ARTS stands for Addiction and Recovery Treatment Services, Virginia Medicaid’s substance-use treatment benefit. It includes a range of treatment and recovery-support services. For a Northern Virginia reader, the practical starting point is the Medicaid plan or coverage administrator: ask for the appropriate addiction-service contact, a participating provider and any assessment or authorization steps. Enrollment alone does not confirm a particular placement. [1][2]
What the benefit covers, and what the name does not tell you
DMAS describes ARTS as a continuum of substance-use services, including outpatient and intensive services, residential and inpatient care, and community recovery supports. Its current policy page links separate materials for covered services, billing, utilization review, opioid treatment and peer support. [1]
That is a benefit framework, not one program everyone attends. The practical question is which service a clinician recommends and which participating organization can provide it. Avoid choosing a service solely because its name appears on a benefit list.
Identify who handles your coverage
Use the current information on your Medicaid card or member portal. Tell the contact that you need help finding substance-use treatment through ARTS and whether you already have an assessment or a provider in mind. Ask to be connected to the team handling that service rather than repeatedly describing the situation to unrelated departments.
Write down the coverage arrangement, person or team reached, date and reference number. If the call is transferred, ask who is responsible for the next step. A list of phone numbers becomes useful when you know which one handles your actual question.
If you are applying for Medicaid rather than enrolled, state that clearly. A pending application and active coverage are different starting points. This article does not determine eligibility or tell you that a particular service can begin before a coverage decision.
- Is my coverage active for the proposed dates?
- Which contact helps locate an ARTS provider?
- What information should the provider supply for a service-specific answer?
Separate clinical need, participation and approval
The ARTS covered-services manual links access to enrollment and medical-necessity criteria. It also distinguishes managed-care network choice and fee-for-service arrangements. Ask the coverage administrator how those rules apply to the service being discussed rather than treating a Medicaid logo on a website as confirmation. [2]
Three records help: the assessment or recommendation, the provider’s participation answer for your coverage, and the status of any required authorization. A provider can be willing to assess you while a payment question remains unresolved. Likewise, a plan can explain a covered category without confirming that a particular location is ready to receive you.
Use the benefit map to ask a more precise question
The map below is an editorial navigation aid. The service names reflect DMAS’s ARTS materials; the questions are ways to clarify the next action. It does not replace the manual, a clinical assessment or a coverage decision. [1]
| Decision | Service discussion | Question for the responsible team |
|---|---|---|
| I need an assessment | Outpatient or other appropriate assessment route | Who can assess me under my current coverage, and how is that appointment arranged? |
| The recommendation involves several treatment days | IOP or partial hospitalization | Which participating program provides the recommended service and what approval steps apply? |
| The recommendation involves staying at a program | Residential or inpatient service | Which setting is being recommended and who coordinates the placement? |
| I need medication-related addiction care | Opioid treatment or office-based addiction treatment, as appropriate | Which clinician/program handles the assessment and ongoing treatment? |
| I need help following the care plan | Case management or peer recovery support | Is this support part of my plan, and how is it arranged? |
Use Northern Virginia public routes alongside the plan inquiry
The Fairfax–Falls Church Community Services Board is a local public entry route for residents within its service area. Our separate guide explains the county’s assessment process and what to confirm before traveling. Someone living in another jurisdiction should use the board or local service responsible for that residence rather than assuming Fairfax’s process applies throughout Northern Virginia.
When a county service refers you elsewhere, ask what information it sends and what you must do yourself. Tell the receiving provider which coverage you have and whether the plan has already supplied instructions. Keep the public referral and the coverage inquiry connected without assuming that either one completes the other.
Ask about travel, virtual care and accommodation separately
The July 2025 ARTS manual states that Medicaid covers non-emergency transportation to covered ARTS services and directs managed-care members to their plan for coordination. It addresses telehealth through separate policy materials. Ask the responsible team how to arrange the actual journey or remote service; do not assume a ride is booked because an appointment exists. [2]
If a treatment offer includes somewhere to stay, identify the accommodation arrangement and who is paying for it. A general answer about the clinical benefit does not resolve a separate room agreement. Ask for the written terms before making a move or paying a deposit.
For remote appointments, tell the clinician where you will physically be. A workday in DC or a temporary stay in Maryland may raise a different location question from an appointment attended at home in Virginia.
If the first referral does not turn into care
Explain the specific obstacle to the plan or referring team: no returned call, a provider that does not offer the recommended service, a schedule conflict or an unresolved coverage issue. Ask for the next participating option and whether another assessment is needed. Record the answer and a follow-up date.
If you receive a written coverage decision you disagree with, use the instructions and deadlines in that notice and ask the plan to explain its review process. Do not substitute a general internet deadline for the one that applies to the actual decision.
This guide has not verified Recovery Unplugged’s participation in Virginia Medicaid or any ARTS network. It should not be read as a claim that ARTS pays for RU. The aim is to help readers reach an appropriate, participating service without confusing provider marketing with a plan decision.
Your planning record
Use this editorial worksheet to keep confirmed details separate from questions still awaiting an answer.
| Step | What to record | Unresolved question |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage contact | Plan/administrator, call date and reference | Who handles this service? |
| Assessment | Clinician, recommendation and date | Is further assessment needed? |
| Provider | Exact program, address and participation response | Accepting this service under my coverage? |
| Approval | Requirement, submission status and written answer | Who follows up? |
| Travel or remote care | Transport booking or session location | What has actually been arranged? |
| First appointment | Date, arrival instructions and responsible contact | What remains to complete? |
For the wider local picture, return to our Northern Virginia & DC care guide. For the shared preparation steps, read how insurance pays for mental health and addiction treatment.
More from Northern Virginia & DC
Starting non-emergency services with the Fairfax–Falls Church CSB
How do I begin a non-emergency CSB inquiry in Fairfax?
A video appointment across DC, Virginia and Maryland
Can a DC-area video appointment continue when I am in another state?
Sources and scope
Based on the published sources below, with original planning tools and clearly labeled illustrative calculations. Hours, services and prices can change; the receiving organization determines current availability, eligibility and personal costs.
No named clinician has reviewed this guide. It provides general information about care and service navigation, not an individual treatment recommendation. Source checks are editorial checks, not clinical review.
- Virginia Medicaid: Addiction and Recovery Treatment Services · Public-agency guidance · Checked .
- DMAS: ARTS covered services and limitations · Public-agency guidance · Checked .
Worksheets are planning aids, not clinical assessments. Our source and correction standards.