If you’re getting ready to apply for Michigan’s Home Help program, the paperwork question comes up fast: what exactly do you need, and who needs to provide it?

The short answer: there are two sets of documents — one for the person receiving care, and one for the caregiver who will be paid. Both need to be completed before any payments can start. This guide breaks down each one.

If you’re not sure yet whether you or your loved one qualifies for the program, Mozyne’s free eligibility check is a good place to start — it takes a few minutes and tells you exactly where you stand. See if the Home Help program applies to your situation.

The Two Tracks of Paperwork

Michigan Home Help is administered by MDHHS (Michigan Department of Health and Human Services). When a family decides to use it, two separate enrollment processes run in parallel:

1. The care recipient applies for Home Help services through their local MDHHS county office
2. The caregiver enrolls as a paid provider through MDHHS’s online CHAMPS system (Community Health Automated Medicaid Processing System)

Neither track is complicated once you know what’s expected. The frustration usually comes from not knowing which form is which, or starting one track without the other.

Track 1: Care Recipient Documents

The person receiving care — your parent, spouse, or family member — needs to submit an application package to their local MDHHS office. According to MDHHS’s Adult Services forms page, two forms are required at minimum:

DHS-390 — Adult Services Application

This is the primary application form for Home Help services. It captures basic information about the applicant’s living situation, household, income, and the care they need.

You can download the DHS-390 directly from MDHHS or request it from your local county MDHHS office. The completed form gets submitted to the county office where the care recipient lives.

MDHHS-6200 — Medical Needs Certification

This is the form most people forget — and the most common reason applications stall.

The MDHHS-6200 (updated from the older DHS-54A form) must be completed by a licensed healthcare provider who has evaluated your loved one. MDHHS accepts certifications from:

• Physicians (M.D. or D.O.)
• Physician assistants
• Nurse practitioners
• Occupational therapists
• Physical therapists
• Clinical nurse specialists

Without a completed MDHHS-6200, MDHHS cannot process the application. Schedule this appointment before you do anything else — it’s the document with the longest lead time.

Supporting Documentation

Along with the two forms, you’ll typically need to provide:

• Proof of Medicaid eligibility — the care recipient’s Medicaid beneficiary ID
• Government-issued photo ID
• Social Security documentation
• Proof of income — Social Security award letters, pay stubs
• Proof of assets — bank statements (MDHHS may review up to 60 months of financial history in some situations)
• Proof of Michigan residency — a utility bill, lease agreement, or similar document

The Medicaid Planning Assistance guide to Michigan’s Home Help program notes that missing or incomplete documentation is one of the most common reasons applications are delayed. Having everything organized before submission reduces back-and-forth with the county office considerably.

Track 2: Caregiver Enrollment Documents

Once the care recipient’s application is submitted, the caregiver — the family member who will be providing and getting paid for care — needs to complete their own enrollment. This happens through CHAMPS, MDHHS’s online provider enrollment system.

MDHHS’s individual caregivers page outlines the full process:

Step 1: Create a MiLogin Account

All caregivers start by creating an account at milogintp.michigan.gov. This is the state’s identity portal and gives you access to CHAMPS.

Step 2: Complete the CHAMPS Provider Enrollment Application

The online CHAMPS application collects:

• Social Security Number (required for tax reporting — caregiver pay is reportable income)
• Government-issued photo ID information
• Banking information for direct deposit
• Email address — this is where EVV (Electronic Visit Verification) credentials will be sent

A criminal history background check runs automatically as part of the CHAMPS enrollment. The caregiver doesn’t submit a separate background check form — it’s built into the process.

Step 3: EVV Setup

As of September 3, 2024, most Home Help individual caregivers are required to use Electronic Visit Verification — a mobile app that logs care visits digitally. Caregivers receive EVV access credentials via the email address on file in CHAMPS.

Some situations are exempt from EVV: if the caregiver lives in the same home as the care recipient, if the client lives in a congregate living setting, or if Home Help and Behavioral Health services are provided during the same visit.

After Enrollment

Once CHAMPS enrollment is approved, the caregiver contacts the local MDHHS county office to get formally authorized to provide services and begin submitting for payment. The current pay rate through Michigan Home Help is $17.13/hour for individual caregivers, as of January 1, 2026 — set by MDHHS rate bulletin ASB 2026-002.

The Documents That Trip People Up Most

Three paperwork issues cause the majority of delays:

1. Missing MDHHS-6200 — the medical certification from a healthcare provider. Schedule this appointment first.
2. Incomplete financial documentation — particularly for Medicaid asset verification. Gather bank statements ahead of time.
3. Caregiver not enrolled in CHAMPS before services start — payment only flows to providers who are enrolled and approved. Don’t begin providing paid care before CHAMPS enrollment is complete.

What Comes Next

Submitting paperwork is the start of the process, not the end. After submission, a county case manager will assess how many paid hours your loved one’s situation qualifies for — typically 8 to 40 hours per week depending on need. The approval timeline runs 2 to 4 months, which is a realistic expectation to plan around.

For a complete picture of how the program works from application to first paycheck, Mozyne’s enrollment guide walks through every step in order.

If gathering all of this feels like a lot to organize on your own, that’s a fair read of the situation. Getting started doesn’t mean committing to anything. It means finding out whether the Home Help program applies to your situation — and what the next step actually looks like. Start with a free eligibility check.