Consumer Directed Services in University City, Missouri

Communicare Elite provides MO HealthNet Consumer Directed Services to residents of University City and the surrounding mid St. Louis County area. If you are eligible, you choose your own personal care attendant — including a family member other than your spouse — and we handle payroll, program paperwork and Medicaid billing.

Why home care matters in University City

University City has an unusual mix for a suburb: dense older apartment buildings along the Delmar corridor, substantial early-twentieth-century houses in the north and west, and a long-established population that includes many people who have lived here since the neighborhoods were new. The housing is characterful and, from an accessibility point of view, frequently difficult — narrow stairs, small bathrooms, and apartment buildings that predate elevators.

The other local factor is that U. City has an unusually engaged older population who are often managing their own affairs well into their eighties. That suits Consumer Directed Services particularly well, because the program is built around a consumer who directs their own care rather than receiving whatever is provided. If you are the kind of person who would rather instruct someone than be managed, CDS is the model that fits.

How CDS works for University City residents

1. Confirm you are likely eligible. You need to be 18 or older, eligible for MO HealthNet, physically disabled, able to direct your own care, and assessed at a nursing facility level of care. Full requirements.
2. Request a state assessment. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services assesses you at home. Their referral line is 866-835-3505.
3. Receive an authorized care plan listing the tasks and hours approved for you. What can be authorized.
4. Choose Communicare Elite as your CDS vendor.
5. Hire your attendant — anyone but your spouse, subject to background screening. How to choose.
6. Work begins. You and your attendant sign biweekly timesheets; we run payroll and bill Medicaid. How pay works.

What your attendant can help with

See the full list of covered tasks →

Getting paid to care for a family member in University City

If you already help a parent, an adult child, a sibling or a friend in University City, that work can become paid employment. Missouri law excludes only the consumer’s spouse from being a paid personal care attendant — every other relationship is eligible.

How family caregivers get paid →

Distance from our office

Communicare Elite is at 4477 Woodson Rd, Suite 106, St. Louis, MO 63134, minutes from Lambert International Airport — roughly about 20 minutes from University City. Most business is handled by phone, but you are welcome at the office; call ahead so someone is expecting you.

Questions from University City families

I live in an older apartment near the Loop with no lift. Is that a problem?

Not for eligibility. It is likely to increase the help you are assessed as needing, since stairs make groceries, laundry and appointments harder.

I manage my own affairs and do not want to be told what to do. Is CDS still right for me?

That is precisely who the program is designed for. You direct your own care — you decide what help you need and how it is provided.

Can I hire someone from my own neighborhood?

Yes, and it is usually the best arrangement. Anyone other than your spouse can be hired if they clear background screening.

Does CDS cost me anything?

No. The program is funded by MO HealthNet. You do not pay Communicare Elite and you do not pay your attendant directly.

Can I switch to Communicare Elite from another vendor?

Yes, without reapplying for the program or losing your authorized hours. How switching works.

Nearby communities we also serve

St. Louis City · St. Louis County · Florissant · Ferguson · Hazelwood · Bridgeton · Maryland Heights · Kirkwood · Chesterfield · Arnold · Festus · St. Charles · St. Peters · O’Fallon · Wentzville