Help from the Department of Health & Senior Services for independent living, finding an advocate, nursing homes and long-term care, and more. Browse Senior and Disability Services.
Depression and its debilitating consequences can strike anyone. However, for older adults, depression can be an especially difficult problem. A range of biological, psychological and social changes may occur in older adults that place them increasingly at risk for late onset depression. Learn about elderly depression here.
Keep your children healthy with information about vaccines, baby and pre-natal care and nutrition programs like Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
Learn how an active lifestyle, proper nutrition and scheduled appointments can help prevent disease and disability.
Find a hospital or clinic near you and learn about health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid.
Resources to assist those with disabilities, addictions and mental illnesses.
Information about independent living, finding an advocate, nursing homes, long-term care and more.
Resources for disease control, food and product recalls, environmental health concerns and emergency response.
Seniors who think they have been defrauded should call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222 or fill out a consumer complaint form. Seniors can also email the Attorney General’s office.
The Missouri Human Rights Act makes it illegal to discriminate in any aspect of employment because of an individual’s race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability or age (40 through 69).
Use these resources to help you estimate your retirement benefits, learn about factors that could affect your retirement, and more.
Everything you need to know about social security benefits.
Get a driver’s license, register for new license plates, register your car and check road conditions in your area.
Federal taxes, state taxes, personal property taxes and business taxes.
Advice for saving for college, saving for retirement and buying insurance.
Make and receive child support payments and learn about adoption and foster care programs.
Get an ID such as a Missouri driver’s license or a passport, change your mailing address and learn how to get a copy of birth or death certificate.
Review the requirements to get married and divorced in Missouri.
Nursing homes, elderly care, retirement and social security.
Get help finding and financing a home, get assistance for home repairs and set up utilities.
Protect yourself from fraud and file a complaint against a bank or licensed professional.
It is important to know the backgrounds of those who care for your loved ones.
Missouri’s Family Care Safety Registry was established by law to protect children, the elderly, and the physically or mentally disabled in Missouri and to promote family and community safety by providing background information on potential caregivers.
Child Care Aware of Missouri serves as a community resource on child care throughout the state. We help families find quality child care, preschool and after-school programs for their children. We work with child care program owners, directors and teachers to improve the quality of their programs. We provide business and civic leaders with information on the value and importance of child care and collaborate with them to make child care safe and enriching for children.
The Show-Me Child Care Provider Search allows you to search state-inspected child care centers, group child care homes and in-home child care centers. Report a concern against a child care facility »»
Use Show-Me Long Term Care to find out how any licensed Missouri long-term care facility did on its last inspection.
Get information and notifications about child product and toy recalls »
If you suspect someone is being abused, neglected or exploited, call the hotline at (800) 392-0210.
The Department of Social Services partners with families and communities to protect children, rehabilitate youth and move families to self sufficiency so that Missourians can lead safe, healthy and productive lives. Administrative responsibility for agency activities rests with a department director appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the state Senate.
Agency programs are managed through its functional divisions as described below. The department maintains field offices in each Missouri county and in the City of St. Louis.
The Children’s Division (CD) works in partnership with families, communities, the courts and other governmental entities toward assuring the safety, permanency, and well-being of Missouri’s children. The Division’s guiding principles are Protection, Partnership, Permanency, Practice Excellence, Prevention and Professionalism. The division works with all parties to safely maintain children in their homes whenever possible and to secure safe, permanent living arrangements when out-of-home placement is necessary. The Children’s Division administers the Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline, School Violence Hotline, Intensive In-Home Services, Family Centered Services, Adoption Services, Independent Living, Foster Care, Residential Licensing and preventive services including Early Head Start, Stay-at-Home Parent Program, Child Care Start-Up and Expansion Program, Child Care Subsidy, and other early childhood and early intervention strategies. The division is responsible for the assessment and investigation of all reports to the Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline.
The Family Support Division (FSD) exists to provide a continuum of support for families. FSD’s goal is to assist families in maintaining or improving their quality of life. FSD accomplishes this goal for the children and families of Missouri by providing the best possible services to the public.
FSD services include: Income Maintenance programs, including the Food Stamp, Temporary Assistance and Medicaid programs; Rehabilitation Services for the Blind; and the Child Support program. Other programs include: Community Services Block Grant Programs; Low Income Home Energy Assistance; Refugee Resettlement; and Supplemental Nursing Care.
The Division of Youth Services’ (DYS) mission is to protect communities from juvenile offenders in the division’s care and custody and to provide appropriate services to youth and their families. This balanced approach to juvenile justice relies on community partnerships for the development and enhancement of services for the prevention of delinquency. DYS programs are established to provide the mandated services enumerated in Chapter 219.016 in the Revised Statutes of the state of Missouri. These services include assessment, care and treatment, and education of all youth committed to its care. DYS is charged with the care and treatment of youth committed to its custody by one of the 45 Missouri juvenile courts. Towards this end, DYS operates treatment programs ranging from non-residential day treatment centers through secure residential institutions. Additionally, DYS administers the Interstate Compact on Juveniles, operates an accredited school program, and maintains a statewide statistical database of juvenile court referrals. DYS is administratively organized into one central office and five regional offices.
The MO HealthNet Division (MHD) administers the MO HealthNet (Missouri Medicaid) program. MO HealthNet provides medical services to eligible participants within defined program benefits in somewhat the same way insurance companies provide coverage for their policyholders. The services provided include those required by the federal government such as hospital and physician services. Also included are optional services such as pharmaceutical and personal care services authorized by the Missouri General Assembly and identified in state statute. A mandatory Medicaid managed care program is in place for eligible participants in the eastern, central, and western areas of the state. Children, pregnant women, TANF families, and children in state custody receive their medical care through managed care organizations, allowing the state to ensure access to health care and control costs at the same time.
The MO HealthNet Pharmacy Program oversees outpatient prescription drug reimbursement. The pharmacy benefit includes reimbursement for all drug products of manufacturers who have entered into a rebate agree with the Federal Department of Health and Human Services and that are dispensed by qualified providers, with few therapeutic category exclusions. In addition, MHD is responsible for program development, benefit design and clinical policy decision-making with activities oriented towards wellness and continuum of care. The MO HealthNet program includes specialized services for specific populations within the state by receiving waiver authority from the federal government. Home and community-based waivers for the elderly, certain developmentally disabled participants, as well as patients with AIDS were obtained and allow the MO HealthNet program to pay for otherwise non-covered home care as an alternative to more expensive institutional care. These services are restricted to those participants who would otherwise require, and whose home care is no more expensive than, institutionalization.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is the administrative arm of the State Board of Education. It is primarily a service agency that works with educators, legislators, government agencies, community leaders and citizens to maintain a strong public education system. Through its statewide school-improvement activities and regulatory functions, the Department strives to assure that all citizens have access to high-quality public education. DESE does not regulate, monitor or accredit private, parochial or home schools.
The Department’s responsibilities range from early childhood to adult education services. The Department employs about 1,700 people throughout the state and has a total budget of about $5.4 billion. About 96 percent of the budget consists of state and federal funds that are distributed to local school districts and other agencies.
The Commissioner of Education directs the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and fulfills other duties as prescribed by law (Section 161.122, RSMo). The law states that the Commissioner shall “seek in every way to elevate the standards and efficiency of the instruction given in the public schools of the state.”
In addition to the Commissioner of Education, the department organization reflects functions under two divisions, Financial and Administrative Services and Learning Services.
This division is responsible for distributing all federal and state funds to local school districts and other agencies that provide education-related services. The division assists local school officials with budgeting, audits, and the reporting of financial statistics, both state and federal. The division also provides assistance with school administrative and governance issues. Other personnel in this division administer the federally-funded school lunch and breakfast programs. This division also manages the department’s internal business operations, such as accounting and procurement, budget, and human resources.
This division is responsible for all of the department’s activities related to educational success of students, educators, and schools. The division includes offices which manage quality schools, college- and career-readiness, special education, educator quality, early and extended learning, adult learning and rehabilitative services, and the data system management.
The Office of Adult Learning and Rehabilitation Services administers statewide veterans education services.
Vocational Rehabilitation Services provides specialized services to adult citizens with disabilities to help them achieve employment and independence. Offices are maintained across the state to provide convenient services to clients. Rehabilitation Services personnel provide individualized counseling, training and other services to help clients achieve gainful employment or independent living. Rehabilitation Services is supported primarily with federal funds. The office currently funds Independent Living Centers across the state. These centers provide counseling, advocacy, personal care, and training in independent living skills for adults with disabilities. The Disability Determinations program is part of this office and operates under regulations of the Social Security Administration. Located in offices across the state, Disability Determinations personnel adjudicate claims from Missouri residents seeking federal disability benefits.
The Office of Childhood is responsible for overseeing the department’s efforts to expand and improve high-quality early learning opportunities for children birth to age five, as well as, providing afterschool programs for school-age children. Programs administered through this office include early intervention, early childhood special education, home visiting, child care subsidy, and afterschool.
The office is responsible for policies and procedures related to quality incentives, such as the early learning standards and the quality assurance report pilot that supports educators in using best practices for young children and families. The office also provides various professional development opportunities to promote safe and quality early care and education environments through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program.
The office is responsible for conducting state inspections and investigating complaints at licensed family child care homes, group child care homes, and child care centers. Staff in the office also conduct health and safety inspections at licensed-exempt child care facilities (e.g., religious based programs, nursing schools).
An important initiative for this office is the Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five, a three-year grant aimed at coordinating a more effective, high-quality early learning system that better prepares Missouri children for success. The department is the lead agency for the grant and works closely with other state agencies and organizations, including Children’s Trust Fund, the Department of Health and Senior Services, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Mental Health, and the Missouri Head Start State Collaboration Office.
The Office of College and Career Readiness provides technical assistance to local school personnel in the adoption and adaptation of the state’s performance standards, and curriculum development/adoption of all content areas — math, science, social studies, English/communication arts, health/physical education, fine arts; as well as the career and technical content areas of agriculture, food and natural resources; business, marketing and information technology; family consumer sciences and human services; and technology, health and skilled technical sciences; and school counseling. This office also assists schools and career centers with the administration of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and Missouri career and technical student organizations. In addition, this office is responsible for the development and oversight of the Missouri Assessment Program, consisting of the annual, grade-level assessments for grades 3 – 8 and the end-of-course high school assessments, as well as the administration of NAEP (National Assessment on Educational Progress). The office hosts the statewide adult education services as well, including adult education and literacy and the high school equivalency-testing program.
The Office of Data System Management collects, analyzes and reports education-related data through the department’s Web Applications system. Those collection and reporting systems include the Missouri Comprehensive Data System (MCDS), Missouri Student Information System (MOSIS), Core Data, User Manager and EdFacts federal reporting. The MCDS Portal maintains a P-20 longitudinal data system utilized for tracking and research of student progress and achievement, postsecondary and workforce preparation, adult learning and GED/HiSET completers, etc. In addition, the office collects and generates data to meet federal reporting requirements and compliance, as well as provide data utilized in research and analysis that impacts policy decision-making.
The Office of Educator Quality is responsible for evaluating educator preparation programs offered by Missouri’s higher education institutions. The Office of Educator Quality also issues certificates (licenses) to all professional personnel who work in the state’s public school systems, as well as assisting with the review of certificate-holders who are charged with misconduct. This office is responsible for development of innovative professional development programs for educators (teachers and administrators) at the state level. It also assists in the development of teacher, principal and administrator standards, as well as development of evaluation models for school personnel.
A primary function of the Office of Quality Schools is to manage the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP), the state’s accreditation system for public school districts. This office also administers a wide range of state- and federally-funded programs that assist local schools (Title I, Title III and other federal programs), charter and other innovative schools, as well as developing a statewide system of support for schools, communities and families. Schools also are provided assistance on federal and state-developed improvement initiatives which are coordinated with other state and regional services.
The Office of Special Education administers state and federal funds to support services for students and adults with disabilities. The office works with local school districts in developing and improving special education services for students (ages 3-21) with disabilities. It also provides financial and technical support for all approved sheltered workshops in the state. Sheltered workshops provide employment for adults with disabilities. This office also oversees the operation of three school systems administered by the State Board of Education. These are the Missouri School for the Blind, the Missouri School for the Deaf and the Missouri Schools for Severely Disabled. Through their outreach programs and consulting services, these school systems assist local school personnel and families throughout the state in meeting the needs of children with disabilities.
