Using Your Own EVV System with the State Aggregator
In open and hybrid EVV states you can use your own EVV system if it is approved to send visits to the state aggregator. The steps, timelines and what to ask your vendor.
By Caregiver Scheduling Team ·
In states with an open or hybrid EVV model, you can use a third-party EVV system instead of the state’s, as long as it is approved to send visit data to the state aggregator in the required format. The vendor passes the state’s technical review, your agency registers its choice, and visits then flow from your system to the aggregator, where they are matched against claims. Closed-model states do not allow this at all.
What is a state EVV aggregator?
A central database that collects, validates and stores every EVV visit in the state, from every system, so claims can be matched against them. Texas defines its EVV Aggregator as “a centralized database that collects, validates and stores statewide EVV visit transaction data” (Texas EVV Policy Handbook, section 1600). The state’s own vendor system feeds it, and so does every approved proprietary system.
The aggregator exists because federal law requires the same six elements for every Medicaid personal care and home health visit: service type, individual served, date, location, individual providing the service, and begin and end times (42 U.S.C. 1396b(l)). States that do not enforce EVV lose up to 1 percent of their federal match.
Which states let me use my own EVV system?
Open-vendor and hybrid states do, usually after approval. Closed states require the state system for everyone. Check your state in the EVV state directory and read open vs. closed EVV models for how the models differ.
Texas is a hybrid: providers “must use the state provided EVV System or an approved EVV Proprietary System” (section 1400). An agency running its own system is a Proprietary System Operator, or PSO.
What are the approval steps?
Typically a request form, a technical review of the vendor’s system, trading partner testing, and a go-live date set by the state. Texas’s process shows what to expect:
| Step | What happens | Texas detail |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Request | Agency submits an EVV Proprietary System Request Form | Submitted through the EVV Portal; emailed forms are not accepted |
| 2. Path | Standard path for a new system, expedited path for an already approved one | Expedited path is limited to systems on the approved list |
| 3. Readiness review | State tests the system against its specification | Agency must score 100 percent on each required method (section 5000) |
| 4. Trading partner testing | Test visits are sent to the aggregator and accepted | Part of the standard path |
| 5. Go-live | State sets the earliest date you can switch | 2026 standard session: enrollment deadline April 6, earliest go-live August 1 |
That is roughly four months from enrollment to go-live, with limited session slots (TMHP EVV Proprietary Systems). Keep your current system until the state confirms approval. Agencies that fail the review stay on their existing system (section 5000).
What does the agency take on by running its own system?
The cost, the data accuracy, and the rejections. Texas does not reimburse providers for a proprietary system; the PSO and its vendor assume “all costs to develop, implement, operate and maintain” it (Texas HHS, EVV Proprietary Systems). The PSO must make sure every visit transaction is accepted by the aggregator before a claim goes out (section 9000), report any non-compliance within two business days, and update the system within the window HHSC sets for policy changes, usually at least 90 days (section 5000). Corrections must still be finished within the state’s window, 95 calendar days in Texas (section 9050).
What should I ask my vendor before I sign?
Whether they are already approved in your state, and who owns rejections. Get it in writing.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Are you on my state’s approved alternate EVV list today? | Without approval, visits never reach the aggregator |
| How often do visits transmit? | Real time or daily batches changes how fast you see rejections |
| Where do I see aggregator rejections, and who fixes them? | You need a daily queue, not an email from the vendor |
| Do corrected visits resend automatically? | Avoids duplicate work and missed deadlines |
| Is aggregator integration included in the price? | Often a paid add-on |
| What happens when the state changes its specification? | The vendor must update and re-approve on the state’s clock |
Why do visits get rejected, and what happens to the claim?
Mismatched IDs, missing or wrong service codes, visits outside the authorization, and incomplete punches. A rejected transaction is sent back to your system for correction (section 12030). If the claim does not match an accepted visit on Medicaid ID, date, provider, service code and units, the payer denies it (section 13030). Texas puts it plainly: “HHSC or an MCO will not pay an EVV claim without a matching EVV visit transaction” (section 1100). See EVV claim denials and EVV required data elements.
How Caregiver Scheduling handles this
Geofenced check-in and check-out capture the six federal data points, with override reasons when GPS cannot confirm, so the visit record is complete before it goes anywhere. On Growth and up, authorized hours are checked while you schedule, so out-of-authorization visits are caught before they become rejections. Check your state’s model in the EVV directory to see whether a separate aggregator submission is needed. $199/month for up to 10 caregivers or $299/month for up to 50, free for 30 days.
FAQ
Is a third-party EVV system allowed in every state? No. Closed-model states require the state system. Open and hybrid states allow approved alternates.
How long does approval take? Months, not weeks. Texas’s 2026 standard session runs about four months from enrollment deadline to earliest go-live.
Do I need a separate app for EVV? Not in an open or hybrid state if your scheduling system is approved to send visits to the aggregator.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Check your state’s EVV rules.