Protected Transportation Services

Revised: April 18, 2025

Overview

Protected Transportation is a state administered nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) transport level of service. It is intended for use by a member who received a transportation level-of-service (LOS) assessment, and whose assessment determined that other forms of transportation are not appropriate. The member must require transport by a provider who meets both of the following criteria:

· Has a protected vehicle that is not an ambulance or police car and has safety locks, a video recorder, and a transparent thermoplastic partition between the passenger and the vehicle driver

· Is a provider certified by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) as a protected transport provider

Mental health crisis teams certify the member for protected transportation services using the Protected Transport – Level-of-Service (LOS) Assessment (DHS-6715) (PDF). They base certification on the specific situation and needs of the client at the time of the protected transportation request. Protected transport certification is for a single date and a single transport (one trip or one trip leg).

Refer to the mental health crisis contact numbers for the crisis team contact for each county.

For hospital to facility transports, a licensed health care practitioner employed by the hospital can certify the member for protected transport using the Protected Transport – Level-of-Service (LOS) Assessment (DHS-6715) (PDF). The member must be stabilized and the transport distance less than 100 miles.

Once the mental health crisis team or licensed health care provider within a hospital has completed the protected transportation LOS assessment and approved the member for protected transportation, they must fax or send a secure or encrypted email of the completed assessment to medical review agent within 48 hours. The medical review agent will update the member information in MMIS within 48 hours of receiving the approved protected transportation assessment form.

If the protected transport LOS assessment determines protected transportation is not appropriate, the mental health crisis team or the hospital will fax or send a secure or encrypted email of the denied protected transportation LOS assessment form to the medical review agent for storage.

Fax information to the medical review agent at 844-673-8033 or upload to the medical review agent provider portal.

Find additional information for protected transports on the Protected transportation under Medical Assistance fee-for-service webpage.

Eligible Providers

MnDOT must certify protected transportation providers and they must enroll with Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP). Refer to Enrollment with Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) under Provider Basics in the MHCP Provider Manual for enrollment criteria.

Protected Transportation Provider Service Requirements

Protected transportation providers must deliver the level of assistance the recipient needs at the time of transport. This includes, but is not limited to the following:

· Getting from inside the member’s residence or pick-up location to the vehicle

· Getting in and out of the vehicle

· Fastening seat belts

· Getting in and out of the member’s medical facility

· Getting to or from the member’s appropriate medical appointment desk inside the medical facility

· Using a vehicle that meets protected transportation requirements

· Having a driver and an attendant in the vehicle while transporting the member. If the member has been stabilized in an emergency department immediately before the transport and the total trip is under 100 miles, an attendant is not required.

If an incident occurs during the protected transport, the provider must submit the following information to Brian Ombongi at the Minnesota Department of Human Services through an encrypted email to brian.ombongi@state.mn.us:

· Name of member

· Name of driver

· Medical Assistance (MA) ID number of recipient

· Name of transportation company

· Pick up and drop off location

· Location of the incident

· Where and when the incident occurred

· The nature of the incident

· How the incident was resolved

· The name of the attendant if one was present during the transport

· If the incident resulted in any physical harm to the recipient, driver or attendant

Verify the recipient’s eligibility for an MHCP program that includes protected transportation in the benefit set. However, inclusion in the benefit set does not guarantee payment.

State Administered NEMT Vehicle Requirements
All protected transportation vehicles must meet MnDOT certification requirements in Minnesota Statutes, 174.29 and Minnesota Statutes, 174.30. This includes all other MnDOT vehicle identification requirements for a MnDOT certified provider.

Driver and Attendant Training

All protected transportation drivers and attendants must meet the training requirements for protected transportation.

All protected transportation transports require a driver and an attendant to be in the vehicle during transport of the member. If the recipient has been stabilized in an emergency department immediately before the transport and the total trip is under 100 miles, an attendant is not required. Drivers and attendants need to complete at least six hours of training from the options listed below. A mental health crisis team member who meets the required 40 hours of annual training has met the training requirements for the protected transportation driver or attendant positions. Training options include the following:

· Crisis Intervention Team Training (CIT): a training program developed in a number of U.S. states to help police officers react appropriately to situations involving mental illness, substance use disorders, or developmental disability

· Mental Health First Aid Training: a Mental Health First Aid training program that introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact, and gives an overview of common treatments. A live training course, this training uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to assess a mental health crisis; select interventions and provide initial help; and connect people to professional, peer and social supports as well as self-help resources

· Other formal de-escalation training that equals six hours of training to prevent aggression and behavioral problems when crisis is not occurring and to respond quickly and effectively when it does occur. Includes learning on how to not incidentally reinforce problematic behavior and to respond in ways that will extinguish the future occurrences of those undesired behaviors

Eligible Members

For members enrolled in a managed care organization (MCO) or transportation services provided through a waiver program, refer to Eligible Members under Nonemergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) Services (Overview) in the Transportation Services section of the MHCP Provider Manual for more information. Additionally, providers should do the following.

· Contact the appropriate MCO for process and procedures for transportation services requirements

· Refer to HCBS Waiver Services and Elderly Waiver (EW) and Alternate Care (AC) Program sections of the MHCP Provider Manual for member transportation to waiver program services.

To be eligible for protected transportation services, a member must be impaired physically or mentally in a way that keeps them from safely accessing other forms of NEMT services; and ambulance transport is not appropriate. The member must meet LOS assessment criteria. The member must also meet one of the following criteria (refer to MHCP Benefits at-a-glance for specific program information):

· Is eligible for MHCP with NEMT coverage

· Is eligible for Emergency Medical Assistance (EMA)

· Is eligible for state-only funded MA benefits due to residing in an Institution for Mental Diseases (IMD)

· Is a MinnesotaCare enrollee under the age of 21

· Is a pregnant person enrolled in MinnesotaCare

· Is enrolled in the Minnesota Family Planning Program (MFPP)

· Is eligible for Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA)

Eligible members must, at the time of the protected transport request, meet the following protected transportation certification criteria:

· Has been screened for an appropriate covered MHCP service

· Has a medical service facility location that has agreed to accept the member to provide the necessary medical services

· Does not meet criteria to be transported by another form of local county or tribal agency or state administered NEMT transport services

· Has completed the protected transportation LOS assessment and has been identified by the mental health crisis team or licensed health care practitioner as a recipient requiring transport in a protected vehicle that is not an ambulance or police car and has safety locks, a video recorder, and a transparent thermoplastic partition between the passenger and the vehicle driver

Members certified for protected transportation may use the MHCP Provider Directory to locate and schedule transport with an enrolled state-administered NEMT protected transportation provider. The member is responsible for locating and contacting the provider for transport. The mental health crisis team may help locate a protected transportation provider and schedule the protected transport.

Covered Services

Protected transport is a covered service when an MHCP enrolled provider provides the transport to an MHCP member who the mental health crisis team or hospital has certified for protected transportation. The provider must use a protected transportation vehicle for the transport. Protected transportation services require that a driver and attendant be in the vehicle during the transport of the MHCP recipient, unless the member was stabilized in an emergency department immediately before the transport and the trip is under 100 miles, in which case an attendant is not required.

Billing

Wait at least five days from the date of transport to submit the claim. The mental health crisis teams and hospitals have 48 hours to fax their assessment document to medical review agent. The medical review agent has 48 hours to enter the protected transportation certification span into the member’s file in MMIS. Protected transportation certification information is not available through MN–ITS eligibility verification until this process is completed.

Protected transport requires a driver and an attendant be in the vehicle during each transport. Additional payment for the attendant is not a separately reimbursable charge. If the recipient has been stabilized in an emergency department immediately before the transport and the total trip is under 100 miles, an attendant is not required.

Refer to Claim Information in the State-Administered Transportation Procedure Codes, Modifiers and Payment Rates section under Transportation Services in the MHCP Provider Manual for general billing information. Bill protected transportation using the service code and modifier combinations as follows:

· Bill “T2003 UA” for the base (pick-up) service

· Bill “S0215 UA” for mileage reimbursement

Legal References

Minnesota Statutes, 245.461 - 245.468 (Minnesota Comprehensive Adult Mental Health Act)
Minnesota Statutes, 245.462 (Definitions)
Minnesota Statutes, 256B.0625, subdivision 20, subdivision 20a and subdivision 20b (Mental health case management, Case management; developmental disabilities and Targeted case management through interactive video)
Minnesota Statutes, 256B.0625, subdivision 17 (Transportation costs)
Minnesota Statutes, 174.29 (Coordination of Special Transportation Service)
Minnesota Statutes, 174.30 (Operating Standards for Special Transportation Service)