Every answer was written and checked ahead of time, with the official document next to it. Nothing is made up on the spot.
Do I need a license to run a non-medical home care agency in Michigan?
Not a state license, based on the documents we hold.
None of the Michigan documents we hold creates a license for non-medical home care. LARA's health facility rules cover hospices, hospitals, nursing care facilities and freestanding surgical outpatient facilities. To be paid the Home Help agency rate, your agency must be approved by the MDHHS Home Help Policy Section, and MI Choice waiver agencies check their own provider standards.
Written and checked September 22, 2026
How do I become an approved Home Help agency?
Apply to the MDHHS Home Help Policy Section.
You need a federal EIN and a Type 2 NPI, registration with LARA or your County Clerk, a SIGMA VSS vendor account and CHAMPS enrollment. Then send a letter of intent, your IRS EIN letter and form HASA-2104. MDHHS answers in writing within 30 calendar days of a complete packet, and reviews your payroll and caregivers three months after your first payment.
Written and checked September 22, 2026
What does Home Help pay an agency?
$27.00 an hour in 2026.
MDHHS's county rate table effective January 1, 2026 keeps the agency provider rate at $23.60 plus a $3.40 pass-through for agency caregivers, for $27.00 an hour in every county. Individual caregivers get $17.13. An agency that is not on MDHHS's approved list is paid the individual caregiver rate.
Written and checked September 22, 2026
Which EVV system do Michigan providers use?
HHAeXchange, free — or your own.
Michigan uses an open vendor model. The state system, HHAeXchange, is free. You can use another system at your own cost if it works with HHAeXchange's data exchange and sends visits to the state aggregator. Caregivers clock in and out with the mobile app or, if the client allows, the client's landline.
Written and checked September 22, 2026
What is Michigan's EVV 85% rule?
85% of visits each quarter with no manual edits.
MDHHS expects agencies, including financial management services providers, to have at least 85% of verified EVV visits each quarter with no manual edits, counted per payer, and has enforced this since April 1, 2026. MDHHS reviews Home Help and fee-for-service home health; health plans and waiver agencies review their own providers. New providers get a grace period through the next full quarter.
Written and checked September 22, 2026
Do live-in caregivers have to use EVV in Michigan?
Not once an exemption is approved.
A caregiver who lives with the client in the caregiver's permanent home can be exempt after filing form BPHASA-2421 with two proofs of address. For Home Help, the client's adult services worker approves it, and it is renewed every six months; managed care programs renew it every year. When the caregiver moves out, EVV starts right away.
Written and checked September 22, 2026
What is MI Coordinated Health, and which plans are in it?
Nine Medicare-Medicaid plans in four regions.
Since January 1, 2026, MI Coordinated Health (MICH) has replaced MI Health Link for adults with full Medicare and Medicaid in Regions 1, 8, 10 and 12. The approved waiver lists Aetna Better Health of Michigan, AmeriHealth Michigan, HAP CareSource, Humana Medical Plan of Michigan, Meridian Health Plan of Michigan, Molina Healthcare of Michigan, Priority Health Choice, United Healthcare Community Plan and Upper Peninsula Health Plan. The plans cover personal care and home and community-based waiver services.
Written and checked September 22, 2026
What background check do Home Help caregivers need?
A criminal history screen through CHAMPS.
Every caregiver is screened when they enroll in CHAMPS, with a 10-year look back for felonies and 5 years for misdemeanors. Agency caregivers must be linked to your agency no earlier than the date the check was completed. Caregivers who do not pass can still work for you, but not on Home Help.
Written and checked September 22, 2026
Are Michigan home care workers mandated reporters of adult abuse?
Yes, for Home Help.
Under MCL 400.11a, all Home Help providers must report suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation of adults. Call Centralized Intake for Abuse and Neglect at 855-444-3911, which takes reports 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Written and checked September 22, 2026
Can I hire a client's own Home Help caregiver, or use a non-compete?
No non-competes, and a 90-day wait.
Agencies may not have or enforce agreements that stop a caregiver from working for a client or another agency. An agency caregiver may not serve a client they cared for as an individual caregiver until 90 days after joining the agency or after their individual services ended, whichever is later.
Written and checked September 22, 2026