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

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Virginia program

Rides to Medicaid appointments

Virginia Medicaid can cover travel to covered medical appointments.

What it is

Virginia Medicaid can cover travel to covered medical appointments.

Frequent visits can make travel a major cost. The booking service depends on how your child gets Medicaid. The plan confirms which distant-treatment expenses it covers.

Eligibility rules
  • Your child needs Medicaid for the covered appointment. Routine arranged rides generally need five business days. Mileage reimbursement needs a trip number arranged before the appointment and the required records, without that five-day minimum. The booking service handles urgent trips separately.
What you get
  • No-cost rides to covered Medicaid appointments.
  • A review of possible distant-treatment meal and lodging help for your child and accompanying adults.
What the rules cover
  • The health plan arranges managed-care travel. The state broker arranges fee-for-service travel.
  • Reservation contacts: Medicaid paid directly by the state, 866-386-8331; Aetna Better Health, 800-734-0430; Anthem HealthKeepers Plus, 877-892-3988; Humana Healthy Horizons, 877-718-4215; Sentara Community Plan, 877-892-3986; UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, 833-215-3884. State-paid Medicaid ride assistance is 866-246-9979.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the clinic scheduler for the appointment list, addresses and times.
  2. Book through the number on the health-plan card. For Medicaid paid directly by the state, use 1-866-386-8331.

Cardinal Care health plan, or the state transportation broker · Official page ↗

If you decide to apply
  • Have your child’s coverage information, appointment time and clinic address ready when discussing a trip.
Good to know

For treatment far from home, ask the plan to say in writing which costs it will pay: the ride, your child's meals and lodging, and yours as the travelling adult.

Other details
  • If a family member drives, the trip still has to be arranged before the appointment to get mileage back, but the five-day notice does not apply. Ask the booking service to authorize the adult travelling with your child.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could we book rides for the treatment schedule together? What help is available for meals and overnight stays, and could you help confirm what our plan covers?”

Why I’m asking: Getting to treatment and staying nearby can be expensive.

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

Call five business days before the appointment with the address and the time.

Your social worker

The clinic scheduler can give you the whole month of appointments in one list.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The broker or the health plan
Ask your social worker
“Can I get the list of appointments for the next month so I can book all the rides in one call, and does our plan pay anything toward meals and lodging on the long trips?”

How to apply

First step: Call 1-866-386-8331 on fee-for-service, or the number on the health plan card, and book the next month at once.

  1. Book the next month of appointments in one call.
  2. Ask what the plan pays toward meals and lodging for the child on a long trip.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Fee-for-service: 1-866-386-8331. Otherwise call the number on the health plan card.

What to gather

  • The Medicaid or plan card
  • The list of appointments with addresses and times

How long: Five business days for routine trips.

What a yes looks like

A confirmed pickup time and a vehicle that arrives.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If a ride fails, use the ride-assist number on the same contact sheet and tell the clinic; missed rides are a documented complaint.

Watch out

  • Five business days for a routine trip; urgent care is the exception.
  • Lodging for a parent is not promised. The contract clause on an attendant's travel says it is for an attendant who is not family.

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

Free rides to Medicaid appointments, booked five business days ahead, plus meals and lodging for the child while travelling for care.

  • $5 — Business days to book a routine ride

Covers: Rides to and from covered appointments · Meals and lodging for the child while travelling for care · An attendant when medically necessary

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Coverage
Virginia Medicaid
Booking
five business days ahead for a routine trip, with an urgent-care exception

The trap: Routine rides need five business days' notice. Book the next month of appointments in one call rather than the night before. Urgent care is the exception.

Where I read this

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