Consumer directed services · Missouri

Consumer Directed Services in Missouri

Consumer Directed Services, or CDS, is a MO HealthNet program that pays for help at home. It differs from other home care in one big way: you pick the person who helps you.

With most home care an agency picks the aide and sets the times. If that aide is a poor fit, you get a different stranger.

CDS turns that around. The state decides how many hours you need, and you hire someone you already trust to do the work.

Who does what

Who	What they do
You	You are the boss. You hire your attendant. You train them. You set the hours. You can let them go. You sign their timesheets.
Your attendant	They do the tasks on your care plan. They sign timesheets with you.
Communicare Elite	We pay your attendant and take out their taxes. We check the paperwork, show you how to be an employer, and bill Medicaid so no money passes between you and your attendant.

We did not make up that split. It is in state law. RSMo 208.900 says a vendor must oversee the attendant, train the consumer, and handle the money.

Who qualifies for CDS in Missouri?

CDS is for adults with a physical disability who can direct their own care. In short, you need to:

• Be 18 or older
• Have MO HealthNet (Missouri Medicaid)
• Have a physical disability
• Be able to make your own choices about your care
• Need the level of care a nursing home would give

See the full rules →

Who can be your paid attendant?

State law is clear here. RSMo 208.900 says an attendant is “a person, other than the consumer’s spouse.”

Read that again. The only person who cannot be paid is your husband or wife. Your son or daughter can be, and so can your mother, father, sister, cousin, neighbor or a friend from church.

Whoever you choose must pass a background check before they start.

How family members get paid →

Is CDS medical care?

How do you start CDS in Missouri?

1. Check if you likely qualify. It takes two minutes.
2. Ask the state for a home visit.
3. The state visits you and writes your care plan.
4. Pick Communicare Elite as your vendor.
5. Name the person you want to hire.
6. They start work and get paid on a regular payday.

Frequently asked questions

How can I get paid to care for a family member in Missouri?

Through CDS. The person you care for must qualify for the program, pick Communicare Elite as their vendor and name you as the person they want to hire. Missouri law, RSMo 208.900, excludes only the spouse, so a son, daughter, mother, father, sister, cousin or friend can be paid. You must pass a background check first, and we pay you and take out your taxes.

What is CDS in Missouri?

CDS, or Consumer Directed Services, is a MO HealthNet program that pays for help at home. The state decides how many hours you need, and you hire someone you already trust to do the work. You are the boss: you hire, train and schedule your attendant and sign their timesheets. Communicare Elite pays your attendant, checks the paperwork and bills Medicaid.