The most-asked question
Who can be your paid caregiver?
Almost always, the person already helping you. Missouri CDS was built so you can hire someone you know and trust rather than a stranger from a rota. There are exactly two relationships the program excludes, and a short list of requirements everyone must meet.
Yes, these people can
Your adult son or daughter. A grandchild, sibling, niece or nephew. A friend. A neighbor. The person helping you unpaid right now. Someone from our caregiver list if nobody comes to mind.
No, these two cannot
Your spouse and your legal guardian cannot be paid caregivers through the program. That is state law, not our policy, and there is no waiver for it. Everyone else you trust is on the table.
Whoever you choose
Three things every caregiver must do
- 1
Pass a background screening
We run it, at no cost to you or them. It protects you, and it protects the program that pays them.
- 2
Do the tasks in your plan of care
Your authorization lists the help you are approved for. Your caregiver needs to be genuinely able to provide it, and willing to work within the authorized hours.
- 3
Clock every visit electronically
Missouri requires electronic visit verification: the mobile app, or a call from your home phone. It is how they get paid, so “willing to clock in” is a real job requirement.
And to be clear about who employs whom
Your caregiver works for you. We are the vendor: we run the background check, the payroll, the tax filings and the program paperwork, and we are on the phone whenever you need us. But you hire, you direct the care, and yes, you can let someone go. That control is the whole point of CDS. It also means it is smart to have a backup attendant, which the program allows and your emergency plan will ask about.
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