Do You Qualify for Michigan's Home Help Program 2026?

Maybe it started quietly.

A phone call from a neighbor. A doctor using words like "supervision" and "daily assistance." Or you visited home and — without saying a word to anyone — moved a few things you realized had become dangerous.

You didn't panic. You just started carrying something heavier.

If you're the person in the family who holds all of this together — who researches solutions at midnight, who shows up when it's hard, who refuses to just put someone in a facility without exhausting every other option first — this guide is written for you.

Michigan's Home Help Program will pay for that in-home care through Medicaid. In many cases, it will pay you to provide it. Most families who need it have no idea it exists.

Here's everything you need to know — including what changed in 2026, the exact numbers, and how to apply today.

• What is the Home Help Program?
• 2026 Financial & Functional Eligibility
• Covered Services (ADLs vs IADLs)
• Getting Paid to Care for Family
• 2026 Pay Rates Breakdown
• What Changed in 2026?
• Step-by-Step Application Process
• Home Help vs. Other Michigan Care Options
• Common Application Mistakes
• How Cottage Home Care MI Helps
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Michigan Home Help Program (sometimes called MDHHS Home Help or DHS Home Help) provides non-medical personal care for people who need hands-on help with everyday activities. It is administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and funded through Medicaid.

The program serves residents of any age — not just seniors. Adults with disabilities, chronic conditions, or physical limitations can qualify just as readily as older adults.

MDHHS runs the official program website at michigan.gov/homehelp. Questions? Call MDHHS directly at 800-979-4662.

What does NOT count as an asset:

• Your primary home
• One vehicle
• Household furniture and appliances
• Personal clothing and belongings

Most families who assume they don't qualify actually do once these exemptions are factored in. The only way to know for sure is to apply.

You must show documented difficulty with at least one Activity of Daily Living (ADL). These are basic self-care tasks:

• Bathing or showering
• Dressing and undressing
• Eating
• Moving around inside your home
• Transferring (such as moving from bed to a chair)
• Toileting

An MDHHS Adult Services Worker (ASW) will schedule a home visit and conduct a Comprehensive Assessment to evaluate your needs. Having your doctor or a family member present makes this go faster.

• Bathing and personal hygiene
• Dressing and undressing
• Eating assistance
• Mobility and transfers
• Toileting support

• Meal preparation and cleanup
• Light housekeeping and laundry
• Grocery shopping for essential items
• Medication reminders

• Catheter and colostomy care
• Wound care
• Range-of-motion exercises
• Respiratory treatment and ventilator support
• Specialized skin care

This is the question that surprises families the most.

The program allows care recipients to hire and manage their own caregiver. That person can be a relative or friend, as long as they are:

• At least 18 years old
• Not the care recipient's spouse
• Not a parent caring for a minor child under 18
• Enrolled in CHAMPS (Community Health Automated Medicaid Processing System)
• Cleared through a criminal history background check

Adult children are the most common family caregivers under this program. If you are already providing unpaid care for a parent or sibling right now, you may be leaving money on the table.

Per MDHHS Numbered Letter L-25-75, the rate is made up of two components:

The county where the care recipient lives determines the exact rate — so a caregiver in Oakland County may be paid slightly differently than one in Genesee County.

Agency-based caregivers may receive rates at or above this figure depending on the certified agency they work through.

To confirm your county-specific rate, call MDHHS at 800-979-4662 or speak with a CHAMPS-certified agency like Cottage Home Care MI.

MDHHS replaced the old DHS-54A medical needs form with a new one: MDHHS-6200.

This form must be completed and signed by a Medicaid-enrolled provider — a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or licensed therapist. Without it, your application will be returned or delayed.

If your paperwork still uses DHS-54A, start over with the new form. Get MDHHS-6200 from your local MDHHS office or at michigan.gov/adultservices.

Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) is no longer optional. Starting April 2026, every Home Help visit must be verified electronically for claims to be processed.

Caregivers use the HHAeXchange+ mobile app or a telephony system to clock in at the start of each visit and clock out when they finish. Skipping this step means the visit does not get paid. No exceptions.

The individual caregiver base rate increased to $13.73/hour on January 1, 2026, in line with Michigan's new state minimum wage. This affects all individual (non-agency) Home Help providers.

• Program eligibility criteria remain the same
• Spouses and parents of minors are still ineligible as paid caregivers
• CHAMPS enrollment is still required before any caregiver receives payment
• The two-track application process (MI Bridges or MDHHS office) stays the same

Families often compare Home Help with other care options before deciding. Here's how they stack up:

For families who qualify, Home Help is the only option where care is provided at home and the cost is covered by Medicaid. That's a significant financial difference.

Cottage Home Care MI LLC is a Medicaid-certified, MDHHS-approved, CHAMPS-certified home care agency based in Detroit, Michigan. The parent company — Cottage Home Care — has served families since 1992. The Michigan operation opened in 2026 as its sister company.

What sets them apart from other agencies:

• All 83 Michigan counties — from Detroit's Wayne County to the Upper Peninsula
• Multilingual and culturally matched caregivers — a real advantage for families who speak Caribbean English, Spanish, Arabic, and other languages
• Flexible scheduling including extra free hours for qualifying clients
• Both Medicaid and private pay — so families who don't qualify for Medicaid still have a path to care
• Free intake consultation — an actual person walks you through eligibility, forms, and next steps

The intake team at Cottage explains your options in plain language and handles the CHAMPS enrollment process with you. No intake fee. No pressure.

The Michigan Home Help Program is one of the most underused Medicaid benefits in the state. Families spend years providing unpaid care — or paying out of pocket — without knowing the state will cover it.

The 2026 updates add some paperwork, but they don't change who qualifies. The asset limit is $9,950. A family member can be the paid caregiver. The total caregiver pay rate is now $17.13/hour.

If someone you love needs help staying home safely, the time to apply is now — before a hospital discharge or a fall forces the decision in a rush.

Cottage Home Care MI handles the intake, the CHAMPS enrollment, and the questions. You focus on your family.

Sources: MDHHS Numbered Letter L-25-75 (January 2026), MDHHS-6200 form documentation, Michigan Home Help Program official site (michigan.gov/homehelp), medicaidplanningassistance.org, checkmedicaid.com (February 2026 data).