Skip to content

MI · Home Health Care Agencies

Michigan Workers' Comp Insurance for Home Health Care Agencies

Workers' compensation requirements, class codes and carrier options for home health care agencies in Michigan — from one application.

Home health aides and caregivers work alone in unfamiliar and uncontrolled environments, which raises patient-handling, travel, and workplace-safety exposure compared to a hospital or clinic setting. Michigan's threshold has two paths: a private employer must carry coverage if it regularly employs one or more workers who work 35 or more hours per week for 13 or more consecutive weeks, or if it has three or more employees at any time regardless of hours. Provident Financial Group compares multiple carriers for Michigan home health care agencies so you can see what you qualify for and buy online.

Do home health care agencies in Michigan need workers' comp?

Michigan's threshold has two paths: a private employer must carry coverage if it regularly employs one or more workers who work 35 or more hours per week for 13 or more consecutive weeks, or if it has three or more employees at any time regardless of hours. Agricultural employers follow the 35-hour/13-week test with three or more employees, and household employers must cover domestic workers who work 35+ hours per week for 13+ weeks. All public employers must carry coverage regardless of size. See the Workers' Disability Compensation Agency's insurance requirements page.

Home Health Care Agencies workers' comp in Michigan: what to know

This coverage fits home health agencies, private-duty caregiving services, and traveling healthcare staffing operations whose employees provide care in a client's home or another non-clinical setting rather than a fixed facility. It also fits agencies that operate group homes or other residential care settings alongside home-based visits, and staffing agencies that place traveling nurses or aides with clients on a temporary or ongoing basis across a service area spanning several counties or a wider multi-county region.

Home, public, and traveling healthcare work is rated under a classification built specifically around care delivered outside a fixed medical facility, covering aides, nurses, and therapists who travel to clients along with the office staff who schedule and support that work. Agencies that also operate group homes may have that portion of payroll rated under a related residential-care classification, since supervising a group home setting carries a somewhat different exposure than one-on-one home visits.

Back and shoulder strain from lifting and transferring clients is the leading source of claims in this industry, since caregivers frequently work alone without lift equipment or a second person to assist. Slip-and-fall injuries in unfamiliar homes, vehicle exposure from extensive driving between client visits, and exposure to bloodborne pathogens or infectious illness during hands-on care round out the typical claim picture. A caregiver providing companionship and light housekeeping faces a different exposure profile than one performing hands-on nursing tasks like wound care or mobility assistance, so the level of care provided across the agency's client roster is a meaningful part of the picture carriers review, alongside how many hours each caregiver typically spends on the road driving between client visits. Workplace-violence exposure from an agitated client or family member, and the general unpredictability of working alone in someone else's home, are risk factors carriers specifically ask about.

Because home health payroll can include full-time staff, part-time aides, and office-based schedulers all at once, one application is used to compare how multiple carriers rate that mix, with declined carriers shown honestly alongside the offers that come back rather than glossed over or left out. Get Multiple Quotes within minutes.

Whether you search for Michigan workers' compensation insurance, workers comp, workman's comp or work comp for home health care agencies, it is the same coverage: medical care and wage replacement for employees hurt on the job, plus employers liability protection for the business.

Michigan class codes for home health care agencies

Michigan maintains its own classification system (CAOM) rather than NCCI codes. The codes below are NCCI reference codes; your Michigan classification may carry a different number, and we match it during quoting.

Common injury exposures for home health care agencies

  • Back and shoulder strain from lifting and transferring clients without assistance
  • Slip-and-fall injuries in unfamiliar client homes
  • Vehicle exposure from extensive driving between client visits
  • Bloodborne-pathogen and infectious-illness exposure during hands-on care
  • Workplace-violence exposure from an agitated client or family member
  • Isolation exposure from working alone with no coworker present

Quote Michigan home health care agencies workers' comp.

One application goes out to every carrier we can access for your class of business. You get a ranked comparison you can review and purchase online — with a licensed agent available whenever you want one.

Mon–Fri, 8:00am–6:00pm ET · Independent agency licensed in 23 states

What drives home health care agencies workers' comp cost in Michigan

  • Split between field caregiving staff and office-based scheduling and administrative staff
  • Level of care provided, from companionship to hands-on nursing care
  • Whether the agency also operates a group home or residential setting
  • Amount of driving and travel between client visits
  • Prior claims history and experience modification factor
  • State where the agency operates and that state's loss costs

Owners, officers and LLC members in Michigan

A sole proprietor is never considered an employee of their own business, so they are not automatically covered and coverage on themselves is optional. Partners are considered employees of the partnership, corporate officers are considered employees of the corporation, and LLC manager-members are considered employees of the LLC, meaning all three groups are counted toward the coverage threshold and are covered by default unless they properly file an exclusion form. Employers can meet the coverage requirement by purchasing insurance, self-insuring, or filing a valid exclusion, and should keep exclusion paperwork current since it's specific to the individual and the entity.

Independent contractors and subcontractors

Michigan scrutinizes 1099 relationships closely, particularly in construction, and a business that misclassifies a worker as an independent contractor can be treated as that worker's statutory employer if the worker is later injured. General contractors should collect a current certificate of insurance from every subcontractor before work begins, since a subcontractor's uninsured employees can become the general contractor's liability under the Worker's Disability Compensation Act.

Coverage notes

  • Employers liability coverage (Part Two) applies alongside the statutory benefit for injuries that lead to a lawsuit outside the workers' comp system
  • Agencies operating in more than one state need other-states insurance to cover payroll across those locations
  • Referral sources and payers commonly require a certificate of insurance before placing clients with an agency
  • Group-home operations may need payroll reported under a related residential-care classification separate from home-visit staff
  • Caregiver misclassification as independent contractors is a common audit finding in this industry and should be reviewed carefully
  • General liability or professional liability is often carried alongside workers' comp given the client-facing nature of the work

Penalties for going without coverage in Michigan

Michigan's Worker's Disability Compensation Act makes it a misdemeanor for a covered employer to fail to secure required coverage, and the state can pursue both criminal prosecution and civil remedies to collect owed compensation and penalties from a noncompliant employer (MCL 418.641). An uninsured employer also loses the liability protections the Act normally provides and can be sued directly and held personally liable for a workplace injury.

How home health care agencies buy workers' comp in Michigan

Michigan is a competitive market state where our agency can compare coverage across the many private carriers writing business here. Rates and classifications are filed by the Compensation Advisory Organization of Michigan (CAOM), an independent state rating bureau rather than NCCI, and CAOM also administers Michigan's assigned risk (residual market) placement facility for employers who can't find a voluntary carrier. There is no Michigan state-run workers' comp fund. Because Michigan's coverage threshold has two different tests (hours/weeks worked vs. headcount), it's worth having an agent confirm which test applies before assuming a small or seasonal crew is exempt.

Rating bureau

Compensation Advisory Organization of Michigan

Visit website

Regulator

Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Workers' Disability Compensation Agency

Visit website

Michigan home health care agencies workers' comp questions

Do home health care agencies businesses in Michigan need workers' comp insurance?

Michigan's threshold has two paths: a private employer must carry coverage if it regularly employs one or more workers who work 35 or more hours per week for 13 or more consecutive weeks, or if it has three or more employees at any time regardless of hours. Agricultural employers follow the 35-hour/13-week test with three or more employees, and household employers must cover domestic workers who work 35+ hours per week for 13+ weeks. All public employers must carry coverage regardless of size. See the Workers' Disability Compensation Agency's insurance requirements page.

What workers' comp class codes apply to home health care agencies in Michigan?

Common codes for this work include 8835 Home Health Care Services; 8810 Clerical Office Employees; 8842 Group Homes. Michigan maintains its own classification system (CAOM) rather than NCCI codes. The codes below are NCCI reference codes; your Michigan classification may carry a different number, and we match it during quoting.

Can owners or officers of a Michigan home health care agencies business be excluded?

A sole proprietor is never considered an employee of their own business, so they are not automatically covered and coverage on themselves is optional. Partners are considered employees of the partnership, corporate officers are considered employees of the corporation, and LLC manager-members are considered employees of the LLC, meaning all three groups are counted toward the coverage threshold and are covered by default unless they properly file an exclusion form. Employers can meet the coverage requirement by purchasing insurance, self-insuring, or filing a valid exclusion, and should keep exclusion paperwork current since it's specific to the individual and the entity.

What happens if a Michigan home health care agencies business has no workers' comp?

Michigan's Worker's Disability Compensation Act makes it a misdemeanor for a covered employer to fail to secure required coverage, and the state can pursue both criminal prosecution and civil remedies to collect owed compensation and penalties from a noncompliant employer (MCL 418.641). An uninsured employer also loses the liability protections the Act normally provides and can be sued directly and held personally liable for a workplace injury.

What drives the cost of home health care agencies workers' comp in Michigan?

Price is driven by payroll in each class code, the Michigan rates filed for those codes, your claims history (experience modification), and underwriting factors such as split between field caregiving staff and office-based scheduling and administrative staff; level of care provided, from companionship to hands-on nursing care; whether the agency also operates a group home or residential setting. We compare carriers so you can see what you qualify for.

How do I get a Michigan home health care agencies workers' comp quote?

Complete one application and we compare up to 10 carriers in minutes, with the option to purchase online. A Live Certificate is included with your coverage, so proof of coverage is always live and shareable by text or email in seconds.

Are caregivers who work in a client's home rated the same as clinical staff in a medical office?

No — home, public, and traveling healthcare has its own classification built around care delivered outside a fixed facility, which reflects the different exposure of working alone in a client's home versus a controlled clinical setting.

Does operating a group home change the workers' comp classification?

It can — group-home operations are typically rated under a related residential-care classification separate from staff who make one-on-one home visits, since supervising a residential setting carries different exposure.

Are home health aides usually classified as employees or independent contractors?

Most home health aides performing regular, supervised caregiving work are properly classified as employees; misclassifying them as independent contractors to avoid workers' comp is a common audit finding that can result in back premium and penalties.

How many employees trigger workers' comp coverage in Michigan?

Coverage is required once an employer has three or more employees at any time, or one or more employees working 35+ hours per week for 13 or more consecutive weeks, whichever applies first.

Do Michigan sole proprietors need to cover themselves?

No. A sole proprietor is never considered an employee of their own business, so coverage on the owner is optional, though employees they hire still count toward the threshold.

Last reviewed · Reviewed by Provident Financial Group licensed agents

Quote Michigan home health care agencies workers' comp.

One application goes out to every carrier we can access for your class of business. You get a ranked comparison you can review and purchase online — with a licensed agent available whenever you want one.

Mon–Fri, 8:00am–6:00pm ET · Independent agency licensed in 23 states