Electronic Visit Verification in New Mexico Home Care

What EVV Is and Why It Exists

Electronic Visit Verification is a federal mandate under the 21st Century Cures Act that requires states to electronically confirm when home care services are delivered. New Mexico has fully implemented EVV for all Medicaid-funded personal care services — both Agency-Based Community Benefit (ABCB) and Self-Directed Community Benefit (SDCB) under Turquoise Care.

EVV data is required for payment of covered personal care services. Paper timesheets alone are not a substitute for the required EVV record.

EVV captures six data points for each visit:

1. The type of service performed
2. The individual receiving the service
3. The individual providing the service
4. The date of the service
5. The location of service delivery
6. When the service begins and ends

The system records required visit data, including location, to support payment and program integrity. It exists to prevent fraud — specifically, billing for hours that were not worked or services that were not delivered.

How It Works in Practice

For Agency-Employed Aides (ABCB)

The home care agency provides the EVV platform and trains the aide on how to use it. Most agencies use a smartphone app or a telephony system (calling a designated number from the member's home phone). The aide clocks in when they arrive and clocks out when they leave. The agency reviews the records and submits them for Medicaid billing.

For Family Caregivers (SDCB)

This is where EVV becomes a daily reality for families. The family caregiver — whether an adult child, spouse, or friend — must use the EVV method designated by the MCO or Palco, which may be a mobile app or telephony. At the start and end of every shift, they record the visit through that approved method.

The EVV data feeds into Palco's payroll and financial-management process. If a shift is not properly recorded in EVV, payment may be delayed or require a documented correction under the program's rules; contact the supervisor, Support Broker, or Palco promptly.

Common Problems and Fixes

GPS Not Registering

The most frequent EVV issue when a mobile app is used. The caregiver's phone needs location services enabled and the EVV app needs permission to access location. If the member's home is in a rural area with poor cell coverage, an app check-in may fail intermittently; some approved workflows also support telephony or another approved verification method.

Fix: Ensure the approved app has the required location permission before clocking in. If coverage is consistently poor, contact the EVV vendor or Palco to discuss telephony or another approved verification method.

Forgotten Clock-In or Clock-Out

Missing one end of the shift creates an incomplete record. Program workflows may allow a documented manual correction, subject to supervisor or agency approval.

Fix: Set phone alarms at shift start and end times. If a clock event is missed, report it and submit the required correction as soon as possible.

App Crashes or Phone Problems

An EVV app that crashes mid-shift may lose the clock-in record. Budget smartphones with low storage are the usual culprit.

Fix: Keep the phone updated, close other apps during clock-in/out, and ensure the EVV app is the current version. If the phone itself is the problem, ask the Support Broker whether the approved plan can cover a replacement phone or related technology expense; do not assume reimbursement is available.

Discrepancies Between EVV and Timesheets

Palco cross-references EVV records with submitted timesheets. If the hours do not match — for example, the timesheet claims 8 hours but EVV shows 6 hours and 45 minutes — the discrepancy may delay payment or require correction. Consistent discrepancies trigger compliance reviews.

Fix: The caregiver should verify EVV records at the end of each shift, not at the end of the pay period. Catching a discrepancy the same day is far easier to resolve than discovering it two weeks later.

Why Compliance Matters Beyond Just Getting Paid

EVV compliance is not optional. Chronic non-compliance — patterns of missing clock-ins, location-verification failures, or timesheet-EVV mismatches — can trigger an MCO audit or other compliance follow-up affecting the member's self-directed arrangement.

For families using SDCB to pay a family caregiver, consistent EVV compliance protects both the member's enrollment and the caregiver's income stream. Treat it like clocking in at any other job — routine, non-negotiable, and done correctly every shift.

If you are navigating the SDCB system and need the full picture of EVV, Palco payroll, and Support Broker coordination, our New Mexico home care guide covers the complete self-direction process.

See more New Mexico guides →