You're already taking care of your family. Michigan can pay you $18 an hour to do it.
If someone in your family has a Michigan mihealth card and needs help getting through the day (bathing, dressing, meals, moving around the house), Medicaid may pay you to be their caregiver. You don't need a license, a certificate, or any experience. We handle the paperwork with the state.
- Michigan Medicaid–enrolled provider
CHAMPS ID #20260806324523 - $18/hour, one of the highest caregiver rates in Michigan
- Free training, no experience needed
- We file everything with the state for you
- Offices in Lansing, serving all of Michigan
What the Home Help program actually is
Home Help is a Michigan Medicaid program. It pays for someone to help a person with everyday things they can't safely do alone anymore: washing, getting dressed, using the bathroom, cooking, getting from the bed to the chair.
Here's the part most people don't know: that someone can be family. A daughter. A son. A grandson. A neighbor down the street. If you're already doing this work for free, the state can pay you for it.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services runs the program. They decide who qualifies and how many hours get approved. We're a private agency. We employ you as the caregiver, handle the enrollment and the paperwork, and make sure you get paid on time.
The care costs the family nothing. It's covered by Medicaid.
Two people have to qualify: the person getting care, and you
These are the general rules. MDHHS makes the final decision on every case, and we'll help you figure out where you stand before you commit to anything.
The person getting care
- Lives in Michigan
- Has active Michigan Medicaid (the mihealth card). If they don't have it yet, we'll help you apply.
- Needs hands-on help with at least one everyday activity: bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, eating, or moving around safely
- Gets an in-home visit from an MDHHS caseworker who approves the hours
The caregiver (you)
- 18 or older
- Family, friend, or neighbor. Not the person's spouse, and not the parent of a child under 18.
- Physically able to do the work safely
- Passes a criminal background check
- Legally able to work in the U.S.
- Enrolls as a provider in CHAMPS (the state's system; we walk you through it)
What if they have Medicare too?
A lot of people on Medicaid also have Medicare, especially if they're over 65. Depending on which county they live in, that can change how their care is covered, and in some counties it means going through a health plan instead of the standard Home Help program.
This trips up a lot of families and most agencies won't mention it until you've already filled out the forms. Call us and we'll check before you spend time on paperwork. If we're not the right fit for your situation, we'll tell you and point you somewhere that is.
$18 per hourPaid by direct deposit
We pay our Michigan caregivers $18 an hour. That's one of the highest caregiver rates in Michigan. We keep our overhead low and put the money into wages instead.
How your hours are set
You don't choose your hours and neither do we. An MDHHS caseworker visits the home, looks at what the person actually needs help with, and approves a number of hours per month. Approved hours vary a lot from family to family. Many people fall somewhere between 20 and 180 hours a month, and 180 is the point where the state requires extra approval. More need means more approved hours.
What that means in real money: at $18 an hour, 60 approved hours a month is about $1,080 before taxes. 100 approved hours is about $1,800 before taxes. We'll give you a realistic estimate for your situation on the first phone call, once we understand what kind of help your loved one needs.
What's included with the job
- W-2 employment: taxes handled, real pay stubs
- Free caregiver training, paid for by us
- Direct deposit
- A real person to call when something comes up
- Workers' compensation coverage while you're working
From your first call to your first paycheck
For most families this takes somewhere around four to eight weeks, though it varies. Some move faster, some slower. A lot of it depends on how quickly the doctor's appointment happens and how booked the county caseworker is. We'll tell you where you are at every stage.
You call us.
Day one, about 15 minutesTell us who needs care and what's going on. We'll check whether they have Medicaid, whether they also have Medicare, what county they're in, and what kind of help they need. By the end of that call you'll know whether this is likely to work for your family. No forms to fill out first.
The doctor's form.
Usually the longest stepThe state needs a Michigan Medicaid–enrolled medical provider to sign a form confirming your loved one has a medical condition or disability that makes them need help at home. It's called the MDHHS-6200. We'll send you the form already filled out with their information, tell you exactly what the doctor needs to write, and help you find a provider if their regular doctor can't do it.
The application goes to the state.
We do this partWe file the application with your county MDHHS office. Your case opens on the later of the date they receive the application or the date the doctor signed, so getting that signature quickly matters more than anything else in this process.
The home visit.
About an hourAn MDHHS Adult Services Worker comes to the home, talks with your loved one, and looks at what they can and can't do on their own. They decide the number of hours. We'll prepare you for this visit. Most families accidentally undersell how much help they're giving, and that means fewer approved hours.
You get enrolled, and you start getting paid.
We run your background check, enroll you as a provider in CHAMPS, set up your electronic visit verification and payroll, and get you trained. Then you keep doing what you were already doing, and the checks start.
What the hours can be used for
Covered
- Bathing, grooming, and dressing
- Help moving around the house safely, and getting in and out of bed or a chair
- Bathroom help and incontinence care
- Making meals, cleaning up after, and help with eating
- Help with medications when the care plan allows it
- Laundry and light housekeeping connected to their care
- Shopping for groceries and essentials when it's in the approved plan
Not covered
- Deep cleaning, heavy housework, home repairs, or yard work
- Driving to appointments or errands
- Just checking in or keeping company, with no hands-on help
- Around-the-clock or live-in care
- Nursing, therapy, or anything that has to be done by licensed medical staff
If your loved one needs nursing care or therapy on top of this, Home Help can usually run alongside it. Ask us.
The one step that holds most families up
Almost every Home Help application that stalls, stalls here. So here's exactly how it works.
The state requires a medical professional to sign a form (the MDHHS-6200) confirming that your loved one has a medical condition, a physical disability, or a cognitive condition that makes them need help with daily activities.
Who can sign it
A physician (MD or DO), a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist, or a clinical nurse specialist. They have to be enrolled as a Michigan Medicaid provider.
What the form does and doesn't do
It confirms the medical need. It does not set the hours. The caseworker's home visit does that.
What we do about it
We send the form to you already filled in with your loved one's information, so the provider only has to complete the medical part. We tell you what specific details need to be on it. And if your loved one doesn't have a regular doctor, or their doctor isn't Medicaid-enrolled, we'll help you find a provider who can do it.
If you live with the person you care for, there may be a second option
Michigan started a new program in 2026 called Structured Family Caregiving. It's for families where someone needs a very high level of care (the kind of care that would otherwise mean a nursing home), and a family member lives in the home with them full time.
Instead of an hourly wage, the caregiver gets a daily payment. For families that qualify, it can be worth considerably more than hourly Home Help, and the payment may be treated differently for tax purposes than an hourly wage. We'll go through the details with you.
It's run through Michigan's MI Choice waiver, it has a limited number of spots, and there's usually a wait to get in. That is exactly why it's worth asking about now rather than later. The wait starts when you apply.
If you live with the person you're caring for and they need help around the clock, tell us on your first call. We'll look at both programs and tell you which one fits, and whether it makes sense to start Home Help now while you wait on the other.
What you can expect from us
We answer the phone.
Not a call center in another state. You'll talk to someone who can actually answer your question, and you'll get the same people every time you call.
$18 an hour, not "competitive pay."
We tell you the number up front. Most agencies won't until you're already enrolled.
We'll tell you if this isn't going to work.
If your loved one's coverage means Home Help isn't the right path, or if the numbers don't work for your family, we'll say so on the first call and point you somewhere better. We'd rather lose an hour than waste six weeks of yours.
We already do this in another state.
Havenwood Care has been serving families in Connecticut since 2025 as a licensed home care agency. Havenwood Care of Michigan is a Michigan-registered company and an enrolled Michigan Medicaid provider (CHAMPS ID #20260806324523), based in Lansing.
Questions families ask us
Can I really get paid to take care of my own mother or father?
Yes. That's what this program is for. Adult children, grandchildren, siblings, other relatives, friends, and neighbors can all be paid caregivers. The two people who can't are a spouse, and a parent caring for their own child under 18.
Do I need a certificate or any medical training?
No. There's no license or certificate required, and no experience needed. We provide free training after you're enrolled.
How long until I actually get paid?
For most families this takes somewhere around four to eight weeks from the first phone call to the first paycheck, though it varies. The biggest variable is how fast you can get the doctor's form signed. After that, you're paid by direct deposit on a regular schedule.
What if my loved one isn't on Medicaid yet?
They'll need Medicaid first. The program is Medicaid-funded. We can walk you through applying through MI Bridges. It adds time, but plenty of families start here.
What if they have Medicare and Medicaid both?
Call us. Depending on the county, that can change the path. We'll check it on the first call rather than after you've done paperwork.
Can I keep my other job?
Yes. Most of our caregivers do. The approved hours are what they are, and you fit them around your life. This is care you're providing at home, not a shift somewhere.
Does someone come inspect my house?
An MDHHS caseworker visits the home once to assess what your loved one needs. It's a conversation, not an inspection. We'll tell you what to expect and how to prepare.
What's the catch?
There isn't one, but there is a limit: the state decides how many hours get approved, and it's based on genuine need. Nobody gets paid for hours the state hasn't approved. We'll give you an honest estimate before you start.
Do you charge us anything?
No. We're paid by Medicaid as the agency. The family pays nothing and the caregiver's wage is not reduced to pay us.
What if we're already getting Home Help through another agency?
We're not able to help you switch. State rules limit that, and we follow them. This program is for families who aren't currently receiving Home Help services.
Ready to find out if this works for your family?
Four quick questions, then we'll call you back. Or just call. We'll answer.