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Participants spend their excess income on medical bills and care needs. Individuals who have income over the limit may still qualify via a spenddown, which works similarly to a deductible program. Some assets are considered exempt (non-countable) and include one’s home (given the applicant or their spouse lives in the home and the equity value is not greater than $595,000), household items, personal goods, and a motor vehicle. Married couples are allowed up to $8,000 in assets. (These figures are equivalent to 85% of the Federal Poverty Level.) Further, there is a $4,000 asset limit for individual seniors who want to enroll in MO HealthNet. Married couples are allowed a slightly higher monthly income of $1,198. The income limit for a single or widowed senior from April 2019 through March 2020 is $885 per month. MO HealthNet eligibility is dependent on the age, income, and sometimes the countable assets, of the candidate. Also, they must currently be enrolled in MO HealthNet. And they must require the level of care that is provided in a nursing home. They must be physically disabled, and unable to perform daily routine activities, such as bathing oneself, dressing, and preparing meals. To be eligible for this program, applicants must be Missouri residents who are 18 years of age or older, and are able and willing to direct their own care. This personal care program is administered by the Division of Senior and Disability Services, a department of DHSS. (Those with Alzheimer’s and other similar dementias are, unfortunately, not eligible for this program.) Assistance is provided with both Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). While this program is not limited to the elderly, it does assist seniors who are unable to perform routine daily activities, due to illness, such as cancer and kidney failure. This program is intended to help prevent the need for nursing home placement by providing at-home assistance for those who are physically disabled, and would require institutionalization, if not for this state program. An exception is spouses and legal guardians. Family members, who register as CDS providers with the Missouri Medicaid Audit and Compliance Unit within the Department of Social Services, can be hired to provide care. With Consumer Directed Services (CDS), also referred to as self-directed care, eligible applicants can hire, train, and supervise, the individual(s) they choose to provide their personal care. Missouri’s state Medicaid program, referred to as MO HealthNet, offers a consumer-directed personal care program. Page Reviewed / Updated – SeptemProgram Description