CarePay Michigan:
get clear on paid family caregiving.
Understand Michigan’s Home Help program, who may qualify, and the questions to ask before choosing a caregiver or agency.
Serving Wayne, Oakland & Macomb County families
2026 individual caregiver hourly rate; authorized care only.
Explore individual care and agency arrangements.
Ask Adult Services about assessment and authorization.
From "is this real?" to your first paycheck
Four steps, start to finish. None of them require a medical license.
Home assessment
Ask the client’s county Adult Services unit about a Home Help referral, medical needs certification, and an in-home assessment.
Hours are approved
MDHHS assesses the covered tasks and authorizes care based on individual need. Keep the written decision and ask about any unclear task or hour amount.
You register in CHAMPS
The chosen caregiver completes CHAMPS enrollment and required screening. Check enrollment status separately from the client’s service authorization.
You get paid
Provide authorized care and submit the required service records. Confirm the individual-provider rate or an agency’s written employee wage before budgeting.
You don't have to hire a stranger. You can hire yourself.
Most families assume in-home care means bringing in an outside agency. Home Help's self-direction option flips that — your loved one can choose who provides their care, and that person gets paid by the state to do it.
Who actually qualifies for Home Help
Eligibility runs through two tests: the Medicaid recipient's finances, and their functional need for hands-on help. Here's the short version.
Family caregiver, or provider agency?
Home Help supports both. Which one fits depends on your family's situation, schedule, and comfort level.
Self-directed family caregiver
You (or another approved family member) become the paid caregiver directly, at the state's $17.13/hr individual provider rate.
- ✓ Keeps care inside the family
- ✓ You set the day-to-day schedule
- Complete CHAMPS enrollment and required service verification, including EVV unless exempt.
- ✓ Paid $17.13/hr directly by the state
Provider agency
Agency employee wages depend on the employer’s written offer. An agency reimbursement rate is not an employee wage. Compare reimbursement with caregiver wages.
- Confirm the wage and employer in writing.
- Ask who handles enrollment, service records, and payroll.
- Discuss backup coverage and schedule changes.
- Check provider participation and current availability.
Serving families across Wayne, Oakland & Macomb
Straight answers, no runaround
An eligible Home Help client can choose a qualifying family member or friend as an individual caregiver. MDHHS must authorize the services, and the caregiver must complete enrollment and screening. Spouses and parents caring for a minor child are excluded under Home Help caregiver rules.
Michigan’s 2026 individual caregiver rate is $17.13 per authorized hour. Agency employee wages depend on the employer’s written offer. The agency reimbursement rate is a different number and is not a promised employee wage.
Assessment, service authorization, and caregiver enrollment are separate steps. Ask the county worker about the client’s decision and provider support about enrollment status. Do not budget around an assumed approval date.
Home Help is a state-plan personal-care benefit. Eligibility, assessment, authorization, provider enrollment, and local processing still affect when care can start. Ask the county worker about the next step for the case.
EVV applies unless an approved exemption covers the arrangement. Live-in caregivers and certain other arrangements may be exempt. Individual caregivers must also continue ESV or PSV service verification. Confirm the current requirements with MDHHS or the responsible agency.
See where your family stands
Answer a few quick questions and a Michigan care specialist will follow up to explain your specific options — whether that's becoming a paid family caregiver or connecting with an agency referral option.
CarePay Michigan is an independent information and referral resource. MDHHS determines Home Help eligibility and authorized care. Official program guidance · 2026 provider rates · EVV rules and exemptions.