Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) for Michigan Home Help Caregivers

Electronic visit verification, or EVV, is the system Michigan Home Help caregivers use to clock in and out of each visit so MDHHS can confirm the care happened. Federal law requires it for Medicaid personal care, and it replaces paper timesheets. Family caregivers, including those paid through Home Help, must use it or their hours will not be paid.

On this page

1. What is electronic visit verification?
2. Who has to use EVV in Michigan?
3. Which app do Michigan Home Help caregivers use, and how do you log in?
4. How do you clock in and out for a Home Help visit?
5. What if you forget to clock in or out?
6. Does EVV change your approved hours or your pay?
7. Frequently asked questions

What is electronic visit verification?

EVV proves that a home care visit took place. Instead of a paper timesheet, the caregiver uses an app or phone system to record the start and end of each visit. The record goes to the state, is matched against the client’s approved hours, and is used to pay the caregiver.

The requirement comes from the federal 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, which told every state Medicaid program to use EVV for personal care services and, later, home health services. Michigan applied it to Home Help through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The six data points EVV captures

• Type of service performed
• The person receiving the service
• The person providing the service
• Date of the visit
• Location of the visit
• Time the visit begins and ends

EVV does not record what you say, take photos, or follow you after you clock out.

Who has to use EVV in Michigan?

Anyone paid with Medicaid money to provide personal care in a home. For Home Help that means:

• Individual providers enrolled through CHAMPS, including adult children, siblings, friends and neighbors paid to care for someone they know.
• Caregivers employed by a home care agency that serves Home Help clients. The agency’s EVV system connects to the state.
• MI Choice Waiver caregivers, who use the EVV system chosen by their waiver agency.

Living with the client does not automatically remove the requirement. Michigan has treated live-in Home Help providers differently at different stages of the rollout, so ask your Adult Services Worker for the current rule rather than assuming you are exempt.

If you are still deciding whether to enroll, our guide on how to become a paid caregiver in Michigan explains the whole path, from background check to first paycheck.

Which app do Michigan Home Help caregivers use, and how do you log in?

MDHHS selected a statewide EVV vendor, HHAeXchange, for Home Help individual providers. After your CHAMPS enrollment is approved and you are linked to your client, you receive instructions for setting up your EVV account.

1. Download the app. Install the state’s EVV app from the Apple App Store or Google Play on your own smartphone.
2. Create your login. Use the email address on file with MDHHS. Your account is tied to your provider ID, so the name must match your CHAMPS record.
3. Confirm your client. Your approved client and the services you are authorized to provide should appear in the app. If they do not, the link between you and the client in CHAMPS is not complete yet.
4. Allow location access for clock-in and clock-out.

If you do not have a smartphone

There is a telephone option. The caregiver calls a toll-free number from the client’s home phone at the start and end of the visit, and the caller ID confirms the location. For homes with no landline or reliable cell service, MDHHS can provide a small fixed device that generates codes. Ask your worker which option fits the home.

How do you clock in and out for a Home Help visit?

1. Open the app when you arrive and select your client and the service you are providing.
2. Tap clock in. The app records the time and your location.
3. Provide the care. Bathing, dressing, meals, medication reminders, housework, shopping, whatever is in the service plan.
4. Tap clock out before you leave. Some setups ask the client or their representative to confirm the visit with a signature or code.
5. Check your visit history once a week so any errors are caught early.

Shopping and errands outside the home still count if they are in the service plan. Clock in at the client’s home, run the errand, and clock out when you return.

Your pay is based on verified hours up to your monthly authorization. Our guide to how much family caregivers get paid in Michigan explains how those hours become a paycheck.

What if you forget to clock in or out?

A visit with a missing punch shows as an exception. Here is how to fix it.

• Correct it promptly. The app or the client’s portal lets you add the missing time with a reason code such as “forgot to clock out.” Corrections must be submitted within the state’s edit window, so do not wait until the end of the month.
• Get the client’s confirmation. A manual edit usually needs the client or representative to approve it.
• Keep your own notes. A simple log of arrival and departure times helps you fill in an accurate correction.
• Watch the pattern. A few corrections are normal. A high percentage of manually edited visits can trigger a review of your hours.

Common EVV problems and quick fixes

• Client does not appear in the app: your CHAMPS enrollment or client link is not finished. Call your Adult Services Worker.
• GPS shows the wrong location: step near a window or outside before clocking in.
• Visit overlaps another client: you cannot be clocked in for two people at the same time, so clock out of one before starting the other.

Does EVV change your approved hours or your pay?

No. Your monthly hours are set by the Home Help assessment, not by the app. EVV only confirms that the hours you claim were worked. If you regularly run out of hours before the month ends, ask for a reassessment. Learn how the rate and hours work on our family caregiver pay page, and see whether live-in caregivers can exclude pay from taxes in our post on whether Home Help payments are taxable.

Supportive Solutions Homecare trains every caregiver we place in Detroit, Dearborn, Warren, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Flint, Lansing and Grand Rapids on EVV before their first shift.

Frequently asked questions

What is EVV and do family caregivers have to use it?

EVV, or electronic visit verification, is the app or phone system that records when a Medicaid-paid caregiver starts and ends each visit. Federal law requires it for personal care services, so Michigan Home Help caregivers, including family members paid as individual providers, must use it. Visits that are not verified through EVV are not paid.

Do I need a smartphone to use EVV in Michigan?

A smartphone is the easiest option because the state’s app records time and location automatically. If you do not have one, you can clock in and out by calling a toll-free number from the client’s home phone. MDHHS can also supply a small fixed device for homes without phone or internet service. Ask your Adult Services Worker which method to set up.

Does EVV track my location all day?

No. The app captures your location only at the moment you clock in and the moment you clock out, to confirm you were at the client’s home. It does not run in the background between visits, record conversations, or follow you on personal errands. You can close the app after clocking out.

What happens if I forget to clock out?

The visit shows as an exception with no end time. Open the app or portal, add the correct end time with a reason code, and have the client or representative confirm it. Do this as soon as you notice, because corrections have a deadline. Occasional fixes are fine, but frequent manual edits can trigger a review.

Do live-in caregivers have to clock in and out?

Federal rules let states decide how to handle caregivers who live with the client, and Michigan has adjusted its approach during the rollout. Do not assume you are exempt. Ask your Adult Services Worker for the current instruction for live-in Home Help providers, and follow it, because unverified hours cannot be paid even if the care was provided.