Frequently Asked Questions

Two sets of requirements have to line up:

Read the full guide →

Yes — if your mom has Michigan Medicaid and needs physical help with at least one daily activity (eating, bathing, dressing, mobility, etc.), you may qualify to be paid as her caregiver. You generally need to be at least 18, and a relative, friend, or neighbor — per MDHHS ASM 135¹, a spouse cannot be paid under this program. See if you qualify →

Yes — if your dad has Michigan Medicaid and needs physical help with at least one daily activity (eating, bathing, dressing, mobility, etc.), you may qualify to be paid as his caregiver. You generally need to be at least 18, and a relative, friend, or neighbor — per MDHHS ASM 135¹, a spouse cannot be paid under this program. See if you qualify →

Yes — if your grandparent has Michigan Medicaid and needs physical help with at least one daily activity (eating, bathing, dressing, mobility, etc.), you may qualify to be paid as their caregiver. You generally need to be at least 18, and a relative, friend, or neighbor — per MDHHS ASM 135¹, a spouse cannot be paid under this program. See if you qualify →

Yes — if your loved one has Michigan Medicaid and needs physical help with at least one daily activity (eating, bathing, dressing, mobility, etc.), you may qualify to be paid as their caregiver. You generally need to be at least 18, and a relative, friend, or neighbor — per MDHHS ASM 135¹, a spouse or a parent caring for their own minor child cannot be paid under this program. See if you qualify →

Yes. Eligibility isn't limited to elderly care — it also covers developmental disabilities like autism, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy, as well as other conditions requiring daily hands-on support.

They'll need to apply through the state first. Michigan's Home Help Program and MI Coordinated Health are both Medicaid programs, so the person you care for needs Michigan Medicaid before Kinwell can check your eligibility. That application happens directly through the state, not through Kinwell.

See how to help them apply →

No. Per MDHHS ASM 135¹, spouses are excluded from being paid under Michigan's Home Help program. See what else might be available →

No. Per MDHHS ASM 135¹, a parent caring for their own minor child can't be paid under this program — it's built for a relative, friend, or neighbor caring for someone else. See who qualifies →

Yes — two family members or friends can share the care. The in-home assessment sets a total pool of approved hours, which can be split between two caregivers — for example, one person covering mornings and another covering evenings — as long as the combined hours don't exceed what's approved.

Michigan's Medicaid program for family caregiver pay. It pays for in-home personal care for people who need physical assistance with daily activities, is administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), and lets recipients choose their own caregiver — including a family member — who then gets paid based on the hours an MDHHS caseworker approves.

Kinwell works alongside this system: instead of navigating the state's process alone, Kinwell hires you as a W-2 employee, handles the payroll and paperwork, and pays weekly instead of the typical self-directed monthly cycle (same-day pay coming soon). Learn more about the Home Help Program →

Michigan's Medicaid plan for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. Unlike Home Help, MI Coordinated Health is only available in four regions of Michigan, and per MDHHS ASM 126² you can't be enrolled in both programs at the same time — choosing one closes the other.

If your loved one qualifies for both Medicare and Medicaid, MI Coordinated Health — not Home Help — is likely the coverage that applies. Read the MI Coordinated Health guide →

Not under that name. CDPAP (Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program) is a New York State program. Michigan's equivalent is the Home Help program, which similarly lets Medicaid recipients choose a family member as their paid caregiver. Read the full comparison →

Not yet. Michigan has proposed a live-in caregiver benefit, called Coordinated Caregiving, as part of the MI Choice Waiver — but it's still a draft amendment awaiting federal approval, so it isn't available yet.

It would also fall under MI Choice, not Home Help or MI Coordinated Health — so it wouldn't be something Kinwell administers directly, even once approved. Read the full status →

If your loved one has Michigan Medicaid, Kinwell can work with their coverage — either through the state's Home Help program or through their Medicaid health plan.

For dual-eligible plans (D-SNP, including MI Coordinated Health), Kinwell is in-network with:

• Aetna Better Health of Michigan
• HAP CareSource
• Molina Healthcare of Michigan
• UnitedHealthcare Community Plan

Not sure what plan your loved one has? We'll check for you.

Ask for the specific reason for denial in writing. Common fixable reasons include insufficient documented care need, lapsed Medicaid coverage, or missing paperwork. Per MDHHS, your loved one — as the Medicaid member, not you as the caregiver — has the right to request an administrative hearing³. You can also request a new assessment or reapply if circumstances change.

See the full application checklist →

Pay isn't a flat rate — it's based on two things:

Weekly, not monthly. Self-directed pay through the state is typically paid monthly — Kinwell pays every caregiver weekly instead (same-day pay coming soon), with caregivers earning up to $25,000 per year, though actual amounts vary based on the approved care plan. See the full pay breakdown →

Medicaid family caregiver pay is money Michigan Medicaid pays a family member, friend, or neighbor for the daily, hands-on care they're already providing a loved one — through programs like the Home Help program or MI Coordinated Health. Kinwell handles the hiring, payroll, and paperwork so caregivers get paid weekly (same-day pay coming soon), with no cost to the caregiver.

Once you and your loved one meet the eligibility criteria above, getting paid isn't a separate process — it's the same application. Kinwell hires you as a W-2 employee and starts you on weekly pay (same-day pay coming soon) once you're approved. See if you qualify →

For Home Help, back pay can reach back to your assessment date — not any earlier. Once the in-home assessment sets your hours, MDHHS can backdate the authorization to that date to cover whatever time it takes afterward to finish the paperwork. Your caseworker can approve that directly if the assessment was within the last six months, or with sign-off from MDHHS's central Home Help Policy Section if it's been longer. Kinwell's onboarding team handles this for you.

For MI Coordinated Health, it depends on the health plan. Personal care there is authorized and paid directly by your care recipient's specific health plan (Aetna, Molina, HAP CareSource, UnitedHealthcare, and others), not MDHHS — so back pay depends on that plan's own process, not a guaranteed MDHHS rule. Read the full pay breakdown →

Yes. Family caregiver pay is generally taxable income. Kinwell hires caregivers as W-2 employees, withholding taxes automatically — unlike 1099 self-directed pay, where the caregiver handles taxes themselves. Read the full W-2 vs. 1099 breakdown →

When you're approved, Kinwell brings you on as a W-2 employee. We handle payroll, taxes, and workers' comp on your behalf — you just focus on providing care. There's no cost to you.

Technically, yes — but self-directed means lower pay, paid monthly instead of weekly, and all of it on you: enrolling as a provider, coordinating the clinical review, submitting your hours for billing every pay period, and staying compliant with MDHHS's rules — with no one to call when something goes wrong. With Kinwell:

Read the full self-directed care guide →

It's a common worry — that getting paid makes things feel less personal, or changes their care somehow. It doesn't. Their Medicaid coverage stays exactly the same, it costs them nothing, and they're still choosing you to care for them, not an agency-assigned aide. The only thing that changes is that you finally get paid for it.

Read a guide written directly for them →

Kinwell's process has five steps:

Most caregivers start getting paid within 1–2 months.

See the full application checklist →

Check your eligibility →