Michigan Home Help Eligibility Checklist for 2026

Before you request an MDHHS assessment, it helps to know roughly where your family stands. Home Help eligibility comes down to two separate tests: a financial (Medicaid) test for the person receiving care, and a functional test based on the help they actually need.

Financial eligibility checklist (2026)

• The care recipient is enrolled in Michigan Medicaid, or applies and is approved
• Countable assets are at or below $9,950 for a single applicant, or $14,910 for a married couple
• The primary home is generally exempt up to $752,000 in equity, if the applicant or their spouse lives there
• Income falls within Michigan's Medicaid income limits for the applicable eligibility category

Functional eligibility checklist

An MDHHS Adult Services Worker completes an in-person assessment (form MDHHS-5534) to confirm functional need. To qualify, the recipient generally must:

• Require hands-on physical assistance — not just reminders or supervision — with at least one Activity of Daily Living (bathing, dressing, toileting, mobility, eating, or grooming)
• Have needs that are expected to continue, not a short-term recovery situation better suited to Medicare home health

Once an ADL need is established, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living — meal prep, light housekeeping, laundry, shopping, and transportation — can add to the total approved hours.

Caregiver eligibility checklist

If you're hoping to be the paid caregiver yourself, as a general rule you should expect to:

• Be 18 or older and legally able to work in the U.S.
• Not be the care recipient's spouse or the parent of a minor child receiving care (both are typically excluded from being paid under this program)
• Be willing to complete a background check (required by provider agencies, including provider agencies)
• Be available for the hours MDHHS ultimately approves

For the full picture, including where care can take place and how many hours are typically approved, see our complete eligibility page.