Helping Tribal Elders Age at Home — Michigan's Home Help Program

Does this affect tribal benefits or IHS services?

Home Help is a state Medicaid benefit— it works alongside Indian Health Service (IHS) and tribal health services, not in place of them. Enrolling in Home Help doesn't take anything away from the care an elder receives through IHS, a tribal health center, or tribal programs.

Every family's situation is different, though — if you have questions about how these programs fit together for your household, we're glad to talk it through on a free call, and your tribal health or benefits office is always a good resource too.

What enrollment actually looks like

Families ask us this constantly, so here is the honest walk-through of how a family goes from “never heard of Home Help” to a paid caregiver:

1. 1

   Michigan Medicaid comes first. The elder or disabled adult must be enrolled in Michigan Medicaid. If they aren't yet, that application happens through MI Bridges (the state's online portal) or the local MDHHS office — and yes, we help with that step too. Having IHS or tribal health coverage doesn't get in the way; an elder can have both.

2. 2

   Ask MDHHS for Home Help. The request goes to the Adult Services program at the county MDHHS office. It doesn't matter whether the family lives on or off tribal lands — Home Help works in all 83 counties.

3. 3

   A state assessment visit. An MDHHS adult services worker meets with the elder (usually at home) and scores how much help they need with daily activities — bathing, dressing, meals, medications, moving safely around the house. That score sets the number of paid hours per month.

4. 4

   The family chooses the caregiver. A granddaughter, a son, a niece, a trusted friend — the family decides who provides the care. The caregiver passes a background check and enrolls as a provider in CHAMPS, the state's Medicaid payment system. (This enrollment step is where many families stall; it's the part we handle most often.)

5. 5

   Care begins, and the caregiver gets paid. Once approved, the caregiver logs hours and is paid $18/hour, up to the monthly hours MDHHS authorized.

Start to finish, this usually takes several weeks to a few months, depending on whether Medicaid is already in place. The elder keeps every other benefit they have — this adds support; it doesn't replace anything.

Serving Michigan's tribal communities

Michigan is home to twelve federally recognized tribes: the Bay Mills Indian Community, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Hannahville Indian Community, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band (Gun Lake Tribe), Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, and my own tribe, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Home Help serves members of every tribe — and Native families who aren't enrolled members, and urban Native families far from tribal lands. Where a tribe offers its own elder services, Home Help works alongside them, and we're always glad to coordinate with a tribal elder services or social services office on a family's behalf.

How our free service works

The full walkthrough lives on our How It Works page. The short version:

1. 1

   Free consultation

   Tell us who you care for and where you live in Michigan. We review your situation on a quick, no-pressure call — no cost, no obligation.

2. 2

   We handle all the paperwork

   This is the part that stops most families. Our team takes care of every form and every step, start to finish. It's 100% free to your family.

3. 3

   Your family member gets paid $18/hr

   Once set up, the caregiver is paid $18/hour to care for your loved one at home — often for care they're already providing.