What Is the Michigan Home Help Program? A Complete Guide for Families

What Is the Michigan Home Help Program?

The Michigan Home Help Program is a Medicaid-funded benefit administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). It pays for in-home personal care services for Medicaid recipients who need help with daily activities due to age, disability, or chronic health conditions.

What makes it different from most government programs: it allows qualifying family members to be paid directly as the caregiver. An adult child, sibling, or other relative who is already helping a loved one at home can receive Medicaid compensation for that work.

Approximately 61,000 Michigan families are enrolled. Tens of thousands more are eligible but haven't applied — most because they simply don't know the program exists.

What Services Does Home Help Cover?

The Home Help Program covers two categories of care:

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs):

Bathing and grooming
Dressing and undressing
Meal preparation and eating assistance
Mobility and transfer assistance (getting in and out of bed, chairs, etc.)
Toileting and incontinence care

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs):

Light housekeeping
Laundry
Grocery shopping and errands
Medication reminders
Escort to medical appointments

The number of authorized hours is determined by a functional assessment of the care recipient's needs, up to the program's Time and Task ceiling.

Who Administers the Program?

The Home Help Program is administered by MDHHS — the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. It is funded through Michigan Medicaid (Title XIX), which means the federal government and the state of Michigan share the cost.

Caregivers are paid through a state payment system called ASAP (Automated Service Authorization and Payment). All visits must be electronically verified through HHAeXchange, Michigan's required EVV (Electronic Visit Verification) platform.

Who Is Eligible?

The person receiving care must:

Be a Michigan resident
Be enrolled in Michigan Medicaid
Need assistance with ADLs or IADLs
Be assessed by MDHHS as requiring in-home care services

The caregiver must:

Be 18 years of age or older
Be enrolled as a provider in CHAMPS (Michigan's Medicaid management system)
Pass a criminal background check
Set up Electronic Visit Verification through HHAeXchange
Not be the spouse of the care recipient (spouses are generally excluded)

Adult children, siblings, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other family members can all qualify as paid caregivers.

How Much Do Caregivers Get Paid?

Caregiver pay is determined by two things: the MDHHS-authorized hourly rate and the number of hours authorized for the care recipient. The authorized hours depend on the assessed level of need — the more assistance a person requires, the more hours may be approved, up to 179.9 hours per month under the program's maximum.

Payments are processed through the ASAP system on a regular cycle. Once enrolled and compliant with EVV requirements through HHAeXchange, caregivers receive direct payment for verified care hours.

Why Don't More Families Know About This?

The program has been operating in Michigan since the early 1980s, but awareness remains low for several reasons:

MDHHS doesn't proactively market it. The program exists, but the state doesn't run campaigns to tell families they might qualify.
The enrollment process is complex. Multiple state systems (MDHHS, CHAMPS, ASAP, HHAeXchange) all require separate steps. Many families attempt to enroll on their own and get lost in the process.
Healthcare providers often don't mention it. Doctors, social workers, and hospital discharge planners frequently don't bring it up — even when a patient is clearly a candidate.

Home Help Navigators exists specifically to bridge this gap. We handle every step of the enrollment process at no cost to Michigan families.

How to Apply

The application process involves several state systems and typically takes 2–4 weeks from the initial inquiry to the first paycheck. Key steps include the MDHHS Home Help application, CHAMPS caregiver enrollment, background screening, and HHAeXchange EVV setup.

The fastest way to get started is a free eligibility check. Answer five questions and we'll tell you right away if your family likely qualifies — before any paperwork.

If you have questions, call us directly. We're Michigan-based, veteran-owned, and we know this program inside out.