Looking for a Michigan chore provider application? How to become a paid Home Help provider

The short answerThere are two ways to be paid as a Michigan Home Help caregiver. You can enroll with the State yourself as an individual caregiver, or you can be employed by a Home Help agency the State has approved. Either way, you must be approved in CHAMPS and have a provider ID before you can be paid. Your relative chooses who gives their care.

If you are caring for a parent or another relative, the first step is not an application of your own. It is that your relative applies for Home Help and the State decides what they need. Our guide on who qualifies and how to apply covers that part.

What "chore provider" means

Many people search for "chore provider" or "chore provider application". We did not find that wording used for caregivers on the State's Home Help page. It describes the program as Home Help, previously known as Independent Living Services. To be clear, we are not saying "chore provider" is an official term. "Chore services" does appear in a different program, the MI Choice waiver, which is covered in our MI Choice and Home Help comparison. If your caseworker uses a different name, ask what they mean.

Route 1: enroll as an individual caregiver

The State's Home Help page says a client can choose an individual caregiver, who may be a family member or friend at least 18 years old. This route is open to family members and friends. In short, you:

• Create a MILogin account and fill in the provider application in CHAMPS.
• Go through a criminal history check.
• Meet with your relative and their Adult Services worker.
• Wait for the State's letter approving or denying the application.

We walk through each step, with the State's time limits, in the CHAMPS enrollment guide. We do not repeat it here.

Route 2: work for a Home Help agency

The State's page says a client can instead choose an agency provider. The State defines an agency as an organization or employer of two or more individual providers, and it must be approved by MDHHS before it can bill for Home Help. As an agency caregiver, you still create a MILogin account and enroll in CHAMPS, and your enrollment is linked to the agency. The agency is your employer, so the agency sets your wage. Ask any agency what it pays before you agree to anything.

Not every area or agency will have an opening, and an agency decides whom it hires. Already Caring keeps a list of caregivers interested in agency work in Michigan; we are not hiring yet, and we are not yet an MDHHS-approved Home Help agency. If you want to be on it, you can join the list here. Joining is not an application for a job.

How the two routes compare

• Who enrolls you: you do, with the State, as an individual; or you enroll and link to an agency that employs you.
• Who pays you: the State pays an individual provider directly. An agency pays its caregivers a wage.
• Who chooses: your relative, the Home Help client, chooses the caregiver.

The State's hourly rates for each route are in our guide to the Home Help pay rate. A rate is not take-home pay, and it is not a promise of hours.

Common questions

Is a "chore provider" the same as a Home Help provider?

People often search for "chore provider" and "chore services". The State's Home Help page does not use that wording for caregivers. It describes the program as Home Help, previously known as Independent Living Services. "Chore services" is a separate waiver service name in MI Choice. If you are unsure which program applies, ask your relative's Adult Services worker.

What are the two ways to become a Home Help provider in Michigan?

You can enroll with the State as an individual caregiver in CHAMPS, or you can work for a Home Help agency that the State has approved. Your relative chooses which one, with the Adult Services worker explaining the options.

Can I be a Home Help provider for a family member?

The State's Home Help page says a client can choose an individual caregiver, who may be a family member or friend at least 18 years old, or an agency provider. Whether you can be paid for a particular person depends on the State's decision for that person.

Do I need to be approved before I can be paid?

Yes. The State's page says all caregivers must be approved in CHAMPS and given a provider ID number before they can be paid. Payment also depends on the State authorizing services for your relative.

Is Already Caring hiring Home Help caregivers?

Not yet. We keep a list of caregivers interested in agency work in Michigan, and joining it is not a job application or an offer of work.

This is general information, not legal, tax or benefits advice. Whether someone can be paid depends on the State's decision for that person. Rules change, so confirm with MDHHS. Already Caring is a private company and is not part of MDHHS or the State of Michigan.