This week’s “Ftag of the Week” on the CMSCG Blog is part of the Administration regulatory group, F850 Qualifications of Social Worker >120 Beds. This regulation requires any nursing home that has more than 120 beds to have a full-time social worker on staff. The social worker must meet the following qualifications:
- Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in social work; OR
- Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a human-services related major, including sociology, gerontology, psychology, rehabilitation counseling or special education; AND
- One year in a healthcare setting where the individual is working as a supervised social worker who works directly with individuals
If a facility has a full-time social worker who does not provide on-site services full-time, then the facility is expected to ensure there is a plan in place to determine how social work services will be provided to meet the needs of the facility’s residents whenever they are needed. Facilities that are less than 120 beds are not required to have a social worker on-site.
With the Interpretive Guidance (IG) for the Phase 3 RoPs expected shortly, this week’s post also serves as a reminder to providers about the importance of having a qualified social worker on staff as required. The expanded IG should include guidance related to Phase 3 regulatory requirements such as F699 Trauma-Informed Care and F949 Behavioral Health Training, so it’s a good time to ensure your facility is sufficiently prepared to meet regulatory expectations going forward, and of course, to ensure your residents are having their psychosocial needs met.