1. (a) A facility shall provide social services to patients and their families that are directed at supporting and maximizing the patient's adjustment, social functioning, and rehabilitation.

2. (b) The social worker is responsible for:

   1. (1) conducting psychosocial evaluations, which include health-related quality of life surveys;
   2. (2) participating in the interdisciplinary team review of a patient's progress;
   3. (3) providing an ongoing assessment and recommend changes in treatment based on the patient's current psychosocial needs;
   4. (4) providing social work interventions including counseling, case work, and group work services to patients and their families experiencing special problems associated with end stage renal disease;
   5. (5) identifying community social agencies and other community resources, and assisting patients and families to use them;
   6. (6) participating in the facility's quality assessment and performance Improvement (QAPI) activities; and
   7. (7) assisting patients to achieve optimum levels of productive activity and making rehabilitation referrals as appropriate.
3. (c) The facility shall ensure the social worker initially contacts the patient and documents the initial contact no later than 30 calendar days or 13 treatments from the patient's admission, whichever occurs later. Qualified facility staff shall complete comprehensive psychosocial assessment no later than 30 calendar days or 13 treatments from the patient's admission to the facility, whichever occurs later.

4. (d) Qualified facility staff shall conduct a governing-body-approved psychosocial and quality of life reassessment as needed, but no later than 90 calendar days after the initial assessment and at least annually thereafter, and when there is:

   1. (1) a significant change to the patient's psychosocial needs;
   2. (2) extended or frequent hospitalizations;
   3. (3) any event that would interfere with the patient's ability to follow aspects of the plan of care;
   4. (4) a change in the patient's modality; or
   5. (5) at the patient's request.

5. (e) Each facility shall employ or contract with a social worker to meet the psychosocial needs of the patients.

   1. (1) The facility shall ensure one full-time equivalent of qualified social worker time is available for up to 125 patients per facility, which is the maximum case load for all modalities available in the facility. The caseload is cumulative across all modalities and facilities where the social worker is employed. The facility shall employ or contract a second social worker for a patient caseload over 125.
   2. (2) The governing body shall ensure the facility assigns personnel to assist social workers with ancillary tasks, such as assistance with financial services, transportation, and administrative and clerical duties, when the patient load, including all modalities, exceeds 100 patients per facility.
6. (f) The facility shall ensure social services are available at the facility during scheduled patient treatment times. A patient may need an appointment to access social services.

Source Note:The provisions of this §507.51 adopted to be effective December 23, 2025, 50 TexReg 8289.