The hours your loved one was first authorized for aren’t permanent. Conditions change — a fall, a hospitalization, dementia progressing — and Michigan’s Home Help program has a real path to revisit the hour count when that happens. Here’s how reassessment actually works.

At a Glance
– Reassessment is available anytime needs meaningfully change — not just on a fixed annual cycle.
– Hospitalization, a fall, or a condition progressing (like dementia) are common reassessment triggers.
– Requesting one starts with contacting your county caseworker, not reapplying from scratch.
– Document the change — new diagnosis, discharge paperwork, specific new struggles — before requesting.
– Reassessment is a two-way process: it can also reduce hours if needs have genuinely decreased.

When to Request a Reassessment

The clearest triggers are concrete changes: a recent hospitalization or ER visit, a fall or new mobility problem, a new diagnosis, or a noticeable decline in a condition like dementia that’s changing how much hands-on help your loved one needs with the Activities of Daily Living we’ve covered elsewhere. If day-to-day care has genuinely gotten harder since the original assessment, that’s worth flagging.

How the Process Works

Reassessment isn’t a brand-new application — you’re asking your existing caseworker to schedule a new evaluation. The visit itself works much like the original in-home assessment: an adult services worker observes and asks about current needs, and a new hour authorization follows from what they find.

What to Document Beforehand

Before you request a reassessment, pull together anything that shows the change concretely — discharge paperwork from a hospital stay, a new diagnosis letter, or even your own notes on specific incidents (falls, missed medications, safety concerns). See our full documents checklist for what tends to help these conversations move faster.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often can I request a reassessment?

There’s no fixed calendar limit tied to a genuine change in needs — the trigger is the change itself, not a schedule. That said, reassessments aren’t meant to be requested casually or repeatedly without a real basis.

Will a reassessment ever reduce my hours?

Yes — it’s important to know reassessment can lower authorized hours if your loved one’s needs have genuinely decreased since the last evaluation, not just raise them.

Who do I contact to start a reassessment?

Your county MDHHS adult services caseworker — the same office that handled the original approval — is the starting point.

What if MDHHS denies the additional hours I requested?

You have appeal rights, the same as with an initial denial. See our guide on denials and appeals for what’s fixable and how the fair hearing process works.

Not Sure If a Reassessment Makes Sense Yet?

Tell us what’s changed and we’ll help you figure out whether it’s reassessment-worthy and how to document it well. Talk to us or call 313-251-1767.