Industry news
Arkansas Names Verida the NEMT Broker for Region B After the First Winner Declined
On November 10, 2025, the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) named Verida, Inc. its anticipated awardee for Medicaid Non-Emergency Transportation (NET) Region B, ten counties in north-central Arkansas. DHS had first picked MediTrans, LLC after a three-way tie at the lowest price. MediTrans declined the contract, and a November 5, 2025 coin flip between Verida and Modivcare went to Verida. Verida, formerly Southeastrans, has been the Region B broker since February 2019, so members kept the same ride line, 888-833-4128.
What was decided
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Counties | Cleburne, Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Sharp, Stone, Van Buren, White, and Woodruff |
| Broker | Verida, Inc. |
| Broker before | Verida, formerly Southeastrans, since February 1, 2019 |
| Member ride line | 888-833-4128 |
| Bid | Invitation for Bid 710-25-049, one broker per region |
| Price | $7.85 per member per month, the bottom of DHS’s allowed range of $7.85 to $8.07 |
| What the price covers | Regular NET rides plus rides to Early Intervention Day Treatment (EIDT) and Adult Developmental Day Treatment (ADDT) centers, which used to be a separate contract |
| Term | One year, renewable for up to six more one-year terms |
| Other regions | Verida also holds Regions A, C, and D. Region G went to Modivcare, E to Central Arkansas Development Council, and F to the Area Agency on Aging of Southeast Arkansas |
DHS pays the broker a fixed amount each month for every NET-eligible member in the region, a capitation payment. The broker then pays its transportation providers for the trips they drive.
How Region B changed hands on paper
Region B drew four bids. MediTrans, Modivcare, and Verida all bid $7.85, and MediDrive, a division of Corporate Transportation Group, bid $8.07. DHS broke the tie with coin flips under Arkansas procurement rule R8:19-11-229(3). In Regions E and F the same rule sent tied awards to an Arkansas company without a flip, but none of the tied Region B bidders was based in Arkansas.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| June 5, 2025 | DHS posts Invitation for Bid 710-25-049 for all seven NET regions |
| July 7, 2025 | Bids open. Three Region B bids tie at $7.85 |
| July 11, 2025 | Two coin flips: Verida beats Modivcare, then MediTrans beats Verida |
| July 21, 2025 | DHS posts its anticipated award of Region B to MediTrans |
| Between July and November 2025 | MediTrans declines the Region B contract |
| November 5, 2025 | A new coin flip between the two remaining bidders, Verida and Modivcare, lands for Verida |
| November 10, 2025 | DHS posts the Region B award to Verida, open until November 24, 2025 |
| January 1, 2026 | New booking rule: members call at least 72 hours ahead, not counting weekends and holidays |
DHS’s NET page, updated April 16, 2026, reports a broker change only in Region G and tells members elsewhere that their broker has not changed. The Region G story is in Modivcare takes over Region G.
Who it affects
Transportation providers in the ten counties
If you drive Region B trips for Verida now, your broker did not change, so your trips and claims still go through Verida. Ask your Verida provider relations contact whether you need to sign anything new under its current state contract. If you want to join, Verida adds providers only where a region needs more capacity. You send its Request for Qualifications with a driver list and a vehicle list, and Verida calls for an interview if there is a need. See our Verida provider guide.
Riders, families, and day treatment centers
Members call 888-833-4128 at least 72 hours before an appointment. The contract makes the broker carry day treatment riders to EIDT and ADDT centers no matter what other transportation they have. Those riders must travel on separate trips from other NET members.
Where the Region B trips are
DHS’s databook for state fiscal year 2024, July 2023 to June 2024, shows long rides spread over rural counties. It counts one trip per encounter record, and one trip can include several stops that day, such as a doctor visit and then the pharmacy. The region logged 29,411 trip legs that year, about 29 loaded miles a leg. The databook leaves out day treatment rides, which the new contract adds.
| County | Eligible members, June 2024 | Trips | Loaded miles | Loaded miles per trip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 20,825 | 4,581 | 207,694 | 45.3 |
| Sharp | 5,640 | 1,854 | 119,700 | 64.6 |
| Cleburne | 6,436 | 1,559 | 83,163 | 53.3 |
| Jackson | 4,859 | 1,437 | 79,277 | 55.2 |
| Independence | 9,696 | 1,286 | 63,548 | 49.4 |
| Van Buren | 4,400 | 953 | 67,944 | 71.3 |
| Woodruff | 2,094 | 950 | 58,550 | 61.6 |
| Izard | 3,786 | 828 | 54,353 | 65.6 |
| Fulton | 3,768 | 758 | 69,469 | 91.6 |
| Stone | 4,110 | 560 | 46,857 | 83.7 |
| Region B | 65,614 | 14,766 | 850,555 | 57.6 |
White County, around Searcy, had 31 percent of the region’s trips. Fulton and Stone counties averaged more than 80 loaded miles a trip. For how to price and plan trips that long, see rural NEMT.
Vehicle and trip rules in the 2025 contract
The contract DHS bid in 2025, solicitation 710-25-049, sets rules that the broker must pass down to every transportation provider. These are the ones that most change a small company’s costs.
| Rule | What it requires | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Video camera | Every vehicle has a working camera system: HD 720p, at least 45 days of playback, GPS, and an interior view of all passenger activity, recording whenever the vehicle runs. No working camera, no rides | 2.21 |
| Daily checks | Drivers complete a pre-trip and post-trip checklist, including the camera, child safety alarm, and seat belts, with odometer readings | 2.23 |
| Broker inspections | The broker inspects every vehicle before signing a provider, then at least every 30 days. A certified mechanic inspects each vehicle yearly at the broker’s cost | 2.23 |
| State inspections | DHS’s NET Monitoring Contractor inspects each vehicle at least once a year and makes random checks | 2.23 |
| Day treatment trips | EIDT and ADDT riders ride on separate trips from other NET members. For children 3 or younger going to an EIDT center, at least one adult for every three children. The driver counts toward the ratio but can never be the only adult with a child under 3 | 2.3, 2.11, 2.14 |
| Payment | The broker pays in full for authorized trips within 30 calendar days of your invoice | 2.33 |
For camera choices and what to record, see NEMT dash cameras. For day treatment runs, see adult day care transportation.
What Region B providers should do now
- Keep your Verida agreement current. Check that it lists the Region B counties you drive and that your insurance certificates are up to date.
- Meet the camera rule on every vehicle. Check storage, GPS, and the interior view on each van before a monthly inspection finds a gap.
- Decide on day treatment runs. Separate trips and the attendant ratio for small children change staffing. Price them before you accept standing routes.
- Invoice promptly. The 30-day payment clock starts when Verida receives your invoice.
- Plan for the next bid. The contract runs one year at a time, and DHS can bid a region again, as it did with Region G in 2026. Our broker transition checklist covers what to do if a broker changes.
For licensing, Medicaid rules, and every region’s broker, see our Arkansas state guide.
Who to contact
| Office | Phone | For |
|---|---|---|
| Verida, Region B ride line | 888-833-4128 | Member rides |
| Verida facility line | 855-223-1227 | Facility bookings |
| Verida provider service line | 404-698-0643 | Transportation providers |
| Verida claims line | 678-510-4600, press 2 | Provider claims |
| NET Help Line (AFMC) | 1-888-987-1200, option 1. TDD/TTY 1-800-285-1131 | Member questions. It does not book rides |
| DHS Division of Medical Services | 501-682-8292 | NET program |
| DHS Office of Procurement | 501-682-0120 | Solicitation 710-25-049 |