Regulatory watch
Texas EVV requirements and the usage score
- The EVV Policy Handbook, whose sections carry revision dates from November 1, 2021 to January 30, 2026
- The guide Learn More About EVV (version 11, dated August 3, 2026)
A handbook, an aggregator and a quarterly score
Texas puts almost every EVV rule in the HHSC handbook, section by section, each with its own revision date.
| Topic | Date | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Effective 2021 and 2024. | Personal care from January 1, 2021; home health care from January 1, 2024. | Guide |
| Systems | Rev. Jan. 30, 2026. | The free state provided system, run by HHAeXchange. | Handbook 4110 |
| Own system | Rev. Sept. 2, 2025. | Written approval from TMHP before a proprietary system is used. | Handbook 4130 |
| Corrections | Rev. Mar. 12, 2025. | Visit maintenance within 95 calendar days; after that the record locks. | Handbook 9050 |
| Reopening | Rev. Jan. 30, 2026. | A locked record reopens only with the payer’s approval. | Handbook 9060 |
| Usage score | Rev. Jan. 30, 2026. | At least 80 percent each state fiscal-year quarter. | Handbook 12010 |
| Claims | Rev. Sept. 12, 2024. | Under section 13020 of the EVV Policy Handbook (September 12, 2024), unmatched claims are denied or recouped. | Handbook 13020 |
Handbook rows show that section’s own revision date, as shown on October 13, 2026; the Start row gives the effective dates from the guide.
Two system routes, one aggregator
Section 4110 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised January 30, 2026, names HHAeXchange as the vendor of the state provided system and says the state offers it at no cost. The alternative is an EVV proprietary system that an agency buys or builds. Section 2200 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised March 12, 2025, gives TMHP, the state’s claims administrator, the EVV Aggregator and the EVV Portal, and puts it in charge of approving proprietary systems. Whatever system an agency picks, its visits go to that aggregator, and that is where claims are checked.
Three ways to clock in and out
- The mobile app. Section 7020 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised January 30, 2026, says the app records the location at the moment of clocking in and clocking out, and not before, during or after the visit. A geo-perimeter of 250 to 1,320 feet around the member’s home sets the default location to the home; outside it, the caregiver picks the location from a list. The same section makes the app the only method for care in the community or out of state.
- The member’s landline. Under section 7030 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised January 30, 2026, the caregiver may call from the member’s home phone if the member agrees, and a cell phone does not count as a landline.
- An alternative device. Section 7040 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised January 30, 2026, describes a device left in the member’s home that shows codes marking when a visit began and ended; the state vendor’s codes expire seven days after the visit.
Live-in caregivers and hand-entered visits
Texas does not carve out caregivers who live with the member. Section 1200 of the EVV Policy Handbook, in its September 2, 2025 revision, says so in one line: “Live-in caregivers are not exempt from EVV requirements in Texas.” A visit typed into the system instead of recorded with one of the three methods is a manual visit, and section 7010, revised January 30, 2026, says manual entries pull down the usage score. Under section 9050 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised March 12, 2025, every correction has to be finished within 95 calendar days of the visit; after that the record locks.
How the usage score works
The score blends two numbers. For a program provider, section 12010 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised January 30, 2026, weights the share of visits recorded electronically at 60 percent and the share of submission attempts the aggregator did not reject at 40 percent. Under section 11010 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised January 30, 2026, payers review the score quarterly; a first miss within 24 months brings extra training within 20 business days, a second brings a corrective action plan within 10 business days, and contract termination is only possible after three missed quarters in 24 months.
What this page leaves open
The handbook settles the systems, the methods, the score and the claim match. Three things stay open here: the wording of the statute and the administrative rule behind it, which did not load; the exact list of programs and billing codes that use EVV, which sits in HHSC documents that also did not load; and any HHSC notice issued after the revisions listed above.
Where LockProof sits next to Texas EVV
The aggregator answers HHSC and the health plans. A LockProof photo answers a relative, or a client paying privately, who asks to see a visit. Those comparing the two approaches can look at photo tools used beside an EVV system, and at what one caregiver visit photo records.
Limits of this summary
Both sources are HHSC documents, opened on October 13, 2026; the handbook changes by revision, so a later revision could move any figure here. Managed care contracts, program rules and the bill code tables were not reviewed. Other states sit under EVV rules for each covered state, among them California and its daily IHSS check-in.
Common questions
Does Texas EVV use GPS?
Only on one of three methods. Section 1100 of the EVV Policy Handbook, in its September 2, 2025 revision, says geolocation is captured only for visits recorded with the mobile application. A caregiver can also clock in from the member’s home landline or with an alternative device kept in the home. Section 7020, revised January 30, 2026, says the app records the spot at clock-in and clock-out and does not track anyone in between.
May a Texas agency bring its own EVV software?
Yes, with approval. Section 4110 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised January 30, 2026, names the free state provided system run by HHAeXchange; section 4100, revised the same day, allows an EVV proprietary system instead and has an agency collect visits in one system at a time. Under section 4130 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised September 2, 2025, an agency must have written approval from TMHP before using a proprietary system.
What is the Texas EVV usage score?
It is a quarterly measure of how many visits were recorded electronically and how many were rejected. Under section 12010 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised January 30, 2026, program providers must keep it at 80 percent or more each state fiscal-year quarter. Visits recorded electronically weigh 60 percent of the score, and submissions the aggregator did not reject weigh 40 percent. Falling short starts a ladder of training, a corrective action plan and, after repeated quarters, possible contract termination.
What happens to a Texas EVV claim with no matching visit?
The payer denies or recoups it. Under section 13020 of the EVV Policy Handbook, revised September 12, 2024, every EVV claim must match an accepted visit in the EVV Aggregator. Section 13030, revised January 30, 2026, compares Medicaid ID, date, provider identifiers, procedure code, modifiers and units, except that for some programs the units differ and a claim pays if everything else matches. Under section 13040, revised the same day, HHSC may bypass matching for a limited time only for a verified EVV or state system issue, a natural disaster or public health emergency; payers may still recoup afterward.
Is LockProof part of EVV in Texas?
In Texas, LockProof is not an EVV system, whatever the agency’s setup: it is neither the HHAeXchange system nor an approved proprietary one, it sends nothing to the EVV Aggregator, and no Texas claim is matched against it. Agencies that use it file the picture next to their EVV records to share with a relative, or a client paying privately, who asks about a visit.
Does this page count as legal advice?
It does not. Two HHSC documents underlie it, the EVV Policy Handbook and the Learn More About EVV guide, each opened on October 13, 2026. The statute and the administrative rule they cite were not reachable from here. Whether any of it fits a given agency, contract or member belongs with counsel, the payer or HHSC.