Published: March 4, 2019

You may have heard recently about the new Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) system for homecare and personal support workers that the state will be rolling out over the coming year. In 2016, Congress passed the 21st Century Cure Act which created new requirements for state’s that receive federal medicaid dollars. In order to continue to receive federal dollars for homecare services, the state must implement a timesheet system that captures when, where and who provided services for a consumer.

SEIU members raised concerns with the new system in the bargaining survey. As we enter into bargaining with the state our priorities regarding the EVV system will be:

  • Ensuring the state only captures the data required by the Cures Act and nothing more.
  • That there is a clear exception process for providers who do not have a smart phone or tablet with internet access or work in an area of the state without internet access.
  • Clarity on how the system will function for providers who live with their consumer.
  • Clarity on who pays for any costs the workers experiences due to this new system.

We asked the State to provide an initial statement about this new requirement and how they are approaching the implementation.

Here is their statement:

As Oregon updates its systems and approach to providing services, the goal is to make improvements while minimizing any potential inconvenience for individuals receiving and providing care as well as state employees.

The 21st Century Cures Act, signed into law in 2016, requires the Department of Human Services and Oregon Health Authority to implement an electronic system to verify all Medicaid-funded services provided to individuals in their homes. This includes home health and long-term services and supports programs. The system must capture information at the time of service, including location, time, person providing care, person receiving care, and date of service.

DHS and OHA are committed to respecting the privacy of people receiving services and their providers. The system will only capture the data needed to meet the requirements of the Cures Act.

Personal Support Workers working on behalf of the Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) will continue to record time worked in eXPRS, however they will be required to do so at the time and location the service is being provided using a new interface. For more information, please visit ODDS’ Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) web page.

Providers working on behalf of Aging and People with Disabilities (APD) and the Health Systems Division (HSD) will continue to capture time using the paper timesheets. APD and HSD will begin working to develop an electronic time capture system in 2019 to comply with the law. More information regarding this system will become available as the project moves forward at PTC.Oregon.gov. Further communications will be sent via the PTCProject.Info@state.or.us email address.

To ensure success, the state will seek input on how to implement this system, and will be providing training across the state and online.

Though our bargaining process, SEIU members will work to ensure that the system will not create additional barriers, regardless of geographic location or access to technology, all in the interest of providing stable caregiving relationships.