The MI Choice Waiver Program is Michigan's Medicaid long-term care program for eligible people who need services to stay out of a nursing home. This guide explains how MI Choice works for Detroit residents living with dementia, including eligibility, 2026 asset limits, and the local application path.
Detroit uses a different regional waiver agency than most surrounding metro counties, so the first step is always to match the person to the agency that covers their address. For a wider view of local support, start with our Detroit care guide.
What Is the MI Choice Waiver Program?
The MI Choice Waiver Program is Michigan's Medicaid long-term care program, administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and delivered through regional waiver agencies rather than a single statewide office.
For Detroit, the five Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Harper Woods and Highland Park, that agency is the Detroit Area Agency on Aging. Which agency a family deals with depends on the person's address, and Detroit itself is served by a different agency from most of the surrounding metro counties. The Detroit Area Agency on Aging MI Choice page is the local program source for that city service area.
How Dementia Affects Memory, Thinking, and Daily Function
Dementia is a general term for impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with everyday activities, as described in the CDC overview of dementia.
When those difficulties grow, many Detroit families look for help that keeps a relative at home, including memory care at home, while they check MI Choice eligibility. That is a practical next step for families, not a medical diagnosis, and it is separate from the CDC description of symptoms.
What Is the Dementia Eligibility Threshold for MI Choice?
Michigan does not publish a separate, lower functional threshold for dementia. Per Detroit Area Agency on Aging MI Choice guidance, the program is for people aged 65 and over, or adults 18 and over with a disability, who have multiple medical and service needs and who need the program to avoid moving into a nursing home.
A care manager coordinates the services once someone is enrolled. A dementia diagnosis by itself does not create a different MI Choice bar. The same age, disability, medical-need, and nursing-home-avoidance rules apply.
What Are the MI Choice Asset Limits in Detroit?
Effective 1 February 2026, the Detroit Area Agency on Aging lists a $9,950 personal asset limit for a single person, excluding the home the person lives in and one vehicle, and $14,910 in combined countable assets for a married couple.
Income caps and other financial details that are not listed on that program page should be confirmed with the office that decides financial eligibility. Do not rely on a guessed dollar figure.
Michigan Medicaid transfer-of-asset rules apply to MI Choice. A specific look-back period is not published on the program page used for these asset figures, so families should confirm the current transfer rules with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services or the Detroit Area Agency on Aging before giving away or selling assets.
How Do Detroit Families Apply for MI Choice?
Contact the regional waiver agency for where the person lives. The Detroit Area Agency on Aging covers Detroit, the five Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Harper Woods and Highland Park.
The agency screens for eligibility and assigns a care manager who builds and coordinates the service package. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services makes the financial eligibility decision separately, so expect correspondence from MDHHS as well as from the agency.
If the person lives in most surrounding metro counties, a different regional agency handles the waiver. Use the person's actual home address to identify the correct agency, then follow that agency's screening steps. For Detroit-service-area households, review MI Choice information from the Detroit Area Agency on Aging and use the contact path listed on that site. No phone number is printed here because families should use the number the agency publishes itself.