How to Choose a Home Help Agency in Michigan: What to Compare

If you or a family member is about to become a paid caregiver through the Michigan Home Help Program, one of the first decisions is whether to enroll directly with the state or work through a home care agency. And if you choose an agency, which one? Agencies that serve Home Help families can look alike on the surface, but pay, pay schedule, and how much help you get through enrollment vary a lot. This guide gives you a neutral checklist of what to compare, the questions to ask, and the warning signs to watch for.

First, What Does a Home Help Agency Do?

The Michigan Home Help Program is a Michigan Medicaid program, run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, that pays a caregiver to provide personal care to someone who needs hands-on help at home. The person receiving care chooses the caregiver, and that is often a family member or friend. Many families assume that working with an agency means a stranger will come into the home. That is not how Home Help agencies usually work. You stay the caregiver, and the agency becomes your employer.

A Home Help agency typically:

• Helps the family through the application, the medical needs form, and the home assessment.
• Employs the caregiver and pays them, usually at a higher rate and more often than the state.
• Handles CHAMPS enrollment and the clock-in system so the caregiver isn't doing billing on their own.
• Answers questions and deals with MDHHS when something goes wrong.

To bill Home Help, an agency must be enrolled with MDHHS, directly employ its caregivers, and have each caregiver enrolled in CHAMPS and linked to the agency before services start, according to the MDHHS Adult Services Manual (opens in new tab).

Home Help Agency vs. Home Health Agency

When you search, you'll also see home health agencies with Medicare star ratings. Those provide skilled care ordered by a doctor, such as nursing visits or physical therapy, usually for a short time after an illness or hospital stay. A Home Help agency provides ongoing, non-medical personal care through Michigan Medicaid. For Home Help, the checklist below matters more than a home health star rating.

The Checklist: What to Compare

1. Pay rate

As of January 1, 2026, caregivers paid directly by the state earn $17.13 per hour: the $13.73 minimum wage plus a $3.40 direct care worker supplement, according to MDHHS Adult Services Bulletin 2026-002 (opens in new tab). Any agency caregiver earns at least $17.13, so ask each agency for its exact hourly rate in writing. At Family Love Care, caregivers earn $18 or more per hour. Be wary of "up to" rates that only apply in rare situations.

2. Pay frequency and method

Caregivers who go directly with the state are paid once a month by paper check mailed to the care recipient's home. Agencies set their own schedules. Ask how often you'll be paid, whether it's direct deposit, and when the first paycheck arrives after you start. Family Love Care pays every two weeks by direct deposit.

3. Help getting approved

Many people who apply for Home Help on their own never get approved, usually because of paperwork. Ask each agency exactly what they help with: the DHS-390 application, the MDHHS-6200 medical needs form, preparing for the home assessment, and following up with the adult services worker. Ask whether they have working relationships with state caseworkers.

4. CHAMPS enrollment support

Every Home Help caregiver must be enrolled in CHAMPS, Michigan's Medicaid provider system. When it's done correctly, CHAMPS enrollment can be finished in as little as 24 to 48 hours. Delays come from people navigating registration on their own and making mistakes. Ask whether the agency handles enrollment for you or just sends instructions.

5. EVV and clock-in support

Michigan requires electronic visit verification for Home Help. A caregiver working directly with the state sets up the HHAeXchange app to clock in and out and also enters the work done in CHAMPS for every day worked. They can enter it at the end of the month, but each day needs its own entry. With an agency, the caregiver usually only uses the agency's clock-in app. Ask which app the agency uses, who trains you on it, and whether you'll have anything to submit in CHAMPS. Family Love Care caregivers use FLC Hub (opens in new tab), an app we built ourselves to make clocking in as simple as possible. It's rated 4.8 out of 5, compared with 4.3 and 2.2 for the two HHAeXchange apps.

6. Scheduling flexibility

You are still caring for your own loved one, so your schedule should fit their needs. A good agency gives caregivers the same flexibility as going independent. Ask whether there are minimum shift lengths or rules about when you can work.

7. Support that is easy to reach

Ask how you reach someone when you have a question about your pay, your hours, or a letter from MDHHS. Is there a phone line, a named contact, text support? How quickly do they respond? A support team that's easy to reach is often the biggest difference between agencies.

8. Background checks and caregiver standards

Home Help caregivers must be at least 18 and pass a criminal background check, and MDHHS requires agency owners and caregivers to be screened, according to the MDHHS Adult Services Manual (opens in new tab). A reputable agency explains its screening process clearly and doesn't skip steps.

9. Fees and costs

For eligible Medicaid recipients, approved Home Help services have no out of pocket cost. A Home Help agency should not charge the family or the caregiver to enroll. Ask about any fees up front and get the answer in writing.

10. Reviews from current caregivers

Any agency can say it pays more, pays faster, and answers the phone. Reviews from current caregivers show whether that's true. Look at how many reviews an agency has, how recent they are, and what caregivers say about pay, support, and getting approved. Family Love Care is rated 4.8 out of 5 on Google, from more than 300 reviews. Read what our caregivers say (opens in new tab) before you decide.

Questions to Ask Every Agency

• What is my exact hourly rate, and is it the same for every approved hour?
• How often will I be paid, and how?
• Will you help with the Home Help application and medical needs form, or only after approval?
• Who handles CHAMPS enrollment?
• Which clock-in app do you use, and will I have to enter anything in CHAMPS?
• Who do I call when I have a question, and how fast do you respond?
• Are there any fees for the family or the caregiver?
• Can I keep caring for my loved one on my own schedule?

Warning Signs

• Vague answers about pay. If an agency can't give you an hourly rate and pay schedule in writing, keep looking.
• Pressure to sign quickly. A good agency gives you time to compare.
• Fees for families or caregivers. Approved Home Help shouldn't cost the family money.
• No help until after approval. The hardest part of Home Help is getting approved. An agency that only shows up once hours are approved isn't helping with the part most families struggle with.
• Hard to reach. If it's difficult to get someone on the phone before you sign up, it won't get easier after.
• Few or no reviews from current caregivers. Any agency can say it pays fast and answers the phone. If current caregivers don't back that up, keep looking.

Who Can Be the Paid Caregiver?

Whatever agency you choose, the program rules are the same. Adult children, grandchildren, siblings, other relatives, friends, and neighbors can be paid caregivers. A spouse cannot be paid to care for their husband or wife, and a parent cannot be paid to care for their own minor child. Another person can be paid to provide that care only if the spouse or parent can't give it because of their own physical limitations, or because they work and aren't available. A parent can be paid once the child turns 18. An agency that has handled these cases before can help prevent an incorrect denial.

Is It Better to Use an Agency or Go Direct?

Going direct with the state means lower and slower pay, a mailed check once a month, union dues starting in 2026, all the administrative work on your own, and no help through approval. An agency adds support, but only if it's a good one, so use the checklist above. Either way, approved hours are set by MDHHS, not the agency, and the person receiving care still chooses their caregiver.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do you get paid to be a caregiver for a family member in Michigan?

The state pays individual caregivers $17.13 per hour in 2026. Agency caregivers earn at least that, and Family Love Care caregivers earn $18 or more per hour. Total pay depends on approved hours.

Does choosing an agency change how many hours are approved?

No. MDHHS sets approved hours through the home assessment. An agency can help you prepare so the worker sees the full picture of your loved one's needs.

Why Families Choose Family Love Care

Family Love Care is a home care agency that works with Michigan families every day. Our caregivers earn $18 or more per hour, are paid every two weeks by direct deposit, use one simple clock-in app with no CHAMPS billing, and get help from the first application through approval. We have relationships with state caseworkers and a support team that's easy to reach. Read reviews from our current caregivers, use the checklist above to compare, and contact Family Love Care (opens in new tab) to see how we measure up.