In short
In Missouri, assisted living and residential care facilities are licensed and inspected by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), and the inspection and complaint results are public on the state's Show Me Long Term Care website. For help paying, MO HealthNet for the Aged, Blind and Disabled covers long-term care for people who qualify. Your best free first call is your regional Area Agency on Aging (Kansas City area: 816-421-4980). Call (800) 614-8388 for local options.
How senior care is licensed and checked in Missouri
Missouri splits its long-term care settings into skilled nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, residential care facilities and assisted living facilities. The DHSS Section for Long-Term Care Regulation licenses and inspects the state-licensed ones — about 332 assisted living facilities and 268 residential care facilities statewide — and contracts with the federal government to run Medicare and Medicaid certification surveys in nursing facilities. State law requires DHSS to inspect each long-term care facility twice in a fiscal year, and federal rules add a survey every nine to 15 months for certified facilities.
Inspection results are public. The state posts statements of deficiency and complaint findings on the Show Me Long Term Care website, and every facility must also make its most recent results available for residents and the public to review. Look a community up there, and ask for its last two inspection reports before you sign anything.
Paying for care in Missouri
MO HealthNet for the Aged, Blind and Disabled (MHABD) is Missouri's Medicaid path for older adults. To qualify for home and community based care, an applicant generally must be 65 or older (or 63 with a total disability determination), be determined by DHSS to need a nursing-facility level of care, be authorized for waiver services, and have income under the program's limit. Apply through the Missouri Family Support Division.
Missouri also has a Supplemental Nursing Care Program that helps residents of residential care and assisted living facilities: it provides a $50 monthly personal-needs allowance and a payment to the facility (about $156 per month for residential care and $292 per month for assisted living) for those who qualify. It does not cover the full cost of care. As always: we explain these programs but don't advise on shifting assets to qualify. For anything involving the house or savings, talk to your Area Agency on Aging and a licensed elder law attorney.
Free local help in Missouri
- Area Agency on Aging. Missouri is divided into regional Area Agencies on Aging. For the Kansas City area, that's the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), serving Cass, Clay, Jackson, Platte and Ray counties — call 816-421-4980 (toll-free 800-593-7948). Its services are free and confidential and match older adults to meals, transportation, in-home care, Medicare help and more.
- Veterans. The Missouri Veterans Commission has VA-accredited Veterans Service Officers in nearly every county who help file claims for free. Call 1-800-839-8387. See our veterans benefits page.
- Nationally. The Eldercare Locator, 1-800-677-1116, finds services anywhere and can locate the agency for a county we haven't named.
Looking for options in a specific Missouri town?
Tell us the city and what you need, and we'll line up communities and services nearby.
Missouri cities we cover
We're building out Missouri city pages as we verify the local facts for each one. If your parent lives in Kansas City, Lee's Summit, or anywhere else in the metro, call us — we can look for help near them now.
Questions about Missouri
Who licenses assisted living in Missouri?
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), through its Section for Long-Term Care Regulation, licenses assisted living facilities and residential care facilities. Nursing facilities are also certified for Medicare and Medicaid through DHSS.
Where can I see a Missouri facility's inspection results?
The state's Show Me Long Term Care website posts statements of deficiency and complaint findings. Facilities must also make their most recent results available on site. Read the last two inspection reports and any complaint findings.
Does MO HealthNet pay for assisted living?
MO HealthNet for the Aged, Blind and Disabled can help pay for care for people who qualify by income, assets and care needs. The Supplemental Nursing Care Program adds a small monthly allowance and a facility payment for eligible residents of residential care or assisted living. It does not cover the full cost. Apply through the Family Support Division.
Where do I start in the Kansas City area?
Call the Mid-America Regional Council Area Agency on Aging at 816-421-4980, or call us at (800) 614-8388. Either can help you figure out the first step, with no obligation.
Sources
- Missouri DHSS — Long-term care inspections (licensing, twice-yearly inspections, facility counts)
- Show Me Long Term Care (Missouri inspection and complaint results)
- Missouri DSS — Apply for MO HealthNet; MHABD eligibility manual
- Mid-America Regional Council — Aging and Adult Services; Missouri Veterans Commission