Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) in California

All states: EVV requirements map

California EVV at a glance

Last verified against state sources: 2026-10-07.

How does EVV work in California for home care agencies?

California runs an open EVV model for agencies. An agency can use CalEVV, the free state system that Sandata Technologies provides under a state contract, or it can use an alternate EVV system of its own choosing. Either way, visit data goes to the CalEVV Aggregator, which Sandata also operates. A separate state timesheet system covers IHSS caregivers and individual WPCS providers, and that track is described further down this page.

An alternate EVV system has to capture the six data elements required by the federal 21st Century Cures Act and be able to send them to the CalEVV Aggregator. The vendor must first be certified with the state's contractor, Sandata. At least one managed care plan, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), asks providers for proof that their alternate vendor is credentialed by the state.

CalEVV applies to Medi-Cal personal care services and home health care services delivered in the home. Personal care services came under EVV on January 1, 2022, and home health care services on January 1, 2023. The requirement reaches agency providers paid through the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), Medi-Cal managed care plans, the Department of Aging, the Department of Public Health, and Department of Developmental Services (DDS) regional centers.

IEHP's provider FAQ gives a useful picture of which visits are in scope:

• Community Supports delivered in the home: homemaker, personal care, respite and habilitation.
• Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) waiver: nursing, aide, respite and habilitation.
• Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP): homemaker, attendant care and therapy.
• Medi-Cal Waiver Program: home health aide and skilled nursing.
• Community-Based Adult Services (CBAS): only Emergency Remote Services delivered while the member is at home. Standard in-center CBAS does not require EVV.

The same FAQ lists what is left out. EVV is not required when there is no in-home visit, in 24-hour congregate settings, for live-in caregivers, or for PACE, hospice, the Assisted Living Waiver, residents of inpatient and long-term care facilities, and delivery of durable medical equipment. It also does not apply to dual-eligible members whose service is paid mainly by Medicare or other coverage. The official list of provider types and service codes is kept by DHCS, so check your own codes there.

Does California deny Medi-Cal claims without a matching EVV visit?

Not as a single statewide rule that we could confirm. In California, payment consequences for EVV are set payer by payer. The clearest example is Inland Empire Health Plan, which rejects claims received on or after June 1, 2026 that are not EVV compliant. Other plans we checked describe monitoring and possible action, without a claim rejection date.

Here is what each payer has said in the notices we were able to read:

• Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP): rejects a claim received on or after June 1, 2026 when the rendering provider is not registered for EVV, when the rendering provider is missing from the claim, or when a service line does not match the EVV data held by Sandata. IEHP also asked providers to submit proof of CalEVV registration, or proof that their alternate vendor is credentialed by the state, by April 17, 2026.
• California Health and Wellness: stated in a July 2023 notice that it would deny payment for EVV non-compliance.
• Health Net and Health Plan of San Joaquin: their notices (January 2025 and July 2025) describe compliance monitoring and possible disciplinary action. Neither gives a date for claim denials.
• DDS regional centers: DDS says CalEVV does not replace or connect to its eBilling system, so regional center payment is not checked against EVV visits. EVV still affects revenue there. For fiscal year 2026 to 2027, EVV compliance became a condition for a 10 percent Quality Incentive Program rate component that took effect July 1, 2026.

For agencies, the practical lesson is the same across payers. The provider on the claim needs to be registered for EVV, and each billed service line needs a visit in the aggregator that agrees with it. Agencies that review visit exceptions every day, instead of at billing time, find mismatches while they are still easy to correct.

How is EVV different for IHSS and WPCS caregivers?

In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers and individual Waiver Personal Care Services (WPCS) providers do not use CalEVV. They use a separate timesheet system run by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). This track is closed, so an agency's EVV software or an alternate EVV vendor cannot be used for it.

CDSS offers three methods: the Electronic Services Portal, the Telephone Timesheet System, and the IHSS EVV Mobile App. The mobile app is optional and cannot be used to submit timesheets. Electronic timesheets have been required for IHSS providers since December 31, 2020.

Since July 1, 2023, providers who do not live with the recipient check in and check out once per workday for each recipient, and mark whether the work is at home or in the community. Location is recorded only when home is selected. A provider who serves one recipient under both IHSS and WPCS checks in and out separately for each program. Live-in providers are exempt from check-in and check-out and can self-certify using form SOC 2298.

This track is based on timesheets, not claims. Pay follows the hours reported on the timesheet, not the span between check-in and check-out, and a missed check-in can be corrected on the timesheet before it is submitted. If your agency bills Medi-Cal for personal care or home health visits, this track does not replace your CalEVV duties. It matters mainly because many clients receive IHSS alongside agency services.

What is changing next for California EVV?

As of our last check, we found no upcoming California EVV change with a firm effective date. The IEHP claim rejection rule that many agencies were preparing for is already in effect. CDSS has posted no upcoming change to the IHSS and WPCS timesheet system, and we found no published claim rejection dates from other managed care plans.

One item to watch applies to providers that serve regional center clients. DDS has said that future fiscal years of its Quality Incentive Program will require a good faith effort to implement EVV. DDS has not yet published a date or a definition for that requirement, so treat it as a signal and not a rule. If regional center work is part of your revenue, follow the DDS EVV page for updates.

Because enforcement in California is payer specific, a new requirement is most likely to reach you as a provider notice from a plan you already bill. Read those notices closely and confirm dates with the plan.

California EVV sources

• California Department of Developmental Services: EVV frequently asked questions (March 2024)
• California Department of Developmental Services: Electronic Visit Verification
• Inland Empire Health Plan: CalEVV compliance notice effective June 1, 2026
• Inland Empire Health Plan: CalEVV compliance resources, support and FAQs (June 2026)
• California Department of Social Services: IHSS EVV help
• California Department of Social Services: EVV location services FAQ
• California Department of Developmental Services: Quality Incentive Program provider eligibility directive (October 2025)

Related reading

• EVV Software Compatible with Sandata Aggregator
• EVV Aggregators Explained: A Simple Guide for Home Care Providers
• The Benefits of Using 3rd-Party EVV Software
• Exploring Alternative EVV Software Solutions
• What is EVV Software?
• EVV requirements for every state (map)

Other states that use Sandata

Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin. See every state on the EVV requirements map.

Page history

• October 7, 2026: Page rewritten and checked against state sources.

This page is a reference, not legal advice. State rules change, so confirm details with the state before you act on them.

Ankota provides EVV software for Medicaid home care agencies. If you would like to talk through California's requirements, contact Ankota or read more about Ankota's EVV software.