Families researching this space often come across New York's CDPAP (Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program) and wonder how it compares to Michigan's Home Help. The core idea is similar — both let a Medicaid recipient choose a family caregiver — but the details diverge.
Who can be a paid caregiver
This is the biggest difference: CDPAP has historically allowed spouses to be paid caregivers in New York. Michigan's Home Help generally excludes spouses, though Michigan's separate MI Choice Waiver does allow it under different terms.
Program structure
Home Help is a Medicaid state-plan entitlement with no enrollment cap. CDPAP operates under New York's own state Medicaid structure with its own enrollment and fiscal intermediary system, which has undergone significant changes to its administration in recent years.
Why the comparison matters less than it seems
Program rules are state-specific and don't transfer — a family that researched CDPAP because they saw it mentioned online needs to evaluate Michigan's actual Home Help rules on their own terms, not assume the two programs mirror each other. Our complete Home Help guide covers Michigan's rules specifically.
