In Missouri the Consumer Directed Services (CDS) program is designed to provide individuals with disabilities and elderly individuals the opportunity to have more control over their own in-home care services.
Consumer Directed Services Overview:
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CDS is a Medicaid program allowing those who need long-term home care to direct their own care
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Provides home health care services
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Keeps you well, independent, and safe in your home
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Offers flexibility to choose your own caregivers
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Caregivers may receive Daily Pay
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Available in Missouri
With CDS you can remain safe, healthy, and independent in the comfort of your own home.
Advantage Home Care
Serving over 3,000 clients
Consumer Directed Services to support YOU.
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If you need help with daily activities like bathing, meal preparation, shopping, house cleaning or grooming…
We help you hire the caregiver of your choice to care for you in your home.
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What is Consumer Directed Services?
The Consumer Directed Services (CDS) Program is a home and community-based service program managed by the state. Often referred to as Self-Direction the Consumer Directed Services approach to homecare offers its clients more choice and control over the home care services that they receive.
Clients that choose to self-direct their own care can recruit, hire, train, schedule, supervise and even fire the caregiver of their choosing. Some restrictions apply but almost anyone from the community can be chosen as the clients or consumers home care aide.
To find out more information just complete this short form or call our centralized intake department toll free at (888) 678-CHOICE (2464).
Advantage Home Care’s Model of Self-Directed Services
Self-direction is a model of long-term care service delivery that helps people of all ages, with all types of disabilities, maintain their independence at home. When a person self-directs, they decide how, when, and from whom their services will be delivered. As a model, self-direction provides its clients with more choice, control, and flexibility over the homecare services that they receive.
Self-direction is based on the principle that people with disabilities know their needs best and are in the best position to plan and manage their own care. Participants often choose to hire family members or friends to provide their care. In Missouri, self-directed services means that consumers have decision-making authority over the home care services they receive. Self-direction promotes more personal choice and control over the delivery of Medicaid based homecare services, including who provides the services and how services are delivered.
FAQ's
Advantage Homecare is Missouri’s largest homecare provider. Established in 1980, the Advantage family of companies has been proudly serving Missouri families for over 40 years. Recognized as a leader in the industry, Advantage Homecare provides quality non-medical homecare services that you & your family can rely on.
We make a difference in people’s lives, every single day—in the comfort of their own homes. Our clients can receive the care they need and maintain their independence in the safety of their surroundings.
Advantage Consumer Directed Services (Advantage CDS) consumers can recruit, hire, train & even fire their own CDS caregivers (commonly referred to as CDS attendants) to assist them with tasks of daily living. The tasks may include but are not limited to:
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Bathing/showering
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Dressing/undressing
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Toileting
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Obtaining medication
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Meal preparation, shopping and cleanup
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Housekeeping/laundry
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Essential transportation.
Unable to find your own Consumer Directed Caregiver? Advantage in-home services can help. Just call our centralized intake department toll free at (888) 678-CHOICE (2464). Our intake specialist will be happy to help you figure out what to do next.
Advantage offers its Consumer Directed Services program to CDS consumers throughout the entire state of Missouri. For a full list of our locations, please visit our location page by clicking here. If you have a question about your eligibility or our service area, please call our centralized intake department (888-678-2464).
Advantage Homecare Provides Consumer Directed Services in the following MO counties:
Bollinger
Boone
Buchanan
Butler
Caldwell
Cape Girardeau
Carter
Clay
Clinton
Crawford
Dallas
DeKalb
Dent
Dunklin
Franklin
Green
Henry
Jackson
Jefferson
Linn
Pettis
Pike
Ray
Reynolds
Ripley
Scott
St. Francois
St. Louis
Washington
Wayne
In Missouri, Consumer Directed Services provides people with disabilities with assistance with the activities of daily living.
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Dressing
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Bathing
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Grooming
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Toileting
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Ostomy/colostomy hygiene
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Obtaining medication
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Transferring
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Range of motion
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Meal preparation/feeding/cleanup
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Housekeeping/laundry
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Errand transportation (shopping, paying bills/banking, picking up medication)
A CDS program participant must be:
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Eligible for Medicaid in Missouri
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18 years of age or older
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Able to direct his or her own care
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Physically disabled or have a physical disability
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Capable of living independently with the services of a personal care attendant
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Require at least a nursing facility level of care
Signing up for Consumer Directed Services through Advantage Home Care is extremely quick and easy to do. To get started please click this link to complete a short online form or for an ever-quicker response call our centralized intake department toll-free at (888) 678-CHOICE (2464). Our intake specialist will be happy to help you determine eligibility and take the next steps.
Consumer Directed Services/CDS consumers can hire a friend, family member or almost anyone else from the community to be their personal care attendant. Some restrictions apply but almost anyone qualifies. To find out more information please call our centralized intake department toll free at (888) 678-CHOICE (2464). Our intake specialist will be happy to help you determine eligibility and take the next steps.
Your chosen personal care attendant will be required to pass a series of background check for your safety and protection. These background checks include:
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A current background check through the Family Care Safety Registry (FCSR)
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A check to ensure they are not listed on the EDL or Employee Disqualification List check.
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They must also complete an employee eligibility check using E-Verify through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Advantage Home Care will complete all required background checks on your behalf.
If requested, Advantage Home Care can provide support, assistance, and training to you as a Missouri Consumer Directed Service program participant.
As Consumer Directed Services/CDS program participant, you are the legal employer of your personal care attendant. You can interview, hire, train, schedule, and if necessary, fire your CDS attendant. CDS Personal care attendants do not work for Advantage Homecare, they work for you, the CDS consumer.
As long as you have Missouri Medicaid and can direct your own care, Consumer Directed Services may be the perfect fit for your home care needs.
Simply have your perspective personal care attendants apply here. We will be happy you get them onboarded as quickly as possible.
The Consumer Directed Services program is funded by MO HealthNet / Medicaid. Participants who receive Medicare or have private insurance are not eligible for the CDS program. All Missouri Consumer Directed Services participants must be eligible to receive MO HealthNet (Medicaid) in order for a personal care attendant to be paid.
Verified and approved attendant services are billed to MO HealthNet (Medicaid) in accordance with the care plan authorized by DHSS. Advantage Home Care will help you with this process.
Your attendant is paid by money received from your MO HealthNet (Medicaid) account for the authorized care plan service(s) provided to you.
Pay rates change regularly. To find out our current pay rate for CDS attendants please call our office. To learn more about Advantage Home Care Services, determine eligibility for Consumer Directed Care Services in Missouri, to apply as a caregiver or caregiver or care receiver, please call us at (888) 678-CHOICE (2464).
During regular business hours Monday through Friday 7:30am- 4:30pm or click here to determine eligibility or request services. As the number one homecare provider in Missouri, Advantage Home Care is happy to serve you.
The Consumer Directed Services program through Advantage Home Care provides a greater quality of life by freeing up family caregivers time and ensuring the safe, caring support system that is required for people with disabilities to remain independent in their own home.
Advantages CDS program is consumer controlled meaning you have control over the services you receive. You are the employer of your caregiver/ attendant. As an Advantage CDS program participant, you have the control of choosing, hiring, setting work schedules and managing your caregivers. You can even choose a qualified friend or family member as your attendant. There are few exceptions as to who you can choose. For example, you cannot choose a spouse or anyone under the age of 18.
The CDS program allows adults with disabilities to retain their personal independence by allowing them to focus on their care while ensuring low-income older adults and people with disabilities are able to remain and thrive at home and in their communities.
Obtain assistance with personal care and activities of daily living. CDS participants are able to stay in their own homes and avoid nursing home placement, leave a nursing home and return to their community, or use the CDS Program instead of a traditional home care agency. Participants are able to hire a family member (other than a spouse), a friend, or they can select individuals from Heartland Independent Living Center’s (HILC) attendant registry list to be their personal care attendant(s)- the choice is theirs! Participants in the CDS Program through HILC are given helpful information on how to hire attendants to assist them with their activities of daily living. The participant is the employer; however, HILC, as the provider, handles payroll issues on behalf of the participant.
We now offer Daily Pay. Click here to learn more!
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TRADITIONAL – We find a caregiver for you
Model of In-Home Care
Choose the traditional model if you do not have a caregiver. We will choose a caregiver that meets your needs, is a good match for you and feels like a part of your family.
BYOC- Bring Your Own Caregiver
Model of Care (CDS)
Choose the BYOC – Bring Your Own Caregiver model if you have someone you already know, love and trust that can get paid to support you. Click below to learn more.
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It is in our core values to place people first. We value the highest level of customer service so that you feel seen, loved and cared for. We care for our clients and team members with the integrity, respect and communication they deserve.
Exceptionalism is simply part of our culture. We invite you to join your family with ours.
Advantage Home Care is the established leader of nonmedical homecare services in Missouri. We provide personal care, homemaker & many other community-based services to the area’s neediest population. Established in 1980, the Advantage family of companies has been providing compassionate homecare to midwestern families for over 30 years.
Advantage is a contracted provider of CDS, a Medicaid-funded program that allows Missourians to hire their own caregivers. Hire your child, grandchild, relative, friend or previously hired aide. We can help.