§ 39-14.3-3. Certificate required for NEMT operations.
(a) No person shall operate a vehicle in the provision of non-emergency medical transportation
in this state until the person shall have obtained an NEMT certificate of operating
authority from the division certifying that the applicant is fit, willing, and able
to provide such service to passengers. The certificate shall be issued only after
submission to the division of a written application for it, accompanied by a fee of
one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125), and after a public hearing has been conducted
on the application. Certificates issued under this chapter shall be renewed bef
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§ 39-14.3-3. Certificate required for NEMT operations.
(a) No person shall operate a vehicle in the provision of non-emergency medical transportation
in this state until the person shall have obtained an NEMT certificate of operating
authority from the division certifying that the applicant is fit, willing, and able
to provide such service to passengers. The certificate shall be issued only after
submission to the division of a written application for it, accompanied by a fee of
one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125), and after a public hearing has been conducted
on the application. Certificates issued under this chapter shall be renewed before
the close of business on December 31 of each calendar year. The renewal fee shall
be one hundred dollars ($100) and shall be submitted with the renewal form. All revenues
received under this section shall be deposited as general revenues.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the division shall
have the authority to automatically grant such a certificate to any applicant who
has previously held a public motor vehicle certificate, issued under § 39-14.1-3 ("PMV certificateâ€�), and has utilized that certificate solely to provide non-emergency
medical transportation prior to the establishment of this chapter. In such instances,
the division may administratively convert such a PMV certificate to an NEMT certificate
without the need for an additional application fee to be paid or an application hearing
to be held. The division shall establish a mechanism for all such certificate conversion
requests to be made no later than August 1, 2024. Nothing in this subsection shall
be construed to mean that such converted certificates are exempt from the annual renewal
process listed in subsection (a) of this section.
(c) Non-emergency medical transportation services provided by RIPTA and by licensed ambulance
companies shall be exempt from this chapter.
(d) Taxicab companies certificated and authorized by the division under chapter 14 of this title shall be permitted to provide non-emergency medical transportation services without
the need to apply for an NEMT certificate as required in subsection (a) of this section;
provided, however, that taxicabs shall not provide services beyond the authority conferred
through its division-issued certificate of public convenience and the requirements
set forth in chapter 14 of this title.
(e) Transportation network companies authorized by the division under chapter 14.2 of this title shall be exempt from this chapter, provided, that non-emergency medical transportation
conducted by such companies shall be provided in accordance with policies established
by EOHHS.
(f) No for-hire transportation services authorized by the division under chapter 13 or
14.1 of this title shall be authorized to provide non-emergency medical transportation
services, without first having obtained an NEMT certificate as required in subsection
(a) of this section.