Home Care in Lansing

Home care in Lansing, MI is paid for by Michigan Medicaid when a resident qualifies for the Home Help program, and Ingham County MDHHS can approve an adult child, relative or friend as the paid caregiver. Supportive Solutions Homecare guides Lansing families through eligibility, the home assessment and CHAMPS enrollment so care and pay start together.

On this page

1. Home care in Lansing and Ingham County
2. Applying for Home Help through Ingham County
3. Home Help in five steps for Lansing families
4. Get paid to care for a family member in Lansing
5. Home care services in Lansing
6. Frequently asked questions

Home care in Lansing and Ingham County

Lansing is the state capital, and a large share of its retirees spent their careers with the State of Michigan, Michigan State University, General Motors or Sparrow. That history shapes the questions we hear: does a state pension count as income for Medicaid, can a retiree with good health insurance still get Home Help, and what happens when the spouse who managed everything passes away. We answer all three on the first call.

Our caregivers work across the city, from Old Town and REO Town to the Eastside, Westside, Moores Park, Groesbeck and the south side along Cedar and Pennsylvania. We also serve East Lansing, Okemos, Haslett, Holt, Mason, Delta Township, DeWitt and Grand Ledge. Because Lansing crosses into Eaton and Clinton counties, we check which county office handles your address before anything is filed. Our post on home care in Lansing and Ann Arbor explains the county differences.

Applying for Home Help through Ingham County

MDHHS headquarters is in downtown Lansing, but Home Help applications still go through the county office, not the state building. For Ingham County that is the MDHHS office at 5303 South Cedar Street, reachable at (517) 887-9400. Ask for adult services. Lansing addresses in Eaton or Clinton county are served by those counties’ offices instead. New Medicaid applications are filed on MI Bridges. Our full Home Help guide covers what to expect at each stage.

For the MI Choice Waiver, the waiver agent is the Tri-County Office on Aging, the Region 6 Area Agency on Aging for Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties. Because it covers all three counties, it is one of the few places where a Lansing family does not need to worry about which side of the county line they live on. See our MI Choice Waiver page for the level-of-care rules.

Home Help in five steps for Lansing families

1. Screen for Medicaid. Our eligibility check accounts for pensions and other retirement income and tells you where you stand.
2. Request the assessment. We contact Ingham County adult services (or Eaton or Clinton if your address requires it) and schedule the visit.
3. Complete the home visit. The worker evaluates help needed with bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, mobility and household tasks, then sets monthly hours.
4. Return the signed medical needs form. UM Health-Sparrow, McLaren Greater Lansing and the MSU Health Care clinics complete these often.
5. Enroll the caregiver. The chosen provider registers in CHAMPS, passes a background check and logs each visit through EVV.

Get paid to care for a family member in Lansing

If you left a job, cut your hours, or drive across town twice a day to look after a parent in Lansing, Home Help can turn that care into paid work. The care recipient chooses you as the provider, MDHHS approves the hours, and you are paid through CHAMPS. Adult children, grandchildren, siblings, friends and neighbors all qualify; spouses usually do not, with limited exceptions.

Through Supportive Solutions, caregivers earn a minimum of $18 per hour. Monthly hours track the assessment, and payment follows each EVV-verified visit. There is no agency middleman taking a cut when you enroll as an individual provider.

If you share a home with the person you care for, IRS Notice 2014-7 may allow the payments to be excluded from federal income tax as difficulty-of-care payments. Begin at become a paid caregiver, or read how to get paid to take care of a family member in Michigan.

Home care services in Lansing

• Personal care assistance with bathing, dressing, toileting and mobility
• Senior home care for retirees who want to remain in their own homes
• Dementia and Alzheimer’s care with steady, familiar caregivers
• Care for adults under 65 with disabilities, including former state employees on disability retirement
• Respite care so a family caregiver can attend to their own health
• Meal preparation, housekeeping, laundry, shopping and medication reminders
• Companionship and rides to appointments at Sparrow or McLaren

Care is offered in English, Arabic and Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

Does a State of Michigan pension disqualify my mother from Home Help?

Not automatically. Medicaid counts pension income, but the limits, allowable deductions and asset exclusions mean many retirees still qualify, particularly when medical and care expenses are high. Our eligibility check and a short call will tell you whether your mother is likely to qualify before you apply.

Which Lansing neighborhoods and suburbs do you serve?

All of Lansing, including Old Town, REO Town, the Eastside, Westside, Moores Park and Groesbeck, plus East Lansing, Okemos, Haslett, Holt, Mason, Delta Township, DeWitt and Grand Ledge. Statewide we also serve Detroit, Dearborn, Warren, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Flint and Grand Rapids.

My address is in Lansing but in Eaton County. Which office do I use?

Home Help is assigned by county, so an Eaton County address in Delta Township or the west side of Lansing is handled by Eaton County MDHHS, and Clinton County addresses near DeWitt by Clinton County. The Tri-County Office on Aging covers all three for MI Choice. We confirm the correct office before filing.

Can I keep my state job and still be a paid caregiver?

Yes. Home Help does not require the caregiver to give up other employment. Many Lansing caregivers work a day job and provide approved hours in the evenings and on weekends, logging each visit with EVV. The only requirements are CHAMPS enrollment and a background check.

What does the Home Help assessment look at?

The MDHHS worker scores how much help your loved one needs with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting and moving around, and with household tasks like meals, laundry and shopping. Each item adds approved time. Being honest about bad days, not just good ones, leads to a fair hour total.