Every state now enforces the same federal EVV requirements, and they all come down to six pieces of information about a visit. Those six are the EVV data elements. Capture all of them accurately at the point of care, and the visit holds up when the state checks the claim. Miss one, and that visit can bounce back as a denial. So it helps to know exactly what each element is, and which ones cause the most trouble day to day.
If you want the bigger compliance picture first, our Massachusetts 2026 EVV Compliance Guide covers who has to comply and how the state system works. Here, we will stay focused on the six elements themselves.
Where the EVV Requirements Come From
The EVV requirements come from Section 12006 of the federal 21st Century Cures Act, signed in 2016. The law tells every state to use EVV for Medicaid-funded personal care and home health services that involve an in-home visit. It also fixes the exact information each visit must capture. States still run their own programs and choose their own aggregators. However, the six elements do not change, because they are federal.
One detail surprises many agencies. The Cures Act does not require any specific technology. It does not name GPS, a particular app, or a particular device. Instead, it requires the six pieces of information. Because of that, an agency can use the state system or an alternate EVV tool and still meet the EVV requirements.
The Six EVV Data Elements
The six data elements behind the federal EVV requirements shown as a MyVisits visit-record checklist
1. The individual receiving the service
This is who the visit was for. In practice, it is the Medicaid member, identified by a Medicaid ID rather than just a name. If the member is listed one way in scheduling and another way in the EVV record, the claim can fail to match, even though the care really happened.
2. The individual providing the service
This is who delivered the care. It has to be the caregiver who was actually there. Also, that caregiver needs the same name and ID across scheduling, EVV, and billing. For example, a nickname in one system and a legal name in another is a common mismatch.
3. The type of service performed
This is what was delivered. The service on the record has to match the service in the member's plan and the code you bill. Even a close but wrong code can fail the check.
4. The date of the service
This is when the visit happened. It is the simplest of the six. Still, the date has to line up with the claim, or the two will not match.
5. The location where the service was delivered
This is where the care took place. For an in-home visit, the record must confirm the service happened at the member's home. Usually that is done with GPS or a device fixed at the residence. Telehealth and phone visits work differently, so an agency that mixes visit types needs a system that records each one correctly.
6. The time the service begins and ends
This is how long the visit lasted. Both times have to be captured live, not from memory later. In fact, a missing end time is one of the most common reasons a visit cannot be validated, because the state cannot confirm the duration without it.
The Four Elements That Trip Agencies Up
On paper, six fields sound easy. In practice, four of them cause most of the exceptions and denials. So if you focus your training anywhere, focus here. These four trip up even agencies that know the EVV requirements by heart.
- Location. A visit logged at the office instead of the home, or with location switched off, fails. This is where point-of-care capture matters most.
- Time in and time out. The missing checkout is the biggest culprit. The caregiver checks in, finishes, and forgets to check out. As a result, the record has no end time.
- Provider identity. When the caregiver shows up under different names or IDs across systems, the visit and the claim do not line up. Yet the same person did the work.
- Service type. When the recorded service does not match the authorization or the billed code, the visit fails. The fix usually means digging up what was actually authorized.
Notice that none of these are failures of care. Instead, they are failures of capture. That is good news, because capture is something you can design around.
Meeting the EVV Requirements Is About Capture, Not Knowledge
The real work is not collecting six fields once. It is collecting them accurately across thousands of visits, month after month. One missing checkout is a small annoyance. However, a missing checkout on five percent of your visits is a backlog someone has to chase, fix, and resubmit. In a state that denies claims without a matching record, that backlog becomes delayed cash. So the usability of your EVV tool really matters. When check-in and checkout are quick and hard to skip, caregivers do them every time, and clean data follows.
How the Right Software Meets the EVV Requirements
Good EVV software captures all six elements through one simple check-in and checkout. It also confirms the record is complete before it becomes a claim, then sends it to the state aggregator in the required format. In short, it makes the caregiver's part almost invisible, which is what keeps the data clean.
MyVisits was built around that idea. It uses unique QR codes and geolocation to record who delivered a service, along with where and when it happened. Then it sends that data to the aggregator while running alongside the scheduling, clinical, and billing tools your agency already uses. If you are weighing your options in Massachusetts, our comparison of Sandata vs. alternate EVV systems is a good next read.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the EVV requirements?
The EVV requirements are six data elements: the individual receiving the service, the individual providing it, the type of service, the date, the location, and the time the service begins and ends. All six come from Section 12006 of the 21st Century Cures Act.
Does the Cures Act require GPS for EVV?
No. The law requires the six data elements, not a specific technology. GPS is a common way to capture location, but it is not federally mandated. States and vendors decide how the elements are captured.
Which EVV element causes the most problems?
The end time. A caregiver who checks in but forgets to check out leaves the record without a confirmable duration. As a result, the visit often cannot be validated.
Do the EVV requirements change from state to state?
No. The six elements are federal, so they are the same everywhere. What changes is how each state runs its program, which aggregator it uses, and the format for sending the data.
Do the six elements apply to telehealth visits?
EVV applies to covered Medicaid services that involve an in-home visit. Telehealth is handled differently, especially for location. So an agency that delivers both needs a system that records each visit type correctly.
The Bottom Line
The EVV requirements come down to six data elements that are easy to list and easy to underestimate. Compliance does not hinge on knowing them. It hinges on capturing them accurately on every visit, especially location, the two timestamps, provider identity, and service type. Get those four right by design, and the rest of EVV gets much quieter. For the full picture in your state, read the Massachusetts 2026 EVV Compliance Guide.
See how MyVisits captures all six elements with a single check-in and keeps your visit data clean. Start a free 30-day trial, or reach out for a walkthrough.
