IDoA EVV Requirements: What Illinois Agencies Must Know
IDoA EVV requirements explained: the six data elements, the 500-foot geofence, the 75% quarterly compliance rule and how HHAeXchange aggregation works.
Resources
IDoA EVV Requirements at a Glance
Sagar Kumar, COO and Co-Founder, Verveware
If your agency serves Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) customers, every S5130 – Homemaker visit, the IDoA service in scope, now has to pass electronic visit verification. Since March 2, 2026, IDoA and DRS visit data flows to HHAeXchange, the state's EVV aggregator (HFS). This guide covers the IDoA EVV requirements your office staff, schedulers and caregivers need to know, and what to watch each quarter.
The short version:
Six data elements must be captured electronically on every visit.
A 500-foot geofence applies to clock-in and clock-out.
75% of all visits in each state fiscal year quarter must be fully compliant.
All visit data goes to HHAeXchange, whether you use the state-sponsored portal or your own EVV system.
Why Illinois Requires EVV
The 21st Century Cures Act, passed by Congress in 2016, requires states to use EVV for Medicaid-funded personal care services (HFS). In March 2022, Illinois selected HHAeXchange as its EVV vendor and aggregator (HFS).
Illinois is a hybrid state. Agencies can use any qualified EVV vendor, but the visit data must still be submitted to HHAeXchange, and a non-HHAeXchange system has to work with the state's Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) process (HFS).
For IDoA and DRS providers, the rollout followed a set schedule: portal access opened January 26, 2026, IDoA member and authorization data arrived February 2, DRS data arrived February 13, and EVV went live March 2, 2026. We track these dates on our Illinois IDoA EVV and S5130 billing requirements page.
The Six Elements Every Visit Must Capture
A visit counts as EVV compliant only when all six elements are captured electronically, through a mobile app or Interactive Voice Response (IVR) (HFS):
The caregiver providing the service
The customer receiving it
The service performed
The date of service
The times in and out
The GPS location
If any element is missing or entered by hand, the visit is non-compliant. Illinois also uses a 500-foot geofence, so a clock-in or clock-out outside that radius counts as non-compliant.
Full caregiver Social Security numbers are also required in the system statewide (HFS).
If you bill IDoA homemaker visits through Illinois MCO payers, note two S5130 modifiers that took effect Oct 1, 2026: XE for a second visit to the same customer on the same day, and TF for the enhanced rate tied to employee insurance. See our S5130 billing requirements for details.
Meeting the 75% Quarterly Compliance Rule
At least 75% of all visits in a state fiscal year quarter must be fully EVV compliant. Up to 25% can fall short because of device problems, IVR failures or manual entries (HFS). IDoA and DRS agencies were expected to reach 75% starting with the April 1 to June 30, 2026 quarter.
A few rules make that 25% buffer smaller than it looks:
Manual visits are always non-compliant, even with a paper timesheet. Record the visit anyway and keep the documentation for audits.
There are no acceptable manual edits. Changing any of the six elements makes the visit non-compliant.
Tasks don't affect your compliance rate, but payers may still require them for claims to pay.
System outages: if you have to edit a visit because of an outage, cite the outage as the edit reason.
To track where you stand, HHAeXchange sends a monthly "Know Your Numbers" compliance report on the 15th to administrator profiles. Every agency, including those using a third-party EVV system, can also run compliance reports in its HHAeXchange portal, and EDI agencies should run them to check that HHAeXchange matches their own system.
State-Sponsored Portal or Your Own EVV System
You have two ways to meet IDoA EVV requirements. The state-sponsored HHAeXchange portal is open to agencies of every size, HHAeXchange's support team helps with system questions, while authorization problems go to the payer: the MCO, DRS or IDoA. Stuck going back and forth with a payer to get an authorization problem or a rejected claim fixed? Verveware can help you sort out what the payer needs, and with managed billing, denied claims are flagged, corrected and re-submitted, so it's off your plate.
Or you can keep a third-party EVV system. It must send visit data to HHAeXchange using Illinois' EDI specifications (HFS). Submitting the Illinois API Attestation Form starts EDI onboarding.
Both paths meet the requirement. The choice usually comes down to what else your office needs from one system. We compare the two in detail in HHAeXchange Alternative in Illinois.
How Verveware Helps You Stay Above 75%
Verveware's HHAeXchange EDI integration is live for Illinois IDoA and DRS, so your visits reach the state aggregator from the same system your team already works in. Our EVV tracks your compliance rate in real time, so you can see where your rate stands before the quarter closes, instead of waiting for the monthly report. The Verveware caregiver app also works offline, so visits are still captured when cell service drops.
Around EVV, Verveware covers the rest of an IDoA agency's week:
Scheduling and case notes
IDoA batch files and remittance. Verveware is the only EVV system that automates IDoA remittance.
Billing for MCO, DORS, VA and private-pay clients
Audit-ready TTP reporting and document storage
Payroll hours export to ADP, Paylocity and QuickBooks
Verveware supports your records; it doesn't replace any documentation IDoA, DRS or your payers specifically require.
Caregiver Habits That Protect Your Compliance Rate
Missed or late clock-ins are a common source of non-compliant visits. A few habits help:
Clock in and out at the door, inside the 500-foot geofence, every visit.
Use the app or IVR, never a paper fallback, because manual visits never count as compliant.
Flag GPS trouble early for customers in apartments or rural homes.
Review compliance weekly, not just when the monthly report arrives.
IDoA EVV Requirements FAQ
Do Illinois IDoA Agencies Have to Use HHAeXchange?
Not as their EVV system. Illinois is a hybrid state, so you can use any qualified EVV vendor. Your visit data must still reach HHAeXchange, the state aggregator, through Illinois' EDI process.
What Makes a Visit EVV Compliant in Illinois?
All six elements must be captured electronically by app or IVR: caregiver, customer, service, date, times in and out, and GPS location. A missing or hand-entered element, or a clock-in outside the 500-foot geofence, makes the visit non-compliant.
What Is the 75% EVV Compliance Rule?
At least 75% of all visits in each state fiscal year quarter must be fully compliant. IDoA and DRS agencies were expected to meet it starting with the April 1 to June 30, 2026 quarter.
Is a Manually Entered Visit Ever Compliant?
No. Manual visits are always non-compliant, even with a paper timesheet, and there are no acceptable manual edits. Still record the visit and keep the documentation for audits.
How Can I Check My Agency's EVV Compliance Rate?
HHAeXchange sends a monthly Know Your Numbers report on the 15th, and every agency can run compliance reports in its HHAeXchange portal. Verveware also tracks your compliance rate in real time.
See Your IDoA EVV Compliance in Verveware
Request a Verveware demo to see real-time EVV compliance tracking, HHAeXchange EDI and IDoA billing working together for your agency. Book a demo.
