Michigan Home Help Program: Home Help Agency Vs State-enrolled Caregiver

Sanskriti Kumar
Nov 3
5 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

In Michigan, initiatives like the Home Help program offer individuals with Medicaid to pay their family members or friends as caregivers. This option allows you to stay at home in your safe and comfortable space as you take charge of your health and care.

There are two ways to get the care that you want, one through home care agencies such as BURD Home Health or two, through the state. This guide will compare the two paths and help you choose the direction that works best for you.

Understanding Agency and State-enrolled Caregiver

Enrolling in the Home Help Program in Michigan has a lot of steps that include collecting the right documentation, verifications, and communication with state authorities. You can choose to either do these steps by yourself, which is when you have a state-enrolled caregiver, or you can go through an agency where you can still choose your own caregiver, but the agency takes care of all the steps.

What is a Home Help Agency?

Home help agencies in Michigan like BURD Home Health are facilitators of the Medicaid Home Help Program. You get to choose your own caregiver. The agency takes the load of paperwork for the enrollment process and manages the payroll so that you do not have to.

You are cared for by your chosen caregiver; your caregiver gets paid better and on time, and the agency takes responsibility for the administrative tasks. They also use software and applications that makes the process easier and gives you the ability to complete a lot of tasks from the comfort of your own home.

What is a State-enrolled Caregiver?

In this case, you are directly working with the state for all the steps in the enrollment process; that is the submission of documents and verifications. So, the caregiver you choose would be a state-enrolled caregiver.

After enrollment, you are responsible for the payroll and making sure that your caregiver gets paid on time. In case of changes, you have to work with the state Medicaid office. If you are looking to have complete control of your home care and its process, then this could be a great option for you.

Difference between Home Help Agencies and State-enrolled Caregiver

Although the goal of both options is for you to be able to pay your family caregiver through Medicaid, the amount of work and benefits could be different. The difference is visible from the application process to caregiver support. You can find a comparison table in the next section for a quick overview.

Caregiver Pay & Compensation

The wage deposits and management are handled by the agencies. If you directly work with the state, you have to manage the payments to your caregivers. Here are other differences:

Compensation range: BURD Home Health pays caregivers $20 per hour that is higher than any other agency, and the state’s fixed wage of $15.88 per hour.
Deposit frequency: Through agencies like BURD, your caregiver gets weekly, direct deposit so that they do not have to wait for a paycheck at the start of every month to manage finances.
Benefits: Through an agency, the caregivers get more than just being paid an hourly wage. They also receive bonuses, allow flexible scheduling, get paid time offs, and appreciation programs. The state does not provide any such benefits.
No out-of-pocket cost: When you are enrolled in the Home Help Program, you do not pay for any of the services you get from the agency. Everything is paid for by Medicaid so using an agency does not add any expenses to your caregiving budget.

Control & Care Relationship

The management and relationship between you and your caregiver could vary depending on the path you choose.

Taking control: You get to choose your own caregiver in the Home Help Program regardless of whether you are going through the state or an agency. An agency, however, will help you find a caregiver if you request for one.
Flexible schedule: Through an agency, the schedule is flexible, and you and the caregiver coordinate what it looks like. We are there to support when needed. For a state-enrolled caregiver, the schedule entirely depends on you.
Continuity of caregiver: In both cases, since you select the caregiver, the probability of the caregiver staying for a long period of time is higher than hiring external caregivers.
Back up Support: In case your caregiver takes some time off, BURD can find you a substitute that you approve of. For a state-enrolled caregiver, you must manage and find another caregiver on your own.

Administration & Support

If you go through the state, there is no administrative support, and you must complete all documentation on your own. However, agencies like BURD can support in all the processes:

Application process: From the time you contact us, you get to talk to humans who will take you through the entire process, answer any questions you have, and handle your enrollment to the program.
Payroll and taxes: We provide you with a tool for time tracking and wage calculations, and our payroll specialists handle the wage and taxes.
Training: In Michigan, caregivers must go through the CHAMPS training assisted by our agency.
Caregiver Support: You get a relationship manager at BURD who is here to support not only you but also your caregiver. Your caregiver can get questions answered or if they face any problems, they can get support through your relationship manager.

Why You Can Trust BURD for Home Help Program

We could list quite a few reasons, but here are a few:

Reviews: We have the most 5-star reviews among all the home help agencies in Michigan.

Reputation: We are currently supported and trusted by thousands of families and caregivers. Being Michigan-based, we also have deep community ties which means we understand better and provide support right where you are.

Recognition: BURD Home Health has been on the list of Forbes 50 Great Places to Work in Health Care for three consecutive years.

Summarizing the difference

Aspects	Home Help Agency	State-enrolled Caregiver
Caregiver Selection	Care recipient selects the caregiver (agency assists only if requested)	Care recipient selects caregiver
Employer	The agency is the caregiver’s employer	Care recipient is the employer
Payroll	Managed entirely by the agency	Processed by state-designated fiscal agent
Cost to Client	Covered by Medicaid	Covered by Medicaid
Scheduling	Care recipient & caregiver coordinate, supported by agency	Fully care recipient -controlled
Continuity	High, if care recipient selects own caregiver	High, usually a known and trusted person
Back-Up Support	BURD provides optional substitutes	No formal backup—client must manage
Training	Provided and tracked by Burd	Must complete MDHHS online training
Compliance	Oversight handled by agency	Care recipient responsible for oversight
Support	Caregiver support team available	No formal support structure

Who Should Choose Which Path?

Both state-enrolled caregivers and hiring a family caregiver through an agency have their benefits and disadvantages. The decision to go with either depends on your approach to your home care.

Choose Burd Home Health if you:

Are looking to getting better caregiver pay and weekly direct deposits
Do not want to handle the paperwork and administrative tasks of using the Home Help Program
Want backup care options when your caregiver is unavailable
Want your caregiver to feel supported during the training and have a flexible schedule
Value a nationally recognized and highly rated agency

Choose State Enrollment if you:

Have a trusted person already providing care informally
Want complete control over the process, schedule, and management
Are comfortable navigating CHAMPS and timesheet systems yourself

Take Control of Your Home Health Care

The Home Help Program is for you to make the decisions and choose how and who cares for you. If you are already working directly with the state, you can still switch to home help agency. Call us at 833‑447‑3326 or fill out our online form and we will help you get started today.