Home Help follows the person, not the address — but a move can still trigger paperwork, and in some cases a new assessment. Here's what actually happens depending on where you're moving.
Moving within the same county
This is the simplest scenario. Notify your MDHHS caseworker of the new address as soon as possible. If your living situation is changing in a way that affects your support needs — moving in with a family member who can help with some tasks, for instance, or moving somewhere less accessible — your approved hours could be reassessed, but the case itself doesn't need to restart.
Moving to a different Michigan county
Home Help cases are administered locally by county MDHHS offices, so a move across county lines generally means your case transfers to the new county's office. This can involve a reassessment or updated paperwork, and there's sometimes a short administrative gap while the transfer processes. Notifying MDHHS before the move, rather than after, gives the receiving office more lead time.
Where care can happen isn't limited to a single house
It's worth knowing that Home Help isn't tied to one specific residence — it can follow the recipient to a new home or a family member's home, as long as they remain Medicaid-eligible and the setting is one the program covers. If you're moving in with a relative who'll also be providing some of the caregiving, that's often a good time to revisit whether self-direction makes more sense than an agency arrangement.
Moving outside the agency's service area
An agency's service area depends on its licensing and contracts. If you move outside that area but remain in Michigan, your MDHHS case and self-direction option continue statewide — but if you'd been working with us as an agency-employed caregiver, you'd need to find a new MDHHS-enrolled provider agency near your new home, or continue via self-direction instead.
Moving out of Michigan entirely
Home Help is a Michigan Medicaid state-plan benefit and doesn't transfer across state lines. If you're relocating to another state, you'd need to apply for Medicaid and any equivalent paid family caregiver program under that state's own rules — the specifics vary significantly from state to state.
Check current rules before you act. Home Help requirements, forms, and payment procedures can change. Use MDHHS Home Help guidance as the final source for current program details.