Learn / Non-Emergency Medical Transport (NEMT)

Insurance Requirements for Verida & Modivcare NEMT Providers (Tennessee & Georgia)

Updated 2026-07-04 · by a licensed Lumenbo agent

Before Verida, Modivcare, or Tennessee Carriers will let you haul a single Medicaid rider, they set your insurance floor. Their provider agreements spell out the coverages, limits, and endorsements you must carry — and a certificate of insurance (COI) proving it. Get the details wrong and your onboarding stalls; get them right and you're cleared to run.

Here's what these contracts typically require. Requirements vary by broker, state, and contract version, so treat this as a map — then confirm every number against the insurance exhibit in your agreement.

Why brokers require it

The broker answers to the state Medicaid program for every trip. Your insurance protects three parties at once: the member you're transporting, the broker and state (named on your policy), and you. That's why the requirements read the way they do — high auto limits, proof the broker is covered too, and endorsements aimed squarely at the risks of moving vulnerable passengers.

The typical requirement checklist

Commercial auto liability — commonly $1,000,000 combined single limit (CSL). The headline requirement. Higher-risk service (stretcher, long-distance) can require more.
Auto physical damage — comp and collision, especially if any vehicle is financed or leased.
General liability — usually $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate (some contracts push the aggregate to $3M). Covers non-auto incidents (a slip during loading, an office injury).
Workers' compensation — as your state requires it (TN and GA both do, once you have employees).
Hired & non-owned auto — a contractual requirement even if you only ever drive your own vans.
Abuse & molestation (SAM) or professional liability / E&O — required by some contracts because of one-on-one passenger assistance.
Additional insured / certificate holder — the broker (and often the state Medicaid agency) named with exact legal name and address.
COI + notice of cancellation — proof of everything above, plus a promise your carrier will notify the broker if the policy lapses.

Broker-by-broker notes (Tennessee & Georgia)

Verida (formerly Southeastrans) — the one to know. Verida is consolidating all five Georgia Medicaid regions as of April 1, 2026 (Modivcare is leaving Central, Southwest, and East), and it also serves TennCare. If you run in Georgia, you're almost certainly onboarding — or re-onboarding — to Verida's requirements right now.
Tennessee Carriers — Tennessee's largest NEMT broker; expect a TN-focused version of the same checklist.
Modivcare (formerly LogistiCare) — exiting Georgia, but still a large national broker and a name many providers still contract under elsewhere. Its requirements follow the same shape.

The structure is similar across all three; what differs is the exact limits, which endorsements are mandatory, and the precise additional-insured wording. Don't assume — pull your packet.

The "$5 million" myth

Here's one we see constantly: a broker rep tells a brand-new, one- or two-van provider they need $5,000,000 in auto liability. For standard local wheelchair and ambulatory NEMT, that is normally categorically wrong — and it can sink a business before it starts.

Two things happen when someone chases a $5M auto limit. First, excess/umbrella coverage that sits on top of NEMT commercial auto is genuinely hard to place — few markets will write it. Second, when you can find it, it's so expensive that a small provider could never earn enough to pay for it. Then, more often than not, it turns out the requirement was never real — the rep was mistaken, and the contract only ever called for the standard $1M CSL.

Why does this happen? Because broker reps coordinate rides — they're not licensed insurance professionals. They're often repeating something they half-remember, and a new provider has no way to know it's wrong. A licensed, experienced agent reads the actual insurance exhibit in your contract and gets you exactly what it requires — no more, no less. That difference can be the difference between a viable business and one that's insured out of existence.

If a broker rep hands you a number that sounds huge, don't panic and don't overbuy. Get the requirement in writing from the contract, and have a real agent confirm it.

Where providers get tripped up

Trying to use a personal or standard commercial auto policy that excludes for-hire livery — an instant compliance (and claims) problem.
Wrong additional-insured wording or address, so the COI bounces back.
Letting the COI lapse — brokers can suspend you the day coverage shows expired.
Under-buying the limit to save money, then failing the insurance exhibit.
Misclassifying drivers as 1099 to dodge workers' comp — a costly mistake if a driver is hurt.

The scaling angle

Several of these — general liability, the SAM endorsement or E&O, and hired & non-owned — are largely once per policy, not per vehicle. So as you grow from 1–2 vans to 5–6, those fixed requirements spread across more vehicles and your cost per van drops. Meeting a $1M requirement is a lot easier to justify across a small fleet than a single vehicle. (More on this in the NEMT insurance pillar.)

How to get compliant fast

Pull the insurance exhibit from your Verida / Modivcare / Tennessee Carriers agreement.
Gather your vehicle list and driver roster with license numbers.
Get a quote built to those exact limits and endorsements.
Your agent binds coverage and issues the COI naming the broker (and state, if required) — often same day.

Skip the guesswork: start a quote with Lumenbo and we'll match you with one licensed agent who has set up NEMT providers for these brokers before and can get your certificate right the first time. Back to the basics anytime in the NEMT insurance guide.

Frequently asked

What auto liability limit does Verida or Modivcare require?
Most NEMT broker contracts require a $1,000,000 combined single limit (CSL) on commercial auto liability. Some higher-risk service types (like stretcher or long-distance) can require more. Your exact number is in the insurance exhibit of your provider agreement — confirm it there before you buy.

A broker rep told me I need $5 million in auto liability — is that true?
For standard local wheelchair and ambulatory NEMT, almost never. Excess coverage over NEMT auto is very hard to place and extremely expensive, and in our experience the requirement usually turns out to be a mistake — the contract only called for the standard $1M CSL. Broker reps coordinate rides; they aren't licensed insurance professionals. Get the requirement in writing from the contract and have a real agent confirm it before you overbuy.

Do I need hired & non-owned auto if I only use my own vans?
Usually yes — it's a contractual requirement from the broker even if you never rent a vehicle or use a personal car for the business. Providers rarely 'use' this coverage, but leaving it off can put you out of compliance and hold up your certificate of insurance.

What is a SAM endorsement, and do brokers require it?
SAM stands for Sexual Abuse & Molestation coverage. Because your drivers assist, secure, and sometimes lift vulnerable passengers one-on-one, some broker contracts require SAM (or professional liability / E&O) so you're protected if someone alleges improper handling — accident or not. Check whether your specific agreement requires it.

Who do I list as additional insured on my policy?
Typically the broker (Verida, Modivcare, or Tennessee Carriers) and often the state Medicaid agency, using the exact legal name and address from your contract. Wrong or missing additional-insured wording is one of the most common reasons a certificate gets rejected.

How fast can I get a certificate of insurance (COI) for my broker?
Once your policy is bound and set up correctly, your agent can usually issue a COI naming the broker the same day. The delay is almost always on the front end — getting the limits, endorsements, and additional-insured wording right the first time.

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This article is general information for education, not insurance advice or a quote. Coverage, availability, and rules vary by insurer and by state.