Golden Care Alliance helps eligible Missouri adults with physical disabilities direct their own care and choose a trusted family member or friend as their paid personal care attendant.
Care With a Golden Touch
Consumer Directed Services (CDS) is a Missouri Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Services program for eligible adults with physical disabilities who can direct their own care and live independently.
Under CDS, you hire, train, schedule, supervise, and direct your attendant. A qualified family member, friend, or trusted individual may serve as your paid personal care attendant. Golden Care Alliance handles the administrative, payroll, onboarding, and compliance work on your behalf.
Golden Care Alliance is your CDS provider and administrative support organization — not an agency that selects and sends a stranger to your home.
"You choose the person who cares for you. We help manage the paperwork, onboarding, payroll, timekeeping, and ongoing CDS support."
Our mission is to empower adults with physical disabilities to live with greater independence, dignity, and control by helping them select and direct trusted caregivers while Golden Care Alliance provides dependable administrative and program support.
You choose, hire, train, and direct your attendant. You set the schedule. You make the care decisions within your authorized care plan.
An eligible family member or trusted friend—not your spouse or legal guardian—may serve as your paid personal care attendant, subject to required screenings.
Golden Care Alliance processes payroll, supports EVV compliance, manages program documentation, and provides ongoing guidance for participants and attendants.
CDS supports independence at home and in the community. Participants are not required to be homebound to qualify.
Whether you're exploring CDS for the first time, ready to become a paid attendant, or looking to transfer from another provider — we can help.
If you're an adult with a physical disability who may qualify for Missouri Medicaid, you may be eligible to choose your own personal care attendant and direct your own home care.
If someone you know has chosen you to be their CDS attendant, Golden Care Alliance will guide you through onboarding, required screenings, EVV setup, and payroll support.
Already receiving CDS through another provider? Switching to Golden Care Alliance may be simpler than you think. We coordinate the transfer and work to reduce service interruptions.
From your first inquiry to authorized care — here is what the CDS process typically looks like when you partner with Golden Care Alliance.
Golden Care Alliance discusses the CDS program with you and helps determine whether a state referral may be appropriate based on your situation. This is a free consultation — not an official state assessment.
Missouri DHSS/DSDS determines eligibility, completes the official assessment, and authorizes your Person-Centered Care Plan and approved service hours. This decision is made by the state, not by Golden Care Alliance.
You select Golden Care Alliance as your CDS provider — or transfer to us from another provider. We begin the enrollment or transfer process with you and help you understand your rights and responsibilities.
You select a qualified family member, friend, or trusted individual. Required paperwork, background screenings, and onboarding are completed with our support. You are the employer of record.
Your attendant provides care per the approved care plan, records visits through Electronic Visit Verification (EVV), and receives payroll through Golden Care Alliance's administrative process.
Every participant receives an individualized, state-approved care plan. The services below are examples of what may be authorized based on your assessed needs and approved plan.
Services are based on the participant's state-approved Person-Centered Care Plan. Not every service is authorized for every participant. Golden Care Alliance does not provide skilled nursing, therapy services, or services beyond the state-authorized care plan. CDS does not cover standby-only care, prompting, cueing, pet care, or general household tasks that primarily benefit others in the home.
The State of Missouri — not Golden Care Alliance — makes the official eligibility determination. The criteria below are general guidelines. A state assessment is required to confirm eligibility and authorize service hours.
⚠️ Important: You do not need to be homebound. Missouri CDS participants can remain active in their homes and communities. You do not need to be elderly — this program is for adults of all ages with qualifying physical disabilities.
Golden Care Alliance performs a preliminary eligibility pre-screen and can help connect you with the state process. The official eligibility decision and authorization of service hours are made by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) or its designee — not by Golden Care Alliance.
Submitting an inquiry does not guarantee program eligibility, approval, or a specific number of authorized hours.
"You may qualify for Consumer Directed Services if you are an adult with a physical disability, have active Missouri Medicaid, need hands-on assistance with daily activities, and can hire and direct your own caregiver. The State of Missouri completes the official assessment and determines eligibility and authorized service time."
Under Consumer Directed Services, you are in charge. Golden Care Alliance is here to support the administrative side — so you can focus on living your life.
You are the attendant's employer of record. You hire, train, supervise, and schedule your attendant. Golden Care Alliance supports the administration — not the care decisions.
You choose the person you trust — a family member, friend, neighbor, or other qualified individual, subject to required screenings and program eligibility requirements.
Within your authorized care plan, you determine when and how services are delivered. Your attendant works for you, on your terms, according to your approved plan.
Golden Care Alliance provides ongoing support for EVV questions, payroll inquiries, care plan understanding, program responsibilities, and any service or attendant issues that arise.
"Get paid to care for someone you know and love."
If an eligible CDS participant chooses you as their personal care attendant, Golden Care Alliance can guide you through onboarding, required screenings, EVV setup, and payroll support. Previous professional caregiving experience may not be required — but all attendants must meet Missouri program and onboarding requirements.
A participant may generally choose a trusted:
Completing an application or inquiry form does not guarantee employment, program approval, or a specific start date or pay rate. All attendants must complete required screenings and meet Missouri CDS program requirements.
Existing CDS participants may choose a different enrolled provider at any time. Golden Care Alliance can explain the transfer process, coordinate required documents, assist with attendant onboarding, and help reduce interruptions in service.
We walk you through every step of the provider transfer clearly, so you know what to expect and what is required from you and the state.
We assist with the required paperwork and communications needed to support a smooth and timely transition to Golden Care Alliance.
We work to help reduce gaps in your services. Transfer timing depends on state processing and the completion of all required enrollment steps.
Have a question not answered here? Call us at (314) 240-5558 or send us a message.
Consumer Directed Services (CDS) is a Missouri Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Services program for eligible adults with physical disabilities who can direct their own care and live independently. Under CDS, you — the participant — choose, hire, train, schedule, and supervise your own personal care attendant. The selected CDS provider (Golden Care Alliance) processes payroll and provides administrative support on your behalf, while you remain the attendant's employer of record.
You may qualify if you are at least 18 years old, have a qualifying physical disability, have active Missouri Medicaid coverage with an appropriate eligibility code, need hands-on assistance with daily activities, meet the required nursing-facility level of care, and are able to direct your own care. The State of Missouri (DHSS/DSDS) makes the official eligibility determination. Golden Care Alliance can help you with a preliminary pre-screen and guide you through the state process.
Yes, in many cases. Under the CDS model, you choose your attendant. An eligible family member — such as an adult child, parent, sibling, or other relative — may serve as your paid personal care attendant, provided they meet program requirements and pass required screenings. Your legal spouse or legal guardian cannot serve as your paid attendant. An attendant also cannot currently be a CDS participant.
No. Missouri CDS policy does not allow a participant's legal spouse to serve as a paid personal care attendant. A legal guardian also cannot serve as the paid attendant. Other family members, friends, neighbors, and other qualified individuals may be eligible to be your attendant, subject to program requirements and required screenings.
Under the CDS model, you — the participant — are the attendant's employer of record. You hire, train, schedule, supervise, and direct the attendant. Golden Care Alliance processes payroll on your behalf and provides administrative support, but does not serve as the attendant's employer. The employment relationship is between you and your attendant.
No. Golden Care Alliance does not select or assign a caregiver for you. Under Consumer Directed Services, you choose the person who provides your care — someone you know and trust, subject to program requirements. Golden Care Alliance provides the administrative, payroll, onboarding, and compliance support to make that participant-directed relationship work.
Golden Care Alliance provides the administrative side of Consumer Directed Services: preliminary eligibility pre-screening, provider enrollment or transfer support, attendant onboarding and background screening coordination, Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) support, payroll processing, employer-related tax administration support, program documentation maintenance, care-plan compliance monitoring, and ongoing guidance for participants and attendants.
Yes. All CDS attendants must complete required background and exclusion screenings as part of the Missouri program's onboarding requirements. Golden Care Alliance assists with this process. An attendant who does not pass required screenings or who has prior involvement in Medicaid fraud cannot serve in the program.
No. Missouri's Home and Community-Based Services programs, including CDS, do not require participants to be homebound. CDS is designed to support adults with physical disabilities in living actively and independently in their homes and communities — including activities outside the home such as errands, employment, and community participation as authorized in the care plan.
Services that may be authorized under CDS include personal care (bathing, grooming, dressing, toileting, transfers, mobility), meal preparation and cleanup, household assistance (laundry, cleaning, dishes), and essential errands and authorized transportation. All services must be tied to the participant's physical limitations and approved care plan. CDS does not cover skilled nursing, therapy, standby-only care, prompting, cueing, general respite, pet care, or services primarily benefiting others in the home.
Certain transportation may be authorized under a participant's care plan, including transportation for approved errands, school, or employment needs. Medical transportation is covered only when specifically authorized and not already available through Missouri's Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) program. Not all transportation needs are automatically covered — authorization depends on the individual care plan.
The number of authorized service hours is determined by the Missouri DHSS/DSDS assessment process and is based on your individual care needs. Golden Care Alliance does not determine the number of authorized hours. Hours are documented in your state-approved Person-Centered Care Plan. We cannot guarantee a specific number of hours in advance.
The timeline varies and depends on the state assessment process, eligibility determination, care plan approval, and the completion of all required onboarding steps. Golden Care Alliance cannot guarantee a specific approval date or service start date. We work to help move the process forward as efficiently as possible and keep you informed along the way.
Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) is a federally required system for documenting personal care service visits. Attendants must use EVV to record the date, time, location, and type of service provided at each visit. Golden Care Alliance provides EVV setup, training, and ongoing support for both participants and attendants to ensure compliance with program requirements.
Yes. Eligible CDS participants may choose a different enrolled provider at any time. Golden Care Alliance can explain the transfer process, help coordinate required documents, assist with attendant onboarding, and work to reduce interruptions in your services. Transfer timing depends on state processing and the completion of all required steps.
For eligible Medicaid participants, Consumer Directed Services are funded through Missouri Medicaid. There is generally no out-of-pocket cost to the participant for authorized services. For specific questions about costs, cost sharing, or Medicaid coverage requirements, please contact our office.
Changes to your Medicaid eligibility may affect your CDS services. You are required to report changes that may affect your coverage or care plan. Golden Care Alliance can help you understand what to report and how changes may affect your services. Contact our office promptly if you experience any change in your Medicaid coverage.
If your care needs change, you should report those changes to Golden Care Alliance and to Missouri DHSS/DSDS. A significant change in your needs may result in a reassessment and an adjustment to your authorized care plan and approved service hours. Golden Care Alliance can help guide you through the reassessment process and answer questions about your responsibilities.
Whether you're exploring eligibility, ready to enroll, interested in becoming an attendant, or looking to transfer your services — our team is ready to assist you.
1451 Mullanphy Street, Suite 112
St. Louis, Missouri 63106
goldencarealliance.com
[Hours to be confirmed — please call or email]
⚠️ Emergency Notice: Golden Care Alliance does not provide emergency services. If you are experiencing a medical or safety emergency, call 911 immediately.