The Michigan Home Help Program:
Complete Guide for 2025

The Michigan Home Help Program is a Medicaid-funded benefit administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). It provides in-home personal care services to Medicaid recipients who need assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs).

Unlike traditional home care, the Home Help Program allows qualifying family members — adult children, siblings, and other relatives — to be paid directly as caregivers for their loved ones. This means families who are already providing care can receive Medicaid compensation for that work.

Approximately 61,000 Michigan families are currently enrolled in the Home Help Program. Thousands more are eligible but haven't enrolled because they don't know the program exists or find the application process too complex to navigate alone.

To receive Home Help services, the care recipient must: (1) be a Michigan resident, (2) be enrolled in Michigan Medicaid, (3) require assistance with ADLs or IADLs due to age, disability, or chronic health condition, and (4) be assessed by MDHHS as needing in-home care.

To serve as a paid caregiver, the caregiver must: be 18 or older, complete an enrollment in CHAMPS (Michigan's Medicaid management system), pass a criminal background check, and set up Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) through HHAeXchange. Spouses are generally not eligible to be paid caregivers for each other, but adult children, siblings, other family members, and close friends often qualify.

Caregiver pay is determined by two factors: (1) the MDHHS-authorized hourly rate for Home Help services, and (2) the number of hours authorized based on the care recipient's assessed needs.

Authorized hours are determined through a functional assessment of the care recipient. The maximum hours authorized vary based on the level of assessed need, up to the Time and Task ceiling set by MDHHS policy. Payments are processed through the ASAP (Automated Service Authorization and Payment) system and are paid on a regular schedule.

Most enrolled Michigan families receive their first paycheck within [X] days of completing enrollment. Payments continue as long as the care recipient remains Medicaid-eligible and the caregiver maintains EVV compliance.

CHAMPS (Community Health Automated Medicaid Processing System) is Michigan's Medicaid management platform. All Home Help caregivers must be enrolled as providers in CHAMPS before services can be authorized or paid.

ASAP (Automated Service Authorization and Payment) is the state system that processes Home Help payments. Once a caregiver is enrolled and services are authorized, payments flow through ASAP on a regular billing cycle.

HHAeXchange is Michigan's required Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) platform. All Home Help visits must be verified through HHAeXchange. Caregivers use the mobile app or telephone check-in to log the start and end of each visit. EVV compliance is required to receive payment.

The application process involves several steps across multiple Michigan state systems. The main steps are: (1) MDHHS Home Help application (MSA-4676), (2) CHAMPS caregiver provider enrollment, (3) criminal background screening, (4) HHAeXchange EVV setup, and (5) service authorization.

Each step has its own requirements, timelines, and potential failure points. Most families who attempt to apply on their own hit delays — missing documentation, incorrect CHAMPS enrollment categories, or EVV setup errors — that can push back their first paycheck by weeks or months.

Home Help Navigators handles every step of this process at no cost to the family. Our goal is to get eligible Michigan families enrolled and paid as quickly as possible.