Since September 2024, Michigan requires most Home Help caregivers to log their visits through Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) — a federal mandate implemented in Michigan through the HHAeXchange system. In practice, it’s an app on your phone that records when care starts and ends. Done right, it’s a 10-second habit twice a day. Done wrong, it’s the reason a paycheck doesn’t arrive. Here’s everything a Michigan family caregiver needs to know.
At a Glance
– EVV is mandatory for Home Help individual caregivers (limited exemptions exist — confirm yours rather than assuming).
– Michigan’s system is HHAeXchange: clock in when care begins, clock out when it ends, from the care location.
– The app records time and location at clock-in/out — it does not track you between visits.
– Only EVV-verified hours become paid hours; forgotten punches are fixable but slow your payment.
– Live-in caregivers should ask about exemption/streamlined rules that may apply to their situation.
Why EVV Exists
The federal 21st Century Cures Act requires every state to electronically verify Medicaid personal-care visits — who provided care, to whom, when, where, and what service. Michigan chose HHAeXchange as its system for Home Help. It’s fraud prevention at the program level; at the caregiver level, it’s simply how your hours become billable.
One reassurance families ask about constantly: the app captures location at the moments you clock in and out to confirm the visit happened at the client’s home. It is not continuous GPS surveillance of your day.
Getting Set Up
- Complete CHAMPS enrollment first — EVV credentials flow from your provider enrollment.
- Download the HHAeXchange mobile app and activate with the credentials provided during onboarding.
- Confirm your client linkage — your loved one’s authorized service hours should appear associated with your account. If they don’t, resolve it before your first shift, not after two unpaid weeks.
- No smartphone? Telephone-based visit verification (calling from the client’s home phone) is the standard alternative — ask during setup.
The Daily Routine
- Arrive → open app → clock in. Do it the moment care begins; retroactive fixes are possible but each one is friction.
- Provide care as authorized. Your paid tasks are the ones in the assessment — bathing, dressing, meals, transfers, the ADL/IADL list your hours were approved against.
- Care ends → clock out. Even if you’re staying for dinner as family afterward — the visit ends when the authorized care ends. That boundary protects you in any review.
Split shifts (morning and evening visits) are normal: clock each visit separately. Caring for someone you live with makes “visit” boundaries feel artificial — that’s exactly why live-in caregivers should ask about the exemption rules that may apply to them.
When Something Goes Wrong
Forgot to clock in/out: correct the visit through the system’s exception/correction process as soon as you notice. A pattern of manual corrections draws review; an occasional fix is routine.
App won’t load / no signal: use the telephone fallback from the client’s phone, and note the issue.
Hours don’t match your authorization: call your caseworker — EVV only pays against authorized hours, so if needs have grown, the fix is a reassessment, not creative clocking.
Key Takeaway: EVV compliance is the difference between authorized hours and paid hours. Build the clock-in habit on day one, correct misses same-day, and never log time that doesn’t match real care — the system exists to catch exactly that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does EVV track me all day?
No — location is captured at clock-in and clock-out to verify the visit location, not continuously.
I live with my mom. Do I really clock in and out in my own house?
Live-in caregivers may qualify for exemption or modified requirements — confirm your status during enrollment rather than guessing either way.
What happens to hours I forget to log?
They’re correctable through the exception process, but corrections delay payment and chronic corrections invite scrutiny. The habit is cheaper than the fix.
Can someone help me set this up?
Yes — EVV setup is part of Mozyne’s enrollment support, and it’s one of the most common things we troubleshoot for new caregivers.
What to Do Next
If you’re not yet enrolled, EVV is step five of a process that starts with a two-minute eligibility check. If you’re mid-process and stuck on EVV specifically, call us at 313-251-1767 — this is a solvable problem, usually same-week.