Get paid to care for a loved one

The Consumer Directed Services program lets you get help at home with daily tasks while staying independent. Best of all, you choose your own caregiver, such as a family member or friend, who can be paid for their time.

Often, yes. If your parent has Missouri Medicaid, needs help with daily activities and is approved by the state for Consumer Directed Services (CDS), they can choose you as their paid caregiver, called an attendant. Caring Companions CDS pays attendants $15 to $16 an hour, every Thursday, in 27 Southwest Missouri counties. Check eligibility

The person receiving care must be 18 or older, have active Missouri Medicaid (MO HealthNet), need help with daily activities, and live in their own home, not a nursing home. They must also be able to direct their own care, or have an eligible authorized representative help them where the program allows it. Check eligibility

Yes. You can choose a trusted family member or friend. Legal guardians and spouses cannot be paid caregivers through the program.

No. Spouses and legal guardians cannot be paid through the CDS program. Often an adult child, sibling, niece, nephew or friend takes the paid hours instead, so the spouse is not carrying it all alone. Call 417-218-2888 and we will talk through your situation. Who can be your paid caregiver

With Caring Companions CDS, $15 to $16 an hour. The pay week runs Sunday to Saturday, and pay arrives the following Thursday by direct deposit or pay card. Taxes are withheld and you get a W-2. Every CDS agency sets its own pay, so rates differ between agencies. How caregivers get paid

Bathing, dressing and grooming, meals and feeding, light housekeeping and laundry, medication reminders, and errands and grocery shopping. The state's plan of care sets exactly which tasks are covered. Receive care through CDS

That is not a problem. Our private caregiver directory, Find CDS Caregivers, lets you see profiles of caregivers near you and ask to meet the ones you like. Every caregiver you can ask to meet has finished the state’s required screening, and you still choose who you hire. Request access to the directory.

Approved Consumer Directed Services are paid for through Missouri Medicaid. There is no charge to the consumer for services and hours authorized by the state. Caring Companions CDS handles the payroll, taxes and paperwork for those approved hours. How CDS works

First, check that CDS fits, online or by phone. The state then does an assessment and authorizes the tasks and hours your attendant is paid for. You sign one enrollment packet with us, we set up the employer tax numbers, and your attendant completes enrollment. Paid care begins only after the state authorizes services and your attendant's enrollment is complete. How CDS works, start to finish

It depends on a few steps that must happen first. Your family member needs active Medicaid, the state must assess and authorize CDS services, and you must finish attendant enrollment, including the required background checks and paperwork. Hours worked before all of that is complete cannot be paid. We tell you where each step stands and move as quickly as the process allows. Become a caregiver

Yes. We help coordinate the move and work to keep your care going without interruption. In many cases your authorized hours move with you, though the state may sometimes require extra steps or a new assessment. Call 417-218-2888 and we will walk you through it. Contact us

To receive care, start here. To be paid as a caregiver, start here. Or call us on 417-218-2888, or toll free 866-863-5151, Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm.