Why NEMT providers need it
DHCS’s updated requirements for Medi-Cal NEMT providers say an application package for NEMT by litter van or wheelchair van must include a valid VSSI certificate from BAR. DHCS no longer accepts the old brake and light certificate for these applications from March 27, 2025.
It is one document among several: plans and brokers add their own vehicle inspections, insurance and driver requirements on top of Medi-Cal enrollment. The order of the steps is in Starting an NEMT business in California.
How the inspection works
BAR describes it this way: a vehicle safety systems inspection station checks the vehicle’s safety systems, done by a technician licensed to verify them. The technician enters the results into the BAR Safety Inspection System (BAR-SIS), which issues an electronic certificate of compliance if the vehicle passes.
BAR also notes that some DMV paperwork may still refer to the old brake and light certificate, and that a VSSI certificate is what is needed instead.
What it means for the provider
Keep each van’s certificate with the vehicle’s other documents and their dates, because enrollment, plans and brokers ask for vehicle paperwork at different times. A wheelchair van or litter van that can’t show its papers can’t carry that payer’s riders, however good the daily pre-trip inspection is.
Going deeper: Starting an NEMT business in California: licences, insurance and getting on Medi-Cal plans
Related terms
- Wheelchair vanA wheelchair van is a vehicle with a lift or ramp and securements that carries a rider seated in their wheelchair.
- Litter van (gurney or stretcher van)A litter van, also called a gurney or stretcher van, carries a rider lying flat on a stretcher who needs no medical care on the way.
- Pre-trip inspection (DVIR)A pre-trip inspection is the driver’s check of the vehicle before the first trip of the day, recorded as a driver vehicle inspection report (DVIR).
- NEMT (non-emergency medical transportation)Non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) is a ride to covered medical care for someone whose condition rules out ordinary public or private transport.
Sources
Checked on . Rules change: check the current version with the payer before you bill.