# Vocational Rehabilitation Transportation in 2027: How to Drive VR Clients to Training and Jobs

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/guides/vocational-rehabilitation-transportation/ · Updated 2026-10-06

A vocational rehabilitation transportation vendor drives people with disabilities to training, classes, interviews, and new jobs when their state VR agency pays for the ride under their employment plan. Each state buys rides its own way. As of October 2026, Ohio pays approved providers $5.91 per six minutes, Texas pays riders in advance, Florida registers vendors, and Georgia and Kentucky send VR trips through human service ride systems.

- Federal rules make transportation a VR service whenever a person needs it to take part in training, a job search, or another service in their plan.
- Each state buys rides its own way: a six-minute rate in Ohio, advance payments in Texas, registered vendors in Florida, and human service ride systems in Georgia and Kentucky.
- A ride to a class, an interview, or a job is not a Medicaid NEMT trip. Bill it to VR on its own authorization, or to a waiver when the person's waiver plan covers it.
- The rider chooses the provider, so being on the agency's list matters more than selling, and some states limit how you advertise.
- Get the written authorization before the first ride, and keep a separate log for every VR trip.

State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies help people with disabilities train for, find, and keep jobs, and rides are part of that help. They are not Medicaid trips. A different agency authorizes them, sets the rules, and pays you, and every state does it a little differently.

## What VR transportation covers

Federal rules list transportation among the services a state VR agency must make available, in connection with any other VR service a person receives (34 CFR 361.48(b)(8)). The definition is broad: travel and related costs a person needs to take part in a VR service, including training in how to use public transit (34 CFR 361.5(c)(56)). The rule's own examples include travel costs for a personal care attendant the rider needs along.

Five federal rules shape every VR ride you give:

- **The ride serves the plan.** Most VR rides support a person's individualized plan for employment: rides to school, job training, a job search, interviews, assessments, and work. Texas also pays for rides before the plan is written when a person needs to reach an assessment, such as a medical evaluation.
- **The counselor authorizes it.** A VR counselor documents the need and approves the ride. Every state must have written policies on how services are authorized, including when a verbal approval counts (34 CFR 361.50(e)).
- **Other programs pay first.** Before it buys a ride, the agency must check whether another program covers it (34 CFR 361.53). Transportation is not on the list of services exempt from that check, so a transit pass or a waiver ride may come first.
- **The rider may share the cost.** States may apply a financial needs test (34 CFR 361.54), but never to a person found eligible for Social Security benefits under Title II or XVI, which include SSDI and SSI. Texas asks riders whose income or assets exceed its basic living requirements to share costs.
- **The rider picks the provider.** Under informed choice, agencies give people information on providers' cost, accessibility, qualifications, and services, often as a list, and help them choose (34 CFR 361.52).

As of October 2026, the Rehabilitation Services Administration lists 78 state VR agencies. In 34 states and territories one agency serves everyone. Twenty-two states split the work between a general agency and a separate agency for people who are blind or visually impaired, so in those states you approach both.

## How state VR agencies buy rides

No national VR ride contract exists. Each state decides how to buy rides, and five states show five different ways in:

| State | How VR buys rides | Your way in |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio (OOD) | A fee schedule that pays approved providers in six-minute units | A provider application and orientation |
| Texas (TWC-VR) | Advance payments to the rider, or to a third party who gives the ride | A Texas payee number, then service authorizations |
| Florida (DVR) | Registered for-hire transportation vendors | A vendor application, closed as of August 31, 2026 |
| Georgia (GVRA) | DHS Coordinated Transportation contracts in 12 regions | A regional contract, or a subcontract under the prime contractor |
| Kentucky | Regional Human Service Transportation Delivery brokers | A broker subcontract the Transportation Cabinet approves |

### Ohio: a fee schedule for approved providers

Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) pays VR providers from a fee schedule adopted by rule (Ohio Administrative Code 3304-2-52, effective July 2, 2026). Transportation is one of its services. Providers bill it when they drive a participant to or from a community work experience site, job coaching, or a summer youth program, or to a service outside the fee schedule, such as a psychological evaluation or a medical appointment to decide eligibility.

Most Ohio VR providers need accreditation, such as CARF. The provider rule exempts providers who offer only transportation (OAC 3304-2-53, effective July 28, 2025). Start with the Provider Applicant Survey on OOD's Become a VR Provider page, which also says every VR provider needs a physical presence in Ohio. You then apply through OOD's Provider Management Program with an OH|ID login, attend an orientation before approval, and disclose any license or accreditation that lapsed or was suspended or revoked in the past five years. Once approved, you file a provider acknowledgment by October 1 of each federal fiscal year, and you may not serve OOD riders in the new year until it is in. OOD's provider manual (August 2026) also tells companies that want to sell transportation outside the fee schedule to ask a local OOD office about becoming a vendor.

### Texas: rides paid in advance

The Texas Workforce Commission's VR Services Manual (Part C, Chapter 16.4, effective January 2, 2025) treats transportation as money paid to the customer, to the customer to pay for a ride share, or to a third party who will give the ride. Whoever is paid, VR must use the most economical and effective carrier that meets the rider's disability-related needs. Recurring transportation is an advance paid weekly for an ongoing service, such as a training course. Nonrecurring transportation is a one-time advance for a single trip, such as an evaluation.

Every payee needs an active Texas Identification Number from the Comptroller before TWC-VR can issue a service authorization or pay (Part D, Chapter 5, effective October 1, 2026). The same chapter lists transportation among the goods and services TWC-VR buys without a contract. In practice, a Texas VR rider may hand you VR money, so price the ride and give receipts as you would for any private rider.

### Florida: approved for-hire vendors

Florida's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation lists "Transportation Services, Private" for for-hire passenger transportation in its Vendor Registration Qualification Manual (December 2025). It asks for two things: the VR Transportation Provider Application and a notarized attestation of liability insurance. The application (March 2026) asks where you serve customers, whether each location is fully accessible, which languages you offer, whether your vehicle is wheelchair accessible, and which of DVR's seven areas and their counties you cover.

The attestation commits you to Florida's financial responsibility law for for-hire vehicles. Under section 324.032(1)(a) of the 2026 Florida Statutes, an operator of taxicabs, limousines, jitneys, or other for-hire passenger vehicles may prove financial responsibility with a liability policy of at least $125,000/250,000/50,000. Before you apply, register on MyFloridaMarketPlace and submit a Substitute W-9 on the state's vendor portal. DVR says approval takes about 2 to 12 weeks, and the approval letter carries an expiration date. As of August 31, 2026, DVR is not accepting vendor applications, so call the Vendor Registration Unit at 866-580-7438 and watch the vendor page for the next opening.

### Georgia: the DHS Coordinated Transportation System

Clients of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency ride the same [human service transportation](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/human-service-transportation/) system as clients of the Department of Human Services and the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. DHS contracts for rides in each of its 12 regions, with state agencies, counties, regional government bodies, nonprofits, and for-profit companies. Depending on the region, the prime contractor gives the rides itself or uses subcontractors.

The DHS Transportation Manual (MAN1425, revised July 1, 2023) sends a new contract with a company that is not a government agency or nonprofit through an electronic request for proposals on Team Georgia Marketplace. A competitive procurement takes about 180 days from issue to award, and the winner may renew up to four times, five years in a row, before the work goes back to bid. A VR counselor decides who is eligible, and the manual ranks GVRA trips in this order: school, employment, job search and placement, job training, and workshops and assessment sites. As of October 2026, Verida is the DHS broker for Region 1 (see [Verida in Georgia](https://nemtguide.com/brokers/verida/georgia/)), and the [Georgia state guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/georgia/) explains the Medicaid side.

### Kentucky: through your region's HSTD broker

Kentucky's regulation lists vocational rehabilitation, and vocational rehabilitation for the blind, among the programs in its Human Service Transportation Delivery system, alongside Medicaid NEMT and Kentucky Works (603 KAR 7:080, certified April 25, 2025). So a Kentucky VR ride comes to you through the same regional broker and subcontract as your Medicaid trips, and the [human service transportation entry](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/human-service-transportation/) and the [Kentucky state guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/kentucky/) cover how to sign on and what the subcontract requires.

## What VR rides pay

VR rates come from state policy, not a Medicaid fee schedule. Federal rules let a state set a fee schedule only if it is not so low that it denies a needed service and it allows exceptions, and they bar absolute dollar caps on a category of service (34 CFR 361.50(c)). If a rider needs a wheelchair van and the standard rate does not cover one, ask the counselor in writing for an exception before the first ride.

### Ohio: $5.91 for every six minutes

OOD's fee schedule pays $5.91 for each six-minute unit of transportation, or $59.10 an hour (Appendix A to OAC 3304-2-52, effective July 2, 2026). Up to 6 minutes is one unit, 7 to 12 minutes is two, and so on up to 10 units for 55 to 60 minutes. Billing starts when the participant is picked up and ends at drop-off. Wait time is not billable.

Read the shared ride rule before you plan routes. When several people ride together, you divide the total time, from the first pickup to the last drop-off, among everyone on board, whatever program pays for each of them. A 40-minute run with one OOD rider and three Medicaid riders bills OOD for 10 minutes: two units, or $11.82.

Three more Ohio rules shape your cash flow:

1. OOD does not pay for missed appointments or services not provided (OAC 3304-2-52(D)), so a no-show earns nothing.
2. You may not charge or accept money from the rider or the rider's family unless OOD knows and approves the amount first (OAC 3304-2-52(E)).
3. Authorizations run one calendar month, with up to seven days' leeway, and never more than five weeks. Invoice reports go in through the AWARE Vendor Portal within 21 calendar days of the last service, OOD issues no new authorization until it has one, and final invoices are due within 90 days.

### Texas: actual cost, within TWC limits

Texas transportation payments are limited to the rider's actual cost for public transportation, or actual miles times the federal mileage rate for privately owned vehicles that the Comptroller publishes: 72.5 cents a mile from January 1 to June 30, 2026, and 76 cents from July 1 to December 31, 2026. TWC-VR defines a public carrier as any vehicle in the business of carrying the public, such as a bus or a taxi. If you are the carrier, quote your price in writing: VR pays the actual cost and must choose the most economical carrier that meets the rider's disability-related needs, so a rider's need for a lift van can be the reason it picks you. A VR manager must approve any single authorization of $400 or more (airfare aside), and recurring rides beyond 104 weeks, in six-month steps.

Advance payments for transportation can go out as early as seven days before the service starts (Part D, Chapter 3, effective September 16, 2026). Riders with recurring rides turn in a monthly Transportation Log (form VR2181), and payments stop for manager review if it is missing.

### Georgia: a negotiated rate per trip

Contracts run one state fiscal year at a time, July 1 to June 30. At each renewal you submit cost and budget reports, your cost is divided by the trips the region expects, and DHS negotiates a rate schedule with you. Invoice packets go to the regional office by the 10th working day of each month.

Drivers wait 5 minutes past the pickup time before a rider counts as a [no-show](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/no-show/). If you tell the ordering agency within 3 business hours, DHS pays the no-show at the same rate as a completed trip. After 3 no-shows in a row, the rider's future trips are cancelled until the agency books them again.

## Driver and vehicle rules for VR work

Agencies that buy VR rides through their own systems set driver and vehicle rules of their own. Georgia and Ohio show how much they differ:

| Rule | Georgia DHS | Ohio OOD |
|---|---|---|
| Driver age | 21, with 3 years of driving | 18, with 2 years of driving |
| Driving record | 7-year record at hire; no 6 or more points or suspension in 5 years | No 6 or more points, suspension, or revocation |
| Criminal history | Fingerprint check; no sexual or violent crimes | Database checks and a state BCI check, repeated every 5 years |
| Drug testing | Required for all contracted drivers | None in the rule |
| Training | First aid and CPR, defensive driving, sensitivity, and securement within 90 days | Only training OOD asks for, such as health and safety |
| Vehicle checks | Daily driver inspection, yearly certified mechanic | None in the rule |

Ohio adds an FBI check for anyone who has lived in Ohio less than five years, and sorts disqualifying offenses into four tiers that bar a driver for life or for ten, seven, or five years (OAC 3304-2-53). Its drivers must carry liability coverage as Ohio law requires, and you must be able to show every driver's papers within 24 hours of a request. Georgia's manual sets insurance for providers that run their own vehicles: $3 million combined single limit auto liability for vehicles with 15 or fewer seats ($5 million above 15), $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate general liability, a $2 million umbrella, and workers' compensation, from an insurer rated A- or better. Florida asks for the notarized liability attestation. Kentucky VR rides follow the HSTD driver and vehicle rules in the [Kentucky state guide](https://nemtguide.com/states/kentucky/).

Put each program's rules next to your broker's, then hold every driver to the strictest. The [NEMT driver requirements guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-driver-requirements/) covers the Medicaid side, and [NEMT insurance requirements](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-insurance-requirements/) explains the coverage types.

## How VR rides fit next to Medicaid trips

VR riders can fill seats and hours between your medical trips, as long as you keep the programs apart on paper.

- **Bill each trip to the right payer.** Federal Medicaid rules require states to ensure transportation to and from providers (42 CFR 431.53), which means providers of covered medical care. A class, an interview, or a job is not one, so never send those rides to your [broker](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/nemt-broker/). A Medicaid member's ride to a doctor stays with Medicaid, because VR must use other programs first.
- **Know the waiver rides.** CMS's guide to 1915(c) waivers (version 3.6, January 2019) limits waiver transportation to rides to waiver services and other activities in the person's service plan, and bars using it in place of Medicaid's medical rides. A waiver may pay for rides to supported employment, and VR may expect it to pay first. See [waiver transportation](https://nemtguide.com/guides/waiver-transportation-provider/).
- **Share routes only where each program allows it.** Georgia expects providers to put riders from several agencies on one route when it can. It caps each rider's trip at 45 minutes longer than the average direct trip and uses a 20-minute pickup window. Ohio splits shared time across every rider on board. Check your broker's shared ride rules first; see [NEMT multiloading](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-multiloading/).
- **Keep VR records private and separate.** Federal rules require VR agencies to safeguard personal information and let them get it from providers under assurances it goes no further (34 CFR 361.38). Florida's application makes you keep customer information confidential without written consent. Ohio requires written privacy policies, carrying rider information out of sight from outside the vehicle and never leaving it there overnight, and reporting any loss to OOD at once. Keep a separate log for VR trips with times, addresses, and miles.
- **Check your authority for private rides.** When a Texas rider pays you with VR money, the trip is a private for-hire ride. Make sure your state permit and insurance cover it, as the [senior transportation guide](https://nemtguide.com/guides/senior-transportation-business/) explains.

Recurring VR rides follow a class or work schedule, so they repeat each week like [standing orders](https://nemtguide.com/guides/nemt-standing-orders/). Plan them into your routes the same way.

## How to become a VR transportation vendor, step by step

1. **Find your agency.** The RSA list names every state VR agency and its phone number. In a state with a separate agency for the blind, contact both.
2. **Ask how it buys rides.** Call the vendor or contracts office and ask whether it pays providers from a fee schedule, registers transportation vendors, pays riders, or buys rides through a regional system or broker.
3. **Register as a state vendor.** Ohio uses its Provider Management Program. Texas needs a Texas Identification Number. Florida needs MyFloridaMarketPlace and a Substitute W-9. Georgia posts bids on Team Georgia Marketplace. See [government NEMT contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/government-nemt-contracts/) for public bids.
4. **Apply with your papers ready.** Have your insurance certificate, operating authority, driver files with background checks and driving records, and a vehicle list on hand, and note which vehicles carry wheelchairs.
5. **Let counselors know you exist, within the rules.** Ask the agency what approved providers may say. Florida DVR's August 31, 2026 memo bars brochures and solicitation in its area offices.
6. **Get the authorization before every ride or series.** Confirm who pays you, the rate, the dates, and the number of trips or units in writing.
7. **Log and invoice every trip on the agency's schedule.** In Ohio, a late invoice report stops the next authorization. In Texas, a rider's missing monthly transportation log holds payments until a manager approves them, so give recurring riders a receipt for every ride.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do state VR agencies pay transportation companies directly?

Some do. Ohio pays approved providers from its VR fee schedule. Texas pays transportation in advance to the customer, to the customer for a ride share, or to a third party who gives the ride, and every payee needs a Texas Identification Number. Florida registers for-hire transportation vendors. Georgia buys rides through regional DHS Coordinated Transportation contracts, and Kentucky through its regional HSTD brokers. Ask your state agency which model it uses.

### How much does vocational rehabilitation pay for a ride?

Each state sets its own rate. Ohio pays $5.91 per six-minute unit from pickup to drop-off, with no pay for waiting, under its fee schedule effective July 2, 2026. Texas limits payments to the actual cost on a public carrier or the federal mileage rate for private vehicles, 76 cents a mile from July 1 to December 31, 2026. Georgia negotiates a per-trip rate with each contractor.

### Can I bill Medicaid for a VR client's ride to a job or a class?

Not as NEMT. Medicaid NEMT pays for rides to providers of Medicaid-covered services, and a class, an interview, or a job is not one. A Medicaid waiver may pay for rides to supported employment or other services in the person's waiver plan, and VR must use it first when it covers the ride. Otherwise bill the VR agency on its authorization. A ride to a medical appointment still goes through Medicaid or the broker.

### Do I need an authorization before I drive a VR client?

Yes. A VR counselor decides whether a ride is needed and authorizes it, and federal rules require every state to have written policies on how services are authorized. Ohio's fee schedule warns that payment may not be made for a service delivered without a VR authorization. Florida's August 31, 2026 memo tells providers never to promise a service the counselor has not approved.

### Does VR pay when a rider does not show up?

It depends on the state. Ohio's rule says OOD does not pay for missed appointments or services not provided. Georgia's DHS system pays a no-show at the same rate as a completed trip if the driver waits 5 minutes past the pickup time and you notify the ordering agency within 3 business hours.

### Can I advertise my rides to VR clients?

Carefully. Riders choose their own providers under federal informed choice rules, and agencies give them lists and information about providers. Florida DVR's August 31, 2026 memo bars providers from handing out brochures or soliciting in DVR area offices, and from soliciting DVR federal funds on business websites. Ohio's August 2026 provider manual sends provider flyers to OOD for approval and says they should not state that transportation is available. Ask your state agency what approved providers may say before you print anything.

### Can a VR rider share my van with Medicaid riders?

Yes, where each program allows it. Ohio divides the time of a shared trip among everyone on board, whatever program pays for each rider. Georgia expects providers to put riders from several agencies on one route when it can, and caps each rider's trip at 45 minutes longer than the average direct trip. Check your broker's shared ride rules before you add a VR rider to a Medicaid route.

## Official resources

- [RSA: Find your state vocational rehabilitation agency](https://rsa.ed.gov/about/states)
- [Ohio: OAC 3304-2-53, VR provider qualifications](https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-3304-2-53)
- [Texas Workforce Commission: VR provider resources](https://www.twc.texas.gov/programs/vocational-rehabilitation/provider-resources)
- [Florida DVR: Steps to become a vendor](https://www.rehabworks.org/providers/providers-steps.html)
- [Georgia DHS: Coordinated Transportation System](https://dhs.georgia.gov/organization/about/division-offices/operations/office-facilities-support-services/transportation)
- [Kentucky: 603 KAR 7:080, Human service transportation delivery](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/603/007/080/)