Time4Care™ EVV FAQ

EVV technology uses a smartphone or tablet to record your worker’s start time and location at start time, then their end time and location at end time. EVV helps ensure that members receive consistent services. Public Partnerships’s EVV solution is the Time4Care mobile app.

In December 2016, Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act, a federal law. This law set new rules requiring an EVV system to capture clock-in and clock-out times for Home and Community Based Services, including self-direction programs.

Time4Care is Public Partnerships’s mobile application that workers can use to record their time as they deliver care to members. The app will capture worker’s start time, end time, and location at the start and end of their shift. Members can also use Time4Care to review and approve worker’s time.

Please click here for the full list of PPL programs currently using Time4Care.

EVV provides peace of mind and helps ensure that services are delivered during the hours that members need care. EVV makes workers more accountable for their work hours and better accountability often leads to more consistent care. EVV also provides real time alerts. Receive notifications when workers submit hours for members to review.

Yes, they are available for download at this link, please click here. There may also be program specific Time4Care instructions on your Programs page, click here to select your state and program.

Yes the employer can use a smartphone, a tablet, or a computer with access to the web portal to review and approve the shift.

If the tablet has GPS enabled, then yes it can be used for EVV.

Yes. A worker can use any GPS enabled smartphone or tablet to enter time.

If internet access is patchy or unavailable, Time4Care works in “offline mode.” Workers can still clock in and out to record their time. When the internet is available (either at the member’s home or when the worker goes to another location), the app will submit the time they recorded while offline.

The Time4Care mobile app is free to download and if used while connected to Wi-Fi would not use phone data, but standard data plan rates may apply when using the app not connected to Wi-Fi.

If connected to Wi-Fi, the app does not use any plan data. If not connected to Wi-Fi and connected to the network, data usage will be minimal – similar to the amount of data used to view a web page. Data is used when something is submitted to the system, such as a worker submitting a clock in or clock out entry, or when you approve or reject a time entry.

If the worker is unable to clock in or out because they forgot or misplaced their phone or the battery dies, they can create a manual entry for the time worked in the past, either using the app or the BetterOnline web portal / MyAccount web platform. Submitting timesheets using the mobile app or web portal should only apply on an exception basis – any entries not recorded in real-time on the app will be flagged as non-EVV entries and tracked in the system. If the worker’s phone runs out of battery during their shift, the clock will keep running until they clock out.

Yes. We take data security very seriously. Data is always sent using 256-bit AES algorithm – the highest standard communication security.

Not currently. Support for multiple languages may be available in a future release.

No, Time4Care is customized for the needs of the program and is the same for all members and workers.

Yes. You can review worker’s hours within a pay period by going to the Pay Periods menu option on the mobile app. You may also review hours worked by going to the BetterOnline web portal / MyAccount web platform.

The EOR can either review/approve time each shift worked or wait and review/approve all at once at the end of the pay period. The EOR can use a smartphone, tablet, or web portal to review/approve time.

The cell phone’s GPS captures the location of the worker at the time of the clock-in and clock-out. The cell phone’s GPS does not need an internet connection to work. There are only a few things that interfere with a phones GPS, such as being underground or in a concrete building.

The location of the worker is recorded at the point of clock-in and clock-out. If the worker is at one location at the beginning and a different location at the end of the shift, the system will capture it.

Beginning a shift with the Time4Care app requires that you define the service being provided. Workers need to work with their members to understand what service will be provided before beginning the shift. If two different services will be provided during a shift, simply clock out, then clock back in selecting the second service.

Yes. As long as they turn on location services when they clock in and when they clock out, the system will record their shift data in compliance with EVV regulations.

No. If location services are not turned on, the worker will not be able to clock in or out. The worker will see a message asking you to turn on location. If this happens, turn on location services in your device settings.

No. Only the Time4Care app on a smart phone or tablet can be used to clock in and clock out. The web portal is not EVV compliant.

Only employers can make edits to shifts after they have been approved. You will need to call Customer Service for assistance.

Overlapping shifts are not allowed in many self-directed program. EORs will need to work with the workers to make sure shifts are started only after shifts are ended.

Many programs do not allow two workers working at the same time. If this is not allowed in your program, the second worker can still clock in, but the first worker will need to manually correct their end time before clocking out. Shifts cannot overlap.

Use the Time4Care app to clock in when you begin working, and to clock out when you end working. The exact minutes do not need to align with the planned shift. Work with your EOR to make sure your shifts are agreed upon. Again, there is no system requirement that you clock-in or clock-out at an exact time. Time4Care will keep track of all the minutes worked for the shift and process payment according to current program rules.

You asked for easier overnight time entry and we listened! PPL is excited to announce an improved feature for our Time4Care mobile app, “Overnight Shifts.” You no longer have to clock out at 11:59pm and clock back in at 12:00am when working a shift through the night on two dates of service. Simply clock-in and clock-out at the start and end times of your shift, even if the shift ends past midnight. We hope this new feature makes your overnight shifts easier.