Home Help vs MI Choice Waiver vs CDPAP: Which Michigan Program Fits?

MI Choice vs Home Help comes down to level of need. They are Michigan’s two Medicaid programs that pay for care at home, and both can pay a family caregiver. Home Help covers personal care through your county MDHHS office with no waiting list. MI Choice covers a wider set of services for people at a nursing-home level of care. CDPAP is New York’s program and does not exist in Michigan.

On this page

1. MI Choice vs Home Help vs CDPAP: quick comparison
2. What is the Home Help program?
3. What is the MI Choice Waiver?
4. Why is CDPAP a New York term, and what does Michigan have instead?
5. Who qualifies for each program?
6. MI Choice vs Home Help: how does pay differ?
7. How do you choose the right program?
8. Frequently asked questions

MI Choice vs Home Help vs CDPAP: quick comparison

Feature	Home Help	MI Choice Waiver	CDPAP
State	Michigan	Michigan	New York only
Type of program	Medicaid State Plan personal care	Medicaid home and community-based waiver	New York Medicaid consumer-directed program
Who administers it	MDHHS Adult Services Worker at the county office	Regional waiver agents, usually Area Agencies on Aging	New York Medicaid managed care plans and fiscal intermediaries
Level of need	Hands-on help with at least one activity of daily living	Nursing-facility level of care	Not applicable in Michigan
Age	Any age	Adults 18 and older with a disability, or 65 and older	Not applicable in Michigan
Services	Personal care, meals, laundry, shopping, housework, medication help	Personal care plus respite, adult day, home modifications, emergency response, meals, transportation, nursing, care coordination	Not applicable in Michigan
Family caregiver can be paid	Yes, chosen by the client, enrolled in CHAMPS	Often yes, through self-determination, subject to waiver agent rules	Not applicable in Michigan
Spouse can be paid	Generally no	Ask your waiver agent; rules are stricter	Not applicable in Michigan
Waiting list	No	Some regions, yes	Not applicable in Michigan
How to apply	County MDHHS office	Your regional waiver agent or Area Agency on Aging	Not applicable in Michigan

What is the Home Help program?

Home Help is Michigan’s Medicaid personal care benefit. It pays for unskilled, hands-on help so that a person with a disability, chronic illness, or age-related limitation can stay in their own home. The program is run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) through Adult Services Workers in every county.

The defining feature is choice. The person receiving care picks their caregiver, called an individual provider. That can be an adult child, another relative, a friend, or an aide from a Home Help agency. The caregiver enrolls in CHAMPS, the state’s Medicaid provider system, records visits with electronic visit verification (EVV), and is paid an hourly rate by MDHHS.

Covered tasks are practical: bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, transfers and mobility, medication reminders, meals, shopping, laundry, and light housework. Hours are set by an in-home assessment. Home Help does not cover skilled nursing, therapy, or 24-hour supervision. Our Michigan Medicaid home care page has the full program guide.

What is the MI Choice Waiver?

MI Choice is a Medicaid home and community-based services waiver. It exists for people who meet the criteria for nursing-facility care but want to receive that level of support at home or in an assisted living setting instead. MDHHS funds it, and regional waiver agents, most of them Area Agencies on Aging, run it locally.

MI Choice is broader than Home Help. Beyond personal care, it can cover respite for the family caregiver, adult day programs, home modifications like ramps and grab bars, emergency response systems, home-delivered meals, transportation, private duty nursing, and a supports coordinator who manages the plan.

Many waiver agents offer a self-determination option, where the participant controls a budget and hires their own workers, including family members. Rules on hiring a spouse or legal guardian are stricter and vary by waiver agent. Because enrollment is capped by funding, some regions keep a waiting list. See our MI Choice Waiver page for eligibility and the application process.

Why is CDPAP a New York term, and what does Michigan have instead?

CDPAP stands for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. It is a New York State Medicaid program that lets a person on Medicaid hire and direct their own personal assistant, including most family members, with pay handled by a fiscal intermediary.

Michigan has no CDPAP. Any site promising “CDPAP in Michigan” is using the name as a search hook. If you were looking for CDPAP, you were looking for one of two things:

• A program that lets your loved one choose and pay a family caregiver. In Michigan, that is Home Help.
• A self-directed budget for a person with higher needs. In Michigan, that is the MI Choice Waiver with self-determination.

Our CDPAP in Michigan page explains how each piece of CDPAP maps to a Michigan equivalent, and is CDPAP available in Michigan answers the most common follow-up questions.

Who qualifies for each program?

Both Michigan programs require Medicaid. After that, the functional and financial tests differ.

Home Help eligibility

• Active Michigan Medicaid in a full-coverage category
• Need for hands-on help with at least one activity of daily living, confirmed by a medical needs form signed by a doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner
• Any age, living at home, in an apartment, or with family, not in a nursing facility or licensed adult foster care home

MI Choice eligibility

• Age 18 or older with a disability, or age 65 or older
• Meets Michigan’s nursing-facility level of care criteria, measured by a functional assessment from the waiver agent
• Meets the waiver’s financial rules, which use a special income limit that is higher than regular Medicaid limits and an asset limit for the applicant, with spousal protections for married couples
• Able to be served safely at home within the waiver’s cost limits

The MI Choice income and asset limits change each year, so ask your waiver agent for the current figures. If you are not sure whether your loved one meets the Medicaid test for either program, start with our free Medicaid eligibility check.

MI Choice vs Home Help: how does pay differ?

Under Home Help, MDHHS pays individual providers a statewide hourly rate for the hours authorized at the assessment. Through Supportive Solutions, caregivers earn a minimum of $18 per hour. Payments come through CHAMPS after EVV confirms each visit.

Under MI Choice, the waiver agent builds a person-centered plan and a budget. When a family member is hired through self-determination, the wage is set within that budget and paid through a financial management service, not directly by MDHHS. Rates differ by region and plan. The trade-off is that MI Choice can fund respite, adult day, and equipment that Home Help never pays for, so the total support to the household is often larger even when the hourly wage is similar.

Home Help also pays only for authorized task hours, with no overnight rate, while MI Choice plans can include more in-home hours when the need justifies it. For Home Help pay details, read how much family caregivers get paid in Michigan.

How do you choose the right program?

When weighing MI Choice vs Home Help, use these questions to decide where to start.

1. Does your loved one have Medicaid? If not, that is step one for both programs. Apply through MI Bridges and use the eligibility checker to see where you stand.
2. How heavy are the needs? If your loved one needs help with a few daily tasks but is otherwise stable, Home Help fits. If they would qualify for a nursing home and need supervision, equipment, and respite, MI Choice fits.
3. How fast do you need help? Home Help has no waiting list. If your region’s MI Choice program has a wait, start Home Help now and add MI Choice later.
4. Who will provide the care? If the caregiver is an adult child, relative, or friend, Home Help is the simplest path. If the caregiver is a spouse, ask the waiver agent about MI Choice rules before assuming either program will pay.
5. Do you need more than personal care? Ramps, emergency buttons, adult day, and paid breaks for the caregiver are MI Choice services.

Most families start with Home Help because it is faster, and the county office can open the case while you explore MI Choice with the Area Agency on Aging. The waiver agent coordinates the two so services are not duplicated.

Supportive Solutions Homecare helps families in Detroit, Dearborn, Warren, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Flint, Lansing, and Grand Rapids figure out which program fits and get enrolled.

Frequently asked questions

Is there CDPAP in Michigan?

No. CDPAP is a New York State Medicaid program and is not offered in Michigan. Michigan’s equivalent for choosing and paying your own family caregiver is the Home Help program, run by MDHHS through county offices. For people with higher needs who want to direct their own budget, the MI Choice Waiver’s self-determination option is the closest match.

What is the difference between Home Help and the MI Choice Waiver?

Home Help is Michigan Medicaid’s personal care benefit, run by the county MDHHS office, for anyone who needs hands-on help with daily activities. MI Choice is a waiver for adults at a nursing-facility level of care, run by regional waiver agents, and it covers a wider range of services such as respite, adult day, and home modifications. Home Help has no waiting list; MI Choice sometimes does.

Can I be paid through MI Choice to care for a loved one?

Often, yes. Many waiver agents offer a self-determination option that lets the participant hire their own workers, including adult children and other relatives, with pay handled by a financial management service. Rules about paying a spouse or legal guardian are stricter and vary by region, so ask your waiver agent directly before you plan around it.

Is there a waiting list for MI Choice?

In some regions, yes. MI Choice enrollment is limited by funding, and each waiver agent manages its own list, prioritizing people with the most urgent needs. Home Help has no waiting list, which is why families often start there while they wait for a MI Choice slot. Ask your Area Agency on Aging how long the current wait is in your county.

What is the income limit for the MI Choice Waiver?

MI Choice uses a special income limit that is higher than the limit for regular Medicaid, plus an asset limit for the applicant, with protections for a spouse who stays at home. The figures are adjusted every year, so ask your waiver agent for the current amounts. People over the limit may still qualify through a spend-down or other planning, so do not rule yourself out.

Can someone be enrolled in both Home Help and MI Choice?

Yes, coordination between the two is common. The MI Choice waiver agent builds the care plan and makes sure services are not duplicated, so personal care hours are typically arranged through one program while MI Choice adds respite, equipment, and other supports. Tell both the Adult Services Worker and the waiver agent about the other program so the plans line up.