EVV Extension 2021 – What Home Care Agencies Need to Know?

Most home care agencies in the United States were in the process of implementing the EVV (Electronic Visit Verification) before the deadline. Fortunately, many states have already given an extension on the basis of ‘Good Faith Effort Exemption’

The next big question that arises is: do home care agencies need to implement EVV now? What if they haven’t implemented EVV yet since the deadline (January 1st, 2020) has already passed?

Here is the detailed information about the entire scenario related to EVV implementation for personal care services.

What is the Good Faith Effort Exemption?

Most states requested that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provide an exemption for completely implementing EVV. The states that were already trying to implement a digital verification system for caregivers mentioned the challenges that they are facing in making agencies compliant.

CMS offered an exemption to most states in accordance with section 1903 (1) (4) (B) of the Social Security Act and by section 12006 (a) of the 21st Century CURES Act.

The states that have made a good-faith effort for complying with EVV requirements through conducting environmental scanning, choosing its EVV model, and enhancing their current EVV system to meet the compliance needs of the federal government have been given an extension.

The federal government clearly depicted that those trying to comply within the provided time and have encountered unavoidable delays would be exempted. Moreover, CMS won’t apply FMAP (Federal Medical Assistance Percentage) reductions in the year 2020.

Download Free State-by-State EVV Guide

What is the new deadline for implementing EVV for states with the exemption?

The states that were provided an exemption for implementing EVV are provided a one-year extension to implement EVV. The states that have been provided an exemption would be considered for FMAP deductions after one year.

This clearly shows that states with the exemption need to implement EVV before January 1^st, 2021. Yes, the new deadline for states that have been offered the ‘Good Faith Effort Exemption’ is January 1^st, 2021.

What about the states that didn’t request the exemption?

States that have not requested an exemption needed to implement EVV before January 1^st, 2020. However, every home care agency delivering personal care services must choose appropriate EVV software to be compliant before the deadline.

States are trying hard to ensure they are compliant to avoid FMAP reductions in Medicaid.

Do home care agencies need to implement EVV now?

Yes, absolutely. Every home care agency needs to implement EVV through third-party EVV partners before their respected deadline. It is crucial for agencies to check their state’s ‘Good Faith Effort Exemption’ status to ensure they haven’t missed the deadline to implement EVV.

Here’s the List of the States that are given Exemption for 1 Year to Implement EVV:

(Note: The States not mentioned here didn’t request for a ‘Good Faith Effort Exemption.’)

Source: https://www.medicaid.gov/

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