks like

A booked ride with a pick-up window, arranged by the broker.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If a ride is refused, ask the broker for the reason and ask the clinic whether the PT-1 covers that appointment type.

Watch out

  • The clinic files the request but the broker books the ride; ask for both at the start.
  • Three business days’ notice is what the broker asks for, so standing appointments beat one-off calls.
  • Meals and lodging for care far from home were not published; ask the broker and the hospital separately.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Rides to covered appointments arranged by the regional broker. Give at least three business days’ notice whenever possible; the scheduling line for the south-eastern and Cape Cod region is 800-431-1713.

  • $3 — Business days of notice the broker asks for whenever possible

Covers: Rides to and from covered appointments · Trips arranged by the regional broker once the provider files the request

What it costs the family: No charge on MassHealth.

The eligibility facts, as published

Coverage
a MassHealth coverage type
Request
a PT-1 filed by the provider
Residency
Massachusetts
Regions
one broker covers western, central and north-eastern Massachusetts and metropolitan Boston; the other covers south-eastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod

The trap: The ride is booked by the broker, not the clinic, and the guidance asks for at least three business days’ notice whenever possible. Ask the clinic to file the PT-1 at the start of treatment, not the week you need it.

Where I read this

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