Can I Get Paid to Care for a Minor Child With Medicaid in Michigan?

Can a minor child qualify for Home Help at all?

Yes. Per MDHHS, Home Help isn't limited to adults¹ — but the standard is stricter for a minor child. Care has to be a “necessary supplement to usual parental care,” driven by a physical, medical, emotional, or mental impairment — not just needs that are typical for a child that age.

MDHHS's own example makes the line clear: a 1-year-old being incontinent is expected for that age and doesn't qualify. A 16-year-old being incontinent due to a medical or cognitive condition does. Ordinary, age-appropriate care needs don't count on their own — there has to be an impairment driving a level of need beyond what any child that age would require.

Can a parent be the paid caregiver?

No. Per MDHHS, parents cannot be paid caregivers for their own minor children, even when the child's need clearly qualifies.^1,2 This is separate from — and in addition to — the “high service needs” standard above.

Who can be paid, and when

Per MDHHS, a non-parent caregiver can be hired specifically for the time a parent is unable or unavailable to provide the care themselves:

• Unable — due to a medical condition, verified with a medical needs form
• Unavailable — due to employment or school, verified with a work or school schedule

Approved hours only cover that specific window and the specific approved tasks — MDHHS won't authorize payment for time the parent is actually available, and payment doesn't cover general childcare, supervision, or monitoring.

Beyond that, the standard requirements apply: you're at least 18, and a relative, friend, or neighbor — just not the child's parent.

What about the Children's Waiver Program?

The Children's Waiver Program is a separate Medicaid program for children with developmental disabilities, with its own rules. Kinwell works with Home Help and MI Coordinated Health, not this program — if it's the better fit for your family, you'd work with MDHHS directly.

Frequently asked

Can I get paid to care for my adult child (18 or older)? Yes. The parent exclusion only applies to minor children — per MDHHS, a parent caring for an adult child can be paid as a Home Help caregiver the same as any other qualifying relationship.

My child just needs normal age-appropriate help, like a toddler would. Does that qualify? No — per MDHHS, the need has to go beyond what's typical for a child that age. Ordinary, age-appropriate care doesn't qualify on its own; there has to be an impairment driving a level of need beyond what any child that age would require.

Related reading

• Medicaid Family Caregiver Pay in Michigan: The Complete Guide
• Michigan Medicaid Home Help Program: Eligibility & How It Works
• Getting Paid to Care for a Disabled Family Member in Michigan
• Can I Get Paid to Care for My Spouse in Michigan?
• Full FAQ