Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) in Illinois

All states: EVV requirements map

Illinois EVV at a glance

Last verified against state sources: 2026-10-08.

How does EVV work in Illinois?

Illinois is a hybrid EVV state. The Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) chose HHAeXchange as the state EVV system, and agencies can use it at no cost. An agency can also use its own EVV software, as long as that software captures the six federal visit elements and sends visit data to HHAeXchange, which is also the statewide aggregator. HHAeXchange calls the same arrangement an Open Vendor Model.

Every agency has to enroll with HHAeXchange and have a portal there, even when it uses its own EVV software. A third-party system connects through the Illinois EDI specifications, and the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) manual adds that the system has to pass interface testing and that an agency uses one system at a time. The free portal is described as the only no-cost option. It did not include billing or payroll when Aging and Rehabilitation Services agencies went live, so those agencies kept their existing billing processes.

EVV reached Illinois programs in stages:

• September 1, 2023: DDD personal support.
• December 31, 2023: Medicaid State Plan home health, the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC), and DDD home health.
• March 2, 2026: agencies in the Department on Aging Community Care Program and the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) Home Services Program. Only visits from that date forward go to the aggregator.

Two groups follow separate rules and do not choose a system. DRS Individual Providers use the state's telephone system, and self-directed DDD workers use the system run by the state's fiscal agent. This page is about agencies.

Does Illinois deny Medicaid claims without EVV, and what is the 75 percent rule?

No. Illinois does not deny a claim at the time it is processed because an EVV record is missing. HFS has said that claims are managed separately from EVV aggregation. Instead, the state reviews each agency every quarter and expects at least 75 percent of its visits to be EVV compliant.

Here is how the 75 percent rule works:

• It is measured by quarter. The state looks at each state fiscal year quarter by itself. Under the State Plan home health policy, a strong quarter does not carry over to cover a weak one.
• It counts compliant visits. A visit that was typed in by hand or edited after the fact counts as noncompliant, even though the care was delivered.
• It also compares claims to visits. Claims with no supporting visit data can trigger the same follow-up as a low percentage.
• It applies across programs. Revised quarterly policies took effect April 1, 2026. For Aging and DRS agencies the first measured quarter was April 1 to June 30, 2026.

Falling short leads to a series of steps. The State Plan home health policy ties them to consecutive quarters: required training after the first quarter under 75 percent, a Compliance Action Plan after the second quarter in a row, and referral to the HFS Office of Inspector General after the third. That policy also says managed care plans may stop using a provider that refuses to use EVV.

HFS shares monthly reports, called Know Your Numbers, so an agency can see where it stands before the quarter closes. An agency that watches the number each week has time to fix a problem. An agency that first looks when the quarter ends does not.

What do Illinois agencies have to capture on each visit?

Each visit needs the six federal data elements: the type of service, who received it, who provided it, the date, the location, and the start and end times. Illinois now expects the location to come from an EVV mobile app. Telephone check-in from a landline remains only as a narrow, program-specific exception.

• Mobile app with GPS. Since April 1, 2026 the State Plan home health policy requires agencies to use the HHAeXchange app or a third-party vendor's app that captures GPS at the start and end of service. Not using one is itself noncompliance. HFS said on September 30, 2026 that mobile app location capture is required under the HFS, DSCC, DRS, Aging and DDD policies.
• Limited phone exceptions. The Department on Aging has an exception process that allows a call only from the participant's landline. The DDD manual says agency-based providers may not use telephone check-in.
• Manual entries and edits. These count against the 75 percent threshold, so the goal is a clean clock in and clock out on the app at the visit.
• Geofence. Illinois uses a 500 foot geofence. State materials differ on what happens when a clock in or out falls outside it. One says the visit is noncompliant and a later one says it is flagged for review. Plan to review every one of these.
• Caregiver identity. Full caregiver Social Security numbers are required.

Working offline does not hurt compliance for DRS agencies. DDD has a live-in caregiver exemption that needs an annual attestation and approval from DDD in advance. We did not find a live-in exemption for the other programs, so check with your program before you rely on one.

What is changing next for Illinois EVV?

The change to watch is claim denials, and it has no date. HFS has said it plans to explore EVV hard claims edits across Illinois Medicaid programs and managed care plans, which would mean denying claims that have no matching visit. As of its March 26, 2026 townhall FAQ, HFS had not started that work and gave no timeline. It promised advance notice and training before anything goes live. The September 30, 2026 townhall slides did not mention it.

Until the state publishes a date, treat this as a possibility and not a deadline. An agency that already keeps its claims matched to compliant visits would have little to change if denials do arrive.

Smaller items:

• HHAeXchange says the compliance reports it emails to agencies switch to a view by program from October 15, 2026.
• HFS expects its first outreach about the July to September 2026 quarter in November to December 2026.
• HFS said it would look at adding a billing feature to the free HHAeXchange system in summer 2026. We did not find a published decision.

Illinois EVV sources

• Illinois HFS: Electronic Visit Verification
• Illinois HFS: EVV townhall FAQ (March 26, 2026)
• Illinois HFS: EVV townhall slides (September 30, 2026)
• Illinois HFS: EVV policy for State Plan home health providers (effective April 1, 2026)
• Illinois HFS provider notice (February 10, 2026)
• Illinois HFS: Illinois EVV updates (December 2025)
• Illinois DHS: DDD EVV Program Manual
• HHAeXchange: Illinois DoA and DRS information hub
• HHAeXchange: Illinois DoA and DRS implementation FAQs

Related reading

• Illinois EVV Update: What Home Care Agencies Need to Know About the HHAeXchange Expansion
• Best EVV Software Compatible with HHA Exchange
• EVV Aggregators Explained: A Simple Guide for Home Care Providers
• Ensuring Compliance with EVV-Compliant Mobile Apps
• The Benefits of Using 3rd-Party EVV Software
• EVV requirements for every state (map)

Other states that use HHAeXchange

Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, Texas, West Virginia. See every state on the EVV requirements map.

Page history

• October 8, 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 Illinois's requirements, contact Ankota or read more about Ankota's EVV software.