Electronic Visit Verification (EVV)

The 21st Century CURES Act, signed into law in 2016, requires that States set up an EVV system to verify that services for all Medicaid-funded personal care and home health care services occurred. Under the Act, an EVV system must electronically verify the following service components:

• • 1. Type of service performed;
    2. Individual receiving the service;
    3. Date of the service;
    4. Location of service delivery;
    5. Individual providing the services; and
    6. Time the service begins and ends.

The new requirements for EVV will not change where and how these services are delivered. All states must implement EVV for personal care services by January 2020 and home health care services by January 2023. In accordance with federal provisions, the State submitted a Good Faith Effort Exemption (GFE) request on October 2, 2019 to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to extend the EVV implementation date for personal care services to January 2021. On October 22, 2019, CMS approved the State’s GFE request for personal care services, and will not apply Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) reductions in calendar year 2020. More information on California’s GFE approval letter from CMS is available on the DHCS EVV Webpage.

The state implemented an EVV system available to personal care service providers to collect and report their EVV data on January 1, 2022. The system, called CalEVV, will be available to home health care providers by January 1, 2023.

Updates on the implementation of the EVV program will be posted to this page as they become available.

Electronic visit verification (EVV) does not change how your services are provided, where you receive services, or who provides them to you.

EVV is part of new federal law that requires staff who provide personal care and home healthcare services to electronically report six (6) items to make sure you’re getting the services you need.

The six items are: the time staff arrives, the time they leave, where they are, who they are, who they’re working with for the visit, and what service they’re providing.

Some of your staff will use a cell phone, a landline phone or other ways to electronically document these 6 items for EVV. Some of your staff do not need to report with EVV; for example, a live-in caregiver.

A staff person is considered a ‘Live-in Caregiver’ if they regularly are in your house for more than 24 hours at a time, and they are available to provide your services during the time they are in your home.

More information about live-in caregivers can be found in a guidance linked here.

If you have questions or concerns about EVV, you can email EVV@dds.ca.gov.

This tab is intended to provide information to regional center providers who are subject to electronic visit verification (EVV) requirements.

General Information

Regional center services and service codes subject to EVV can be found on the guidance document linked here.

Additional information can be found in the EVV FAQs in English or Spanish.

Getting Started

All providers subject to EVV are required to complete self-registration regardless of which system they decide to use to collect EVV visit data – either the state-offered CalEVV system or an Alternate EVV system.

Self-Registration Flow Chart: A flow chart to help home health care providers determine their needed steps to be compliant with EVV by January 1, 2023

Step by Step On-Boarding (Updated September 2022): A step-by-step guide of the required onboarding activities can be found on this link

Quick Reference Guide for Self-Registration (Updated September 2022): A guide to complete the first onboarding step, self-registration.

Self-registration is completed only once by each provider agency. Once a provider agency has a CalEVV account, the provider will then manage that account as needed.

Ongoing Provider Activities

Provider agencies are required to manage their CalEVV account to be accurate and current.

Quick Reference Guide for Adding & Managing Provider Identifiers: For information on how to add or edit services within a CalEVV account, use this quick reference guide.

A provider agency would add to their provider identifiers when:

• Their self-registration did not include all regional centers and all vendorization associations under which EVV data is required.
• Adding services to the account, like for home health care services (HHCS) implementation.
• A new or courtesy vendorization is complete and EVV visit data is required for those services.

A provider agency would manage their provider identifiers when:

• Their self-registration included a typo
• Self-registration included an incorrect provider identifier for their regional center: for example, an EIN, NPI or Tax ID number was entered instead of a vendor number (or vendor ID).

Training

Provider agency administrators and office staff can take live webinar training sessions starting September 28, 2022.

Registration for the live webinar training can be found here.

• Live webinar training is available to provider agencies after they have completed self-registration and have a CalEVV Identification number. The CalEVV Identification number is needed to register.

Any registered provider will gain access to extensive training and technical assistance, including self-guided learning modules and EVV system demonstrations, provided by Sandata.

Follow this quick reference guide to access these recorded trainings.

Contact Information

Technical questions for providers using CalEVV can be directed to:

• Email: CACustomerCare@sandata.com
• Phone: 855-943-6070

Technical questions for providers using an Alternate EVV system can be directed to:

• Email: CAAltEVV@sandata.com
• Phone: 855-943-6069

• EVV Alternate Vendor Specifications on Sandata Website
• EVV Alternate Vendor Specifications-User Guide on Sandata Website
• Contact email and phone number for technical questions:
  • Email: CAAltEVV@sandata.com
  • Phone: 855-943-6069

• July 8, 2022: Guidance regarding Service Codes Subject to EVV
• February 3, 2022: Guidance regarding Self-Registration Date
• January 28, 2022: Guidance regarding Live-In Caregiver Exemption
  • Live-In Caregiver Provider Attestation Form

• Frequently Asked Questions – Updated Nov. 2021 – English | Español
• EVV Newsletters
• CalEVV System Training NEW – Below are two quick reference guides to access recorded training sessions hosted by Sandata Technologies on various topics. Each recording is less than 20 minutes and includes transcripts and closed captions. Each recording can be found in English-ASL, English and Spanish.
• How to access the training:
  • If you are a provider agency follow this quick reference guide PDF
  • If you are a direct support professional (DSP)/caregiver/staff, follow this quick reference guide PDF
• If you have any trouble accessing the trainings, please contact Customer Care at CACustomerCare@Sandata.com or (855) 943-6070 for technical assistance.