How to book Medicaid transportation online in New York

The online portal exists, and most people never hear about it

Every Medicaid ride in New York State is arranged through one broker, Medical Answering Services. Most riders on Long Island learn the phone number and never learn there is another way in. MAS runs a web portal that takes the same trip requests the call centre does. You register once, using the CIN printed on your Medicaid card, and after that you can submit a trip at any hour without waiting on hold. For someone booking three dialysis runs a week from a Suffolk County town, that difference adds up quickly. If you have never located your CIN, our guide to the Medicaid CIN number shows where it sits on the card.

What to have ready before you start

The portal is unforgiving about missing information, and the most common stall is an incomplete destination. Before you begin, gather your CIN, the exact date and time of the appointment, and the medical provider's full street address and phone number — not just the practice name. Add your mobility needs honestly: whether you walk unaided, use a cane or walker, or need a vehicle that carries you seated in a wheelchair. That single field decides which vehicle type MAS authorises, and getting it wrong is the usual reason a van arrives that cannot take you. If your trip is to a hospital campus like Stony Brook University Hospital, note the specific building or clinic — large campuses have several entrances and a driver sent to the wrong one costs you the appointment.

The 72-hour rule applies online too

Submitting through a website does not shorten the notice period. Routine trips still need at least three days' notice, and the portal will refuse a request inside that window rather than quietly queue it. This catches people out: they assume the online form is a fast lane. It is not — it is the same process without the hold music. Our explanation of the Medicaid 72-hour rule covers the exceptions, which include hospital discharges and genuinely urgent care. Those exceptions are handled better by a phone call, because a representative can flag the trip as urgent in a way the form cannot.

When calling still beats the portal

Use the phone when the trip is unusual. Standing orders — the recurring authorisation that covers dialysis three times a week for months — are far easier to set up in conversation, and getting one in place is the single biggest reduction in scheduling effort for a dialysis patient. The same is true of a hospital discharge, where the timing moves and someone needs to explain that. Call as well if the portal will not accept an address, which happens with newer medical buildings and with addresses that share a name across Nassau and Suffolk. A representative can enter what the form rejects.

Naming DachiPlus in the request

The trip request has a field for your preferred transportation provider, and it works the same online as it does aloud. Enter DachiPlus and MAS will assign the trip to us if we have a vehicle free in your area at that time. This matters more than it sounds: without a preference, the trip goes to whichever enrolled provider MAS assigns, and riders who have had a good experience often assume they will get the same company again automatically. They will not, unless they ask. If you want the same driver arrangement for recurring dialysis transportation, name us on every request, or set up a standing order so you only have to do it once.

If the request is rejected

Rejections almost always come down to three things: the request is inside the 72-hour window, the appointment type is not a Medicaid-covered destination, or MAS cannot match the address you entered. None of these are dead ends. Call 1-844-666-6270 and explain what happened — most can be corrected on the spot. If the appointment simply is not covered, the trip is still available as a private-pay booking through DachiPlus directly, and our page on how private pay works sets out what that costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you book Medicaid transportation online in New York?

Yes. MAS runs an online portal at medanswering.com where enrolled Medicaid members can request a trip without calling. You register once with your CIN, then submit trips through the portal. The same 72-hour notice rule applies online as on the phone, and the portal will not accept a request inside that window for a routine appointment.

Is the online portal faster than calling MAS?

For a routine, straightforward trip, yes — there is no hold time, and you can submit it at 11pm. Calling is better when anything is unusual: a same-day discharge, a standing order for dialysis, an address the portal will not accept, or a trip that needs a wheelchair vehicle. A person on the phone can note details a form has no field for.

Can I request DachiPlus by name when booking online?

Yes. The trip request includes a transportation provider preference. Enter DachiPlus there, the same way you would say it on the phone. MAS assigns the trip to us if we have availability in your area at that time; if not, it goes to another enrolled provider.

What do I need before I start the online request?

Your Medicaid CIN, the exact appointment date and time, the medical provider's full address and phone number, and your mobility needs — whether you walk, use a walker, or need a wheelchair vehicle. Missing the provider's address is the most common reason a request stalls.

What if the portal rejects my trip?

The usual causes are being inside the 72-hour window, an appointment type Medicaid does not cover, or an address MAS cannot match. Call MAS at 1-844-666-6270 and a representative can override or correct most of these. If the trip is medically urgent, say so — urgent trips follow a different process than routine ones.

Sources

• Medical Answering Services (MAS) — NY Medicaid transportation broker
• NY State Dept. of Health — Medicaid for Members
• Medicaid.gov — Non-Emergency Medical Transportation