August 24, 2026
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seva firm
A serious car accident can turn an independent person into someone who needs help with basic daily activities. A spouse may begin managing medications. A parent may help an injured adult child bathe and dress. A relative may stay awake at night to monitor someone with a traumatic brain injury.
Families often provide this care because it is needed immediately—not because they realize Michigan No-Fault insurance may pay for it. This benefit is commonly called attendant care. If the care is reasonably necessary because of accident-related injuries, it may qualify as a Personal Injury Protection, or PIP, allowable expense.
Understanding the rules matters. Insurers may dispute whether the care was prescribed, how many hours were necessary, who provided it, or what rate should be paid. Good medical support and consistent records can make the difference between a properly documented claim and months of unpaid care.
What Is Attendant Care Under Michigan No-Fault Law?
Attendant care is personal assistance or supervision required because of injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident. Michigan’s No-Fault Act provides PIP benefits for reasonable charges incurred for reasonably necessary products, services, and accommodations for an injured person’s care, recovery, or rehabilitation.
Depending on the injury, attendant care may include:
• Helping with bathing, dressing, grooming, or toileting
• Assisting with transfers, walking, or wheelchair use
• Preparing and serving meals for the injured person’s individual needs
• Administering or reminding the person to take medication
• Monitoring seizures, confusion, fall risks, or unsafe behavior
• Providing supervision because of a brain injury
• Escorting the injured person to medical treatment
• Repositioning a person to prevent pressure wounds
Attendant care is different from replacement services. Replacement services involve ordinary household tasks the injured person cannot perform, such as housekeeping, laundry, lawn care, or grocery shopping. Attendant care focuses on the injured person’s personal care and safety. The distinction affects how a claim should be documented and what legal limits may apply.
Can a Spouse, Parent, or Other Relative Be Paid?
Yes. A family member does not have to be a nurse or work for a home-care agency simply to qualify for payment. The important questions are whether the services were reasonably necessary because of the accident, whether they were actually provided, whether a charge was incurred, and whether the requested rate is reasonable.
The caregiver should not treat the work as an informal favor. Michigan law requires an expense to be “incurred.” That generally means the injured person has an obligation to pay for the service. A written agreement between the patient and caregiver can help show that both understood the care was being provided for compensation.
The 56-Hour Rule for Family-Provided Care
For attendant care rendered in the injured person’s home, Michigan law generally limits what an insurer is required to pay to 56 hours per week when the caregiver is a relative, lives in the injured person’s household, or had a business or social relationship with the injured person before the crash.
This rule does not mean an accident victim can receive only 56 hours of medically necessary attendant care. If a doctor prescribes more care, including around-the-clock supervision, the insurer may still have to cover the necessary hours through an outside professional provider. The insurer may also contract with the family caregiver to pay for more than 56 hours per week.
The date of the accident can also matter. Michigan appellate decisions have addressed how the 2019 No-Fault amendments apply to people injured before those changes. Because the law in this area has evolved, families dealing with older catastrophic-injury claims should not assume the 56-hour limit automatically controls their case.
What Documentation Does the Insurance Company Need?
Start with a clear prescription or written order from a treating physician. It should identify the type of assistance required, the number of hours, and the medical reason for the care. A vague note saying a patient “needs help” may invite a dispute. A detailed order connecting the care to specific accident injuries is stronger.
Caregivers should keep a daily log showing:
• The date and start and end time of each care period
• The specific services performed
• The patient’s symptoms or safety concerns
• The caregiver’s name and relationship to the patient
• Any relevant medication, appointment, or incident details
Submit attendant-care forms and supporting records regularly. Do not recreate months of logs from memory after the insurer raises a problem. Also keep copies of everything sent, proof of delivery, medical orders, insurer correspondence, and payment explanations.
How Much Should a Family Caregiver Be Paid?
Michigan law does not establish one universal hourly rate for every attendant-care claim. A reasonable rate depends on factors such as the services performed, the patient’s needs, local market rates, and the caregiver’s training. Skilled medical tasks or difficult behavioral supervision may justify a different rate than basic personal assistance.
Insurers sometimes offer a rate that does not fairly reflect the level of care. They may also argue that certain logged hours duplicate sleep, household work, or other services. The claim should accurately separate attendant care from ordinary family activities and explain why supervision was medically necessary during the hours requested.
What If the Insurer Delays, Reduces, or Denies Payment?
Ask the insurer to explain the decision in writing. A denial may be based on an alleged lack of prescription, insufficient logs, an independent medical examination, a disagreement over the rate, a PIP coverage limit, or the 56-hour family-care rule.
Do not ignore unpaid benefits. Michigan No-Fault claims are subject to strict timing rules, including a one-year-back limitation that can prevent recovery of benefits that became overdue too long before a lawsuit is filed. Waiting while an insurer repeatedly says it is “reviewing” the claim can put otherwise valid benefits at risk.
An experienced Michigan No-Fault attorney can review the policy, medical orders, care logs, payment history, and denial letters; identify missing documentation; and determine whether litigation is necessary. If the injured person needs more than 56 hours per week, counsel can also evaluate options for professional care or a contract allowing additional family-provided care.
Talk to a Michigan No-Fault Attorney About Attendant Care
Family members often become caregivers overnight, with no roadmap and little sleep. They should not have to navigate a complicated insurance claim alone. If you or a loved one needs help with attendant-care benefits after a Michigan car accident, The Seva Law Firm can review the claim and explain the next steps.
Call The Seva Law Firm at (248) 385-5704. Our office is located at 100 W. Big Beaver Rd, Suite 500, Troy, MI 48084.
Can a family member be paid for caring for you after a Michigan car accident? In many cases, yes.
Michigan No-Fault PIP benefits may cover reasonably necessary attendant care provided by a spouse, parent, child, or other family member. Attendant care can include help with bathing, dressing, medication, mobility, meal assistance, and supervision for a brain injury or fall risk.
For in-home care, insurers are generally required to pay no more than 56 hours per week when care is provided by a relative, household member, or someone who knew the injured person before the crash. But that does not necessarily limit the total medically necessary care. Additional hours may be provided by a professional agency, and an insurer may contract to pay a family caregiver for more than 56 hours.
Strong documentation is essential. Get a detailed doctor’s prescription, keep daily logs with dates, times, and tasks, use a written payment agreement, and save every form and denial letter. Do not let delays continue indefinitely—Michigan’s one-year-back rule can put older unpaid benefits at risk.
Questions about attendant-care benefits? Call The Seva Law Firm at (248) 385-5704. 100 W. Big Beaver Rd, Suite 500, Troy, MI 48084.