Medicaid Chore Services for Hoarding Cleanup
This page is written for case managers, care coordinators, and social workers. If you found it as a family member, you’re welcome here too — but the short version for you is on our home page, and the number to call is 888-729-0490.
You have a client whose home has become unsafe. You have a waiver that pays for chore services. You need someone who will actually take the job.
That’s us. Here’s how it works.
What “chore services” means in plain words
Many state Medicaid waivers cover a service called chore services. The waiver rules describe it as heavy cleaning, removing trash and piled-up items, and making a home safe to live in.
That is hoarding cleanup. It’s the same work, written in program language.
Two billing codes come up most often:
- S5120 — chore services, billed in 15-minute units.
- S5121 — chore services, billed per day.
Not every state uses these codes. Some use their own. We ask that question in every state we enroll in, and we’ve written what we know below.
The rule we do not bend
No service authorization, no work.
We will not start a job on a promise, a verbal, or a “the paperwork is coming.” We need the authorization number in hand first. This protects your client, it protects your program, and it protects us. If you’re used to vendors who start early and sort it out later, we’re not that.
Why general homemaker agencies turn these jobs down
You already know this part. You’ve made the calls.
A homemaker aide is authorized to clean. She is not trained for a home with waste in it, needles in the piles, or a floor that isn’t safe to stand on, and her agency’s insurance doesn’t cover it. So she walks in, sees the back bedroom, and the agency calls you and declines the referral. Then it happens again with the next agency.
Our crews are equipped for exactly the homes those agencies won’t enter. Respiratory protection, bloodborne-pathogen procedure, regulated waste disposal, and the equipment to handle what’s underneath. We don’t decline the hard ones. The hard ones are the business.
Have an authorized client right now? Call our team 24/7 — 888-729-0490, or send the referral through our intake form.
Which states are we enrolled in?
We’re going to be straight with you about this, because you can’t afford a vendor who overstates it and then can’t bill.
We have documented programs in twelve states. Our status is not the same in all twelve. Here it is in three honest groups.
Enrolled today — we can take the referral now
| State | Program | Who sends referrals |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | Elderly Waiver, CADI, Brain Injury, and DD Waivers (DHS lists S5120) | County Lead Agencies and their case managers |
| Ohio | PASSPORT Waiver, plus the City of Columbus Chores Program | Area Agencies on Aging |
| Iowa | Iowa Health Link, Elderly Waiver (covered work includes heavy cleaning) | The six Area Agencies on Aging; Iowa Total Care care managers |
| Nebraska | Aged & Disabled Waiver — the state publishes a Chore Services Provider Handbook | AD Waiver case managers; Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging |
| Wisconsin | Family Care and IRIS | MCO care managers and ADRC staff |
Enrollment in progress — talk to us early
We are in the application process in these states. We are not going to tell you we can bill today when we can’t. Call us anyway — knowing a specialized provider is coming is useful to you, and timing a referral to our approval date is often possible.
| State | Program | Where we stand |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Community Care Program (CCP), through the Department on Aging. The state’s published homemaker/chore rate is $30.80 an hour as of January 2026. | Application in progress. Procurement is open year-round, and CCP clients have freedom of choice of vendor. |
| Michigan | MI Choice Waiver and the MDHHS Home Help Program | Home Help approved June 2026. MI Choice still in process. |
| Pennsylvania | Community HealthChoices (CHC) | State enrollment in progress. CHC also requires contracting with the MCOs — AmeriHealth Caritas, PA Health & Wellness, and UPMC Community HealthChoices. |
Coverage needs checking first
These four states have programs that cover household and chore-type tasks, but the billing code isn’t confirmed for our service. We work with participants here, and we ask you to confirm coverage for your client before anything is scheduled. We would rather say “check first” than promise a code we haven’t verified.
| State | Program | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | Community First Choice and HCBS waivers | Whether S5120 is accepted, with MDH Provider Enrollment |
| Missouri | Aged & Disabled Waiver | Code and rate, with the Department of Health and Senior Services |
| Indiana | HCBS Aged & Disabled Waiver | The code, and whether a Managed Care Entity contract is also needed |
| Virginia | CCC Plus / Cardinal Care | How household tasks are coded — Virginia doesn’t use the phrase “chore services,” and uses state-specific codes |
Your state isn’t on this list? We still work there. It’s private-pay, and families cover it out of pocket, through insurance, or with financing. Find your state on the state pages.
What you can expect from us
- We answer the phone, 24 hours a day. Case managers do not chase us.
- We give you a written scope before work starts, so you know what you’re authorizing.
- We document the job. Photos, before and after, for your file and your audit.
- We treat your client with respect. No shaming, no lectures, no photos of their home shared anywhere.
- We’re a woman-owned business, federally certified as a WOSB — which matters in states with small-business procurement goals.
How do I send a referral?
Call 888-729-0490, any hour, and tell us the state, the program, and whether the authorization is in place. If it’s easier, use our intake form and we’ll come back to you.
We’ll tell you honestly whether we can bill in your state today. If we can’t, we’ll say so, and we’ll tell you what the family’s other options are — that’s a more useful answer than a vendor who says yes and then can’t deliver.
Authorized client, unsafe home? Call our team 24/7 — 888-729-0490