✦ Missouri Medicaid Eligible✦ Choose Your Own Caregiver✦ Family Members May Qualify✦ $16.00–$20.00/hr Caregiver Pay✦ We Handle Payroll & Documentation✦ Full Compliance Support✦ Missouri Medicaid Eligible✦ Choose Your Own Caregiver✦ Family Members May Qualify✦ $16.00–$20.00/hr Caregiver Pay✦ We Handle Payroll & Documentation✦ Full Compliance Support

Consumer Directed Services

If you are already caring for a parent, relative or friend, you may be able to be paid for it. Consumer Directed Services is the Missouri Medicaid programme that lets a person who qualifies choose their own caregiver — often a family member — and have that caregiver paid. You direct the care. We handle the payroll, the documentation and the compliance.

Are You Eligible?

Missouri resident with Medicaid eligibility
Need help with daily activities
Can direct your own care or have an authorized representative
Want to choose a trusted caregiver — often a family member or friend

What We Handle

Competitive Pay Rates ($16.00–$20.00/hr)

We provide competitive compensation to ensure your chosen caregiver is properly rewarded.

Payroll Processing

Accurate, timely payroll processing with full administrative support.

Documentation

All required documentation handled by our experienced compliance team.

Compliance Management

Structured systems to ensure everything meets Missouri Medicaid standards.

Getting paid to care for a family member

The questions families actually ask us, answered plainly.

Can I get paid to take care of my mom or dad?

Often, yes. Consumer Directed Services is the Missouri Medicaid programme that lets someone who qualifies choose their own caregiver and have that caregiver paid. An adult child caring for a parent is the most common arrangement we see. The person receiving care has to be eligible for Missouri Medicaid and need help with daily activities, and the state makes that decision, not us.

Can a family member be the paid caregiver?

Usually, yes. Adult children, siblings, other relatives, friends and neighbours can all be paid as the attendant. Every family's situation is a little different, so call us and we will work out together who in your family qualifies.

How much does the caregiver get paid?

We advertise $16.00 to $20.00 an hour for caregivers. The number of hours approved is set through the state's assessment of what the person receiving care needs, so it varies from one household to another.

What does my family have to do, and what do you handle?

The person receiving care directs their own help: they choose the caregiver, say how and when the work is done, and supervise it. We handle the administration behind it -- payroll, documentation, and keeping the arrangement compliant with the programme's requirements. That split is what the word Consumer Directed means.

Do I need experience or a certificate to be the caregiver?

No formal care qualification is required to be a CDS attendant. You do have to register as an attendant and meet the programme's requirements, which we walk you through. Most of the people we enrol are already doing the work unpaid and simply did not know they could be paid for it.

Who decides whether we qualify?

The state does. Eligibility rests on Missouri Medicaid status and an assessment of the care the person needs. We can tell you how the process works and help you through it, but nobody at this agency can approve or deny you, and you should be careful of anyone who says otherwise.

How do we start?

Call (314) 764-2021 or send us your details and we will talk you through what applies to your situation. There is no cost to ask, and we will tell you plainly if CDS is not the right fit -- sometimes in-home services or respite is a better answer.

Learn About CDS Enrollment

Our care coordinators will walk you through every step of the enrollment process — from verifying eligibility to selecting your caregiver.

Call (314) 764-2021