Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) in Tennessee
All states: EVV requirements map
In short: Open model since August 1, 2025. Agencies use the free CareBridge system or their own EVV software sending to CareBridge, which serves all three TennCare plans.
Tennessee EVV at a glance
| EVV model | Open since August 1, 2025. Agencies use CareBridge or their own EVV software. |
|---|---|
| State EVV system | No single state-run system. TennCare runs EVV through its three managed care plans, which all use CareBridge. |
| Aggregator | CareBridge, for BlueCare, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan and Wellpoint |
| Can I use my own EVV vendor? | Yes, at your own cost. The system must meet the federal Cures Act rules and send visit data to CareBridge. |
| Are claims denied without EVV? | Home health: yes, in two phases (November 2023 and October 1, 2024). Personal care: claims are built from EVV visit data, and we did not find a published denial date. |
| Managed care | All TennCare home care runs through BlueCare, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan or Wellpoint. Each plan publishes its own EVV rules. |
Last verified against state sources: 2026-10-08.
How does EVV work in Tennessee?
Tennessee does not have one state-run EVV system. TennCare runs Electronic Visit Verification through its three managed care plans (BlueCare, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan and Wellpoint), and all three use CareBridge. Since August 1, 2025, Tennessee has used an open model for personal care: an agency can use CareBridge at no cost, or use its own EVV software that sends visit data to CareBridge. BlueCare calls this a hybrid open model.
For agency home care, EVV covers personal care and in-home respite in the CHOICES program, personal assistance and supportive home care in Employment and Community First (ECF) CHOICES, and TennCare home health services. Home health was already working this way before 2025, with agencies allowed to use the plan's EVV system or a third-party system connected to the plan's aggregator.
An agency that picks its own EVV vendor pays for it. BlueCare's provider manual says the system has to meet the federal Cures Act requirements and HIPAA, connect to the plan's aggregator, store authorizations, hold worker notes, and record reasons for late and missed visits. Wellpoint's provider guide says CareBridge connects with the provider's chosen vendor at no charge. We did not find a public list of third-party EVV vendors already connected to CareBridge for Tennessee, so ask CareBridge or your vendor directly.
Two groups follow different rules. Agencies serving people in the Department of Disability and Aging 1915(c) waivers must use Therap, the system the department provides. Workers paid through consumer direction record their time in the CareAttend app from Consumer Direct Care Network Tennessee. Neither of those is an open model.
Does Tennessee deny Medicaid claims without a verified EVV visit?
For home health, yes. TennCare memos confirm that the managed care plans deny home health claims that are not supported by EVV, and the denials arrived in two phases. For personal care, payment depends on EVV in a different way: CareBridge generates the claim from the EVV visit data, so the visit has to be in CareBridge before it can be billed.
Important: We did not find a published rule or start date for denying CHOICES or ECF CHOICES personal care claims that lack a matching EVV visit. What the sources do show is that claims for EVV services are created from visit data in CareBridge. Ask your health plan how it handles a personal care visit that is missing or incomplete.
The confirmed home health dates are:
- November 2023: Phase 1 denials were in effect for private duty nursing, hourly nursing and hourly home health aide services. The TennCare memos do not give an exact day.
- October 1, 2024: Phase 2 denials began for intermittent home health services. This date was moved back from April 1, 2024 by a TennCare memo dated March 7, 2024, which called the extension final.
For personal care, the plans check compliance in other ways too. BlueCare requires visit maintenance to be finished before claims, and it treats manual confirmation of a visit as non-compliant and subject to audit. Wellpoint says claims for EVV services go through CareBridge, and that 90 percent or more of scheduled services submitted for payment must carry GPS coordinates. Wellpoint lists corrective action, moratoriums, liquidated damages and termination as possible results of falling short.
What else do Tennessee agencies need to get right?
Each TennCare health plan publishes its own EVV expectations, so an agency that contracts with more than one plan has to meet each plan's rules. The common thread is GPS-based check in and check out, schedules that follow the authorization, and prompt reporting of late and missed visits.
- BlueCare: a GPS device is the first and preferred way to record a visit, then the worker's own device, then a telephone call from the home. Agencies build schedules from authorizations in line with the person-centered support plan, report late and missed visits with reason codes, and keep paper timesheets when no device is available.
- Wellpoint: its CHOICES provider guide calls for GPS check in and check out, one full-time EVV monitor and two more trained staff members. Authorization is required for all CHOICES services except level 1 nursing facility care. Late and missed visit data goes to TennCare each month.
- UnitedHealthcare Community Plan: EVV is required for Medicaid-funded personal care, including CHOICES personal care and in-home respite. CareBridge handles EVV, billing and prior authorizations for the plan.
- Home health: visits must carry the six data points in the federal Cures Act. Intermittent services need prior authorization, and BlueCare asks agencies to report missed home health visits within 3 calendar days.
A TennCare memo dated September 24, 2025 says Medicare crossover claims are exempt from EVV. The same memo covers claims where commercial insurance is the primary payer.
What is changing next for Tennessee EVV?
We did not find any upcoming change to Tennessee EVV as of our last check. The open model that began on August 1, 2025 is the current rule, and the newest EVV memo on TennCare's memos page is dated September 24, 2025.
One item is worth confirming if you work with UnitedHealthcare Community Plan. The plan moved its EVV platform from Healthstar to CareBridge on August 1, 2025, and announced that Healthstar would be retired on January 1, 2026. We did not find a later notice confirming that the retirement happened on that date. If your agency still depends on anything in Healthstar, check with UnitedHealthcare.
BlueCare's move from Sandata to CareBridge is complete. BlueCare home health visits could be sent to CareBridge from July 1, 2025, and BlueCare personal care visits from August 1, 2025.
Get notified when Tennessee EVV rules change
Leave your email and we will let you know when Tennessee changes its EVV requirements. No newsletter, only changes for this state.
Who to ask about Tennessee EVV
Questions about Tennessee EVV rules are best put to the state. Start with TennCare: memos to managed care contractors and providers.
Tennessee EVV sources
- TennCare: memos to managed care contractors and providers
- TennCare memo: EVV for home health (March 7, 2024)
- CareBridge: Tennessee EVV integration information
- BlueCare Tennessee: TennCare announcements, third quarter 2025
- BlueCare Tennessee: MLTSS provider manual
- BlueCare Tennessee: home health EVV
- UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee: provider newsletter, fourth quarter 2025
- Wellpoint Tennessee: CHOICES provider quick reference guide
- Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging: Electronic Visit Verification
Related reading
- EVV Aggregators Explained: A Simple Guide for Home Care Providers
- The Benefits of Using 3rd-Party EVV Software
- Medicaid Waiver Billing Software: Avoiding Denials in HCBS
- EVV Software Demo Checklist: What to Ask and Test Before You Buy
- What is EVV Software?
- EVV requirements for every state (map)
Other states that use CareBridge
Iowa, Wyoming. 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 Tennessee's requirements, contact Ankota or read more about Ankota's EVV software.
