Check in and out of a session, and EVV from the field

Last updated: July 28, 2026

This article is for BTs and RBTs running direct sessions in the field. It covers how to check in (start a session), how Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) captures your location and time, how to check out (clock out) at the end, and what to do if something does not work.

If your client is a Medicaid client with EVV turned on, some extra steps happen automatically so your visit can be verified for compliance. Those steps are called out below.

Checking in: how to start your session

Open the appointment from your Schedule or your Home page and start the session. When the session opens, Alpaca begins setting up your recording and you will briefly see a Starting session... message.

If you are asked to allow microphone access, tap Start Recording and then tap Allow when your device prompts you. The session is now capturing audio.

You cannot start a session in the future or on a cancelled appointment. If you do not have an appointment yet, you can still start a session directly, and an appointment is created for you when you sign.

How EVV captures your location and time

For EVV (Sandata) sessions, a teal banner appears at the top of the recorder that reads Live EVV Sandata Session started followed by the start time. This confirms two things: your session start time was recorded, and a clock-in request was sent to Sandata for you.

Location. Your device asks for permission to share your GPS location. The same banner tells you the status:

  • GPS Location Available means your location was captured.

  • GPS Location Not Found means Alpaca could not read your location yet.

Your location travels with your signature and is submitted when you sign the note, so it is important that location is available before you finish. To keep it working, allow location access when your browser asks and keep location services turned on for your device.

Colorado Medicaid SSN prompt. The first time an EVV visit needs it, you may see a Missing Information dialog asking for your Social Security Number. This is required by Colorado Medicaid so Sandata can verify the visit. Enter your 9-digit SSN and tap Submit. Once saved, this triggers your visit clock-in.

Checking out: ending and clocking out

When your session is over, end the recording. For EVV sessions you also need to clock out with Sandata:

  1. Tap the Clock Out button.

  2. You will see a Clocking out... confirmation, and then a green Clocked Out status once it succeeds.

Clocking out ends your EVV visit for the day. When you go to sign the note, Alpaca shows your Sandata Clock Out time as a reference. Use that time as your session end time so your note matches what EVV recorded.

If you see the message Session was never clocked in - no EVV record to end, it means there was no active EVV visit to close. That is expected if the visit never clocked in, and you can continue.

Signing: your location is included

When you sign an EVV session, Alpaca notes that your geolocation will be submitted with your signature. Before you sign:

  • If you see Your signature will include location, you are good to go.

  • If you see Requesting user location access..., wait a moment for it to resolve.

  • If you see Unable to get location. Please enable location permissions and try again, fix your location permissions first (see below).

If check-in or EVV does not work

The session will not start

If you see Couldn't start the session. Check your connection and try again, check your internet connection and tap Retry.

Location shows as not found

If the banner says GPS Location Not Found, or signing says location is unavailable:

  • Enable location permissions for your browser and for Alpaca, then reload and try again.

  • Make sure location services are on at the device level.

  • Move to a spot with a better signal and give it a moment to update.

You get an EVV Session Validation Error when signing

If a dialog titled EVV Session Validation Error appears, read the message it shows. What you can do depends on the error:

  • If this was a past session, check the box Is this past session? [Bypass Validation], then tap Bypass Validation and Sign.

  • If the message says This error cannot be bypassed. Please correct the end time., close the dialog, fix your end time, and sign again.

If clocking out fails, you will see Failed to clock out. Please try again. Try the Clock Out button again once your connection is stable.

Still stuck?

If EVV keeps failing and you cannot clock in, clock out, or sign, contact your supervisor or Alpaca support so the visit can be corrected. Do not delay documenting the session.