How to Become a Paratransit Services NEMT Provider in 2027

Paratransit Services is a Washington nonprofit, based in Bremerton, that the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) contracts as the Medicaid transportation broker for nine western Washington counties. Despite the name, it is not a bus or ADA paratransit service in this role. It takes Apple Health ride requests, checks that each rider qualifies, picks the lowest-cost way to get the rider there, and assigns trips that need a vehicle to transportation companies under subcontract.

As of September 2026, Paratransit Services says it contracts with more than 50 transportation providers in Washington, whose fleets range from one vehicle to more than 30. It began in 1980 as the transportation department of the Kitsap Peninsula Housing and Transportation Association, became the nonprofit Kitsap Paratransit in July 1984, and took its current name in 1988. That same year it ran the state’s pilot NEMT brokerage in Pierce County.

Where Paratransit Services arranges Medicaid rides

HCA’s broker directory lists Paratransit Services for these counties as of September 2026. These are the rider scheduling lines. Provider contacts are at the end of this page.

County	Rider scheduling line
Pierce	800-925-5438
Kitsap	360-377-7007 or 800-756-5438
Clallam and Jefferson	800-756-5438
Mason (north)	800-756-5438
Mason (south)	800-846-5438
Thurston, Lewis, Grays Harbor, and Pacific	800-846-5438
All counties, TTY	800-934-5438

The call center is in Bremerton and takes requests from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Riders must call at least two business days ahead and can book up to 30 days out. A request made after 5 p.m. counts as the next day.

The riders are Apple Health (Medicaid) clients and clients of other state-funded medical programs with a transportation benefit, going to a covered appointment with no other way to get there. Common trips include dialysis, behavioral health, opioid treatment, dental, primary care, and specialty care.

Many requests never reach a transportation company. Washington requires brokers to choose the lowest-cost mode that is accessible and fits the rider’s medical condition (WAC 182-546-5200). Paratransit Services says a rider within three-quarters of a mile of a bus stop, on a trip the bus can do, defaults to bus funds. A rider with access to a car may get gas or mileage reimbursement. Ride services can require a letter from the rider’s medical provider.

Each county belongs to one broker. To serve riders in King or Snohomish County, you need a separate subcontract with Hopelink. The NEMT brokers by state guide lists the other Washington brokers.

How Washington’s broker model works for providers

Washington runs NEMT through six regional brokers, and the rules shape your contract with Paratransit Services:

• Rates are negotiated, not set by the state. HCA’s December 2024 report to the Legislature says HCA does not set NEMT rates, because geography drives the reasonable cost. Each broker negotiates with its providers.
• Trip money passes through. Brokers get a separate administrative payment. What they pay providers for service is passed through in full. The Legislature added $7 million a year in new funding in its 2024 session, and the latest administrative rate increase took effect July 1, 2024.
• No subcontract, no pay. A broker must have a subcontract with you before it can pay you (WAC 182-546-5200 and 182-546-6200).
• Riders cannot pick you. Clients may not select the transportation provider or the mode (WAC 182-546-5000).
• The broker does not drive. HCA’s sample broker contract bars the broker from providing trips itself or sending trips to a company it has a financial relationship with.

HCA’s sample broker contract, posted in August 2023, started its term on July 1, 2021 and was amended to run through June 30, 2025. HCA’s broker list dated May 2025 and its county directory in September 2026 both still show Paratransit Services for all nine counties. See how states run NEMT and what a NEMT broker is for how this model compares with other states.

Paratransit Services’ 2026 president’s message says its president and CEO retires on December 31, 2026, and that its board has named the current executive vice president to take over on January 1, 2027.

How to become a Paratransit Services provider, step by step

1. Register your business. Get a Washington business license (UBI number) through the Department of Revenue’s Business Licensing Service. Paratransit Services requires you to keep the same UBI or business license number for the life of the contract unless its contract administrator approves a change.
2. Get your for-hire license. The Department of Licensing (DOL) requires a for-hire license to carry people for a fee, with some exemptions. Register each vehicle with a use class of CAB or F/H in your company’s or owner’s name. As of September 2026, DOL charges $55 per for-hire vehicle certificate, plus $110 for a for-hire permit if your city or county does not license for-hire businesses.
3. Cover your workers. Paratransit Services asks for proof that you comply with Washington’s industrial insurance law, Title 51 RCW.
4. Buy the insurance below and ask your agent for a certificate listing every covered vehicle.
5. Set up drug and alcohol testing. Join a testing consortium or run an equivalent program, and write your drug-free workplace and conduct policies.
6. Screen and train your drivers before the contract starts. Paratransit Services wants training done before a new provider signs, with copies sent for approval.
7. Download the RFQ packet from the Transportation Providers page on WANEMT.com and fill in every form. Newer versions of most of its forms, edited in 2024, are posted one by one on the Transportation Provider Resources page.
8. Send the complete packet. Paratransit Services says packets that are incomplete, inaccurate, or illegible will not be processed. The page also has a short inquiry form, and the company lists a subcontractor opportunities contact at (800) 933-3468, extension 362, or clc@paratransit.net.
9. Pass the vehicle inspection and driver approval. Every vehicle is inspected, and every driver approved, before either works a trip.

A NEMT credentialing checklist helps you track each piece, and how to get NEMT broker contracts covers reading the subcontract.

What goes in the RFQ packet

Paratransit Services’ document checklist, in the version dated April 2024, lists what you must send. Anything missing needs an explanation, or your packet may be disqualified or delayed.

Document	Notes
Subcontractor questionnaire, signed	Mandatory. Company details, owners and ownership shares, years in western Washington, drivers planned, vehicles, counties, and hours
Evidence of insurance	Certificate showing the limits in the next section
Business license	Mandatory. Your Washington UBI
State industrial insurance	Proof of Title 51 RCW compliance
Letter of sale	Only if you are buying an existing company, signed by the old and new owners with the effective date
Request for criminal history	Mandatory. One form per driver, citing RCW 43.43.830 through 43.43.845
Comprehensive training plan	How you train and track every driver
Drug and alcohol testing agreement	Your certificate of agreement with a testing manager
Policies and procedures	Including drug and alcohol and driver conduct
WMBE certificate	Only if you hold one
Ambulatory and wheelchair rate sheets	Your proposed rates
Vehicle inventory	Year, make, model, color, plate, VIN, seats, wheelchair spaces, and lift size and weight rating
Letters of reference	Mandatory
Corporate confidentiality agreement	Mandatory. Signed with Paratransit Services, under Washington law with venue in Kitsap County
W-9	Your federal tax ID certification

What insurance Paratransit Services requires

These limits come from its insurance requirements, in the version dated April 2024. Compare them with the NEMT insurance requirements other brokers set.

Coverage	Minimum
Commercial general liability	$1 million per occurrence, $2 million aggregate, including contractual liability
Business auto liability	$1 million per occurrence, combined single limit, for owned, hired, and non-owned vehicles
Professional errors and omissions	$1 million per claim, $2 million aggregate
Privacy breach response	Covers forensics, notification and call center costs, credit monitoring, and regulatory fines after a breach
Industrial insurance	Washington workers’ compensation under Title 51 RCW

Other terms matter as much as the limits:

• Insurers must be admitted in Washington with an A.M. Best rating of B++, Class VII or better. Surplus lines insurers need A-, Class VII or better.
• Paratransit Services and HCA must be named as primary additional insureds on the general and auto liability policies, and HCA and the State of Washington as additional insureds.
• Policies are written on an occurrence basis, with a contractual liability endorsement and a separation of insureds provision.
• Insurers must give Paratransit Services 45 days’ notice by certified mail before a cancellation, lapse, or material change. You must tell it within one business day of any cancellation notice you get.

DOL’s own for-hire minimum, as of September 2026, is $325,000 combined single limit or $300,000, $100,000, and $25,000 split limits. Paratransit Services’ auto requirement is well above it.

Driver rules

Its driver requirements, dated April 2024, set these qualifications:

• Age 21 or older, with a valid driver’s license held for at least five years, and a valid Washington license.
• No more than one moving violation or at-fault accident in the last three years, checked on a full three-year driving record.
• A complete abstract of driving record from DOL, no older than 30 days when you submit it, plus a copy of the license. A driver who has lived in Washington less than a year also needs a record from the prior state.
• A fingerprint background check through the Washington State Patrol. While it is pending, you may run a WATCH name check, which costs $11 per name online as of September 2026.
• Work authorization confirmed through E-Verify.
• Able to read, write, and speak English.
• Approved by Paratransit Services before driving any trip.

Convictions that disqualify a driver include any felony at any time, crimes against children or other persons, financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, distribution of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor offense against a person within 10 years or any other misdemeanor within 5 years, and a DUI or DWI within 10 years or more than one ever, even if reduced to negligent driving. RCW 43.43.830 has the full list.

Training must come from a source Paratransit Services approves, such as the Red Cross, the National Safety Council, or the Transportation Safety Institute:

Training	Detail
Passenger assistance	ADAPTS or PASS
Defensive driving	A course of at least 4 hours
First aid and CPR	Recertified yearly or every two years, as the certificate requires
Bloodborne and airborne pathogens	Required
Fire suppression and customer service	Required
Child safety restraints	Proper use and installation of child seats
Drug and alcohol awareness	Also required for dispatchers and mechanics, plus supervisor training
HIPAA	Every year, for all staff who see rider information
Program briefing and road test	Program rules, reporting forms, service area, and a road test in the type of vehicle the driver will use

Drivers, dispatchers, and mechanics also need a negative pre-employment drug test, with results sent to Paratransit Services before you hire. See NEMT driver requirements and the drug and alcohol policy template to set this up.

Vehicle rules

Every vehicle except a privately owned car, such as a volunteer’s, must meet DOL, Utilities and Transportation Commission (where it applies), seat belt, and ADA rules, and must be inspected and approved by Paratransit Services before use. Its vehicle requirements, dated April 2024, include:

• Registration: use class CAB or F/H, with your company or its owner as the registered owner, and insurance kept in the vehicle.
• Safety equipment: first aid kit, biohazard kit, UL-approved fire extinguisher, reporting forms, three roadside reflectors, flashlight, seat belt cutter, seat belt extenders, and a step stool, spare tire, and jack where appropriate.
• Markings: company name, phone number, and vehicle number in letters at least 3 inches tall, permanently fixed on both sides, with the vehicle number also on the rear. Vehicles should be mainly one color.
• Equipment: working heat and ventilation for rear seats, an interior mirror, a two-way radio or hands-free phone, and a GPS device mounted on the dash or windshield.
• Wheelchair vans: securement that limits movement of an occupied chair, a separate lap or lap and shoulder belt, and a shoulder restraint at each wheelchair station in vehicles that carry 8 or more.
• Inspections: any vehicle bought for the contract, except current model year vehicles, needs a certified mechanic’s inspection first, and lifts need an inspection by an authorized service dealer. An inspection by another Apple Health broker, city, or county may be accepted instead of Paratransit Services’ own.
• Daily checks: documented pre-trip and post-trip inspections of tires, brakes, lights, fluids, wipers, belts, and safety equipment.

You cannot add or swap a vehicle without prior approval. The full RFQ packet on the Transportation Providers page, scanned in September 2021, also capped vehicle age at 10 years for sedans and vans and 15 years for wheelchair vans and buses. The April 2024 vehicle document does not repeat that cap, so ask which applies before you buy. A vehicle inspection checklist covers the daily checks.

How trips are assigned and the standards you work to

Paratransit Services says rides are allocated on a cost basis, and there is no guarantee of any amount of work. Your rate sheet goes into its scheduling system, and staff use it to find the lowest-cost transportation that suits each rider.

HCA’s sample broker contract sets the service standards brokers must hold their providers to:

Standard	Requirement
Pickup wait before an appointment	Average no more than 15 minutes, and no single wait over 30
Early arrival	No more than 30 minutes before the appointment, unless the rider asks
Return trip wait	Average no more than 30 minutes after the appointment
Will-call returns	Exempt from the wait standards; riders are warned waits may be longer
Shared rides	No more than 45 minutes longer than the rider’s average direct trip
Late arrivals	Not paid if the rider arrives too late to be seen. The broker may still pay when the delay was not your fault, such as a crash that stopped all traffic

Will-call trips and shared rides are part of the work. Paratransit Services’ rate structure says NEMT is a shared ride system and expects you to offer a lower shared ride fee.

For urgent care or a hospital discharge when the broker is closed, WAC 182-546-5200 lets you give the ride under the broker’s after-hours instructions and request retroactive authorization within two business days. As of September 2026, Paratransit Services’ after-hours page lists after-hours providers for Pierce, Kitsap, Jefferson, Clallam, Mason, Grays Harbor, and Lewis counties, and no current after-hours coverage in Thurston or Pacific County.

Expect trip checks. HCA’s contract requires brokers to verify at least 10 percent of trips before they happen and 10 percent after. Paratransit Services says it verifies more than 50 percent of trips, often by checking with the rider’s medical provider. HCA’s December 2024 report notes that when a facility changes plans without telling the broker, the provider gets a no-show and is not paid.

Rates and how you get paid

Paratransit Services does not set your rates. You propose what your operation needs, and it negotiates if your numbers are well above what it accepts. You mark each rate sheet as regular or after-hours rates:

Ambulatory rates	Wheelchair rates	Other fees
Base rate	Base rate	Wait time
Rate per mile	Rate per mile	Driver assistant
Shared ride	Shared ride	Attendant fee, printed at $5.00
Lift fee		Provide wheelchair, printed at $5.00

The sheet also asks for your office and service hours, after-hours phone, rider limitations, and the counties you will serve. Build your numbers with the NEMT rate sheet template before you fill it in.

HCA’s sample broker contract lists terms every broker subcontract must include:

• Payment no later than 10 calendar days after the broker receives HCA’s monthly payment for transportation.
• Rate adjustments at least quarterly, and an appeals process for subcontractors.
• A fair rate for an authorized trip you provided when the appointment did not happen through no fault of yours.
• No billing HCA, riders, or other providers for trips under the subcontract.
• Return of payment within 30 days for any trip driven by an unauthorized driver or vehicle.

Paratransit Services’ 2021 RFQ packet adds that it will not pay for any trip in an unauthorized vehicle, will take back payments already made, and will impose a financial penalty. Keep trip records and driver files current, because the broker checks both.

Who to call at Paratransit Services

Need	Contact
Subcontractor opportunities	(800) 933-3468, ext. 362, or clc@paratransit.net
Business development	(360) 377-6017, ext. 399
Medical provider line	(855) 553-0355, fax (360) 373-0502
Rider fax, all counties	360-377-1528 or toll-free 855-742-5078
Mailing address	4810 Auto Center Way, Bremerton, WA 98312
HCA NEMT program	hcanemttrans@hca.wa.gov

Call during the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekday hours, and have your UBI, for-hire license number, and fleet list ready.