Electronic visit verification already adds safeguards against fraud in Medicaid home care, and a new CMS spending dataset could mislead people about where fraud is happening, according to a KFF brief published Feb. 24, 2026. KFF wrote it as the Trump administration points to home care as a source of fraud.
KFF estimates more than 5 million people use Medicaid home care.
Safeguards and a misleading dataset
The brief says home care carries higher fraud risk because services happen in private homes, often for people less able to speak up. It also has extra safeguards, including electronic visit verification (EVV), which states had to fully implement by 2023. According to federal data KFF cited, Medicaid fraud control units reported 298 convictions involving personal care attendants in fiscal 2024, down from an average of more than 400 a year before EVV was fully in place. KFF also looked at a provider-level spending dataset CMS released on Feb. 14. The dataset lumps very different personal care visits under a single code and omits key details, so KFF warned that it could lead to mistaken conclusions.
Why this matters for providers and DSPs
Home care agencies are under a spotlight, and raw spending figures can make legitimate growth look suspicious. Accurate EVV records and clear documentation are among providers' best defenses.