Can you get paid to care for a family member in Missouri?

Yes, through 2 programs we verified. In Missouri, a relative can be paid as a personal care attendant through Consumer Directed Services, but a spouse cannot. For people with Alzheimer's or another dementia, the Structured Family Caregiving Waiver pays a daily rate to a live-in family caregiver, and that caregiver can be a spouse. The caregiver works through an enrolled provider agency.

Which Missouri programs pay family caregivers?

Structured Family Caregiving Waiver (SFCW)

• Type: Structured family caregiving
• Who can be paid: A live-in principal caregiver, who may be a family member, a legal guardian, a spouse or a non-family member, employed by a MO HealthNet enrolled provider agency and paid a per diem.
• Who qualifies for care: Adults 21 and older diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia who would otherwise need nursing facility care and live in their own home or the caregiver's home.

Consumer Directed Services (CDS) personal care

• Type: Medicaid self-direction
• Who can be paid: A personal care attendant the consumer hires and supervises, which can be a relative. The consumer's spouse cannot be the paid attendant.
• Who qualifies for care: MO HealthNet participants with a physical disability who need personal care assistance and are able to direct their own care, through state plan personal care or an HCBS waiver.

Are there national programs too?

Yes. Veterans may qualify for VA programs that pay or support family caregivers: Veteran Directed Care and the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers.