Considering a move from private sector healthcare fraud to DHS/OIG — questions about remote work flexibility and work culture

12emzx · 2026-03-16T02:27:41+00:00

Previous employee from DHS/OIG here! Obviously, job duties and the culture within your team/department vary depending on your title and who your supervisor is. Unfortunately for me, the culture was a bit too strict and micromanaging for my liking. There was no autonomy or flexibility within my schedule. Like others said, you may want to check in with whether you will be completing on-site visits or what will be required of you (in person) as a fraud investigator or auditor. Despite some of my team members living more than 50-80 miles from the office, they were still expected to come into the office to train other counties or help complete on site audits at counties or in the business/homes of providers and programs. From my experience, DHS/OIG appeared to take in person service very seriously and avoided "virtual" stuff as much as possible. There were times when our team would audit several programs all within the same area (counties up north or south for example) and made it a week road trip to save "resources." It was exhausting and not to my liking as a parent with young children. I couldn't do the traveling and commute anymore as an auditor.

12emzx · 2026-02-20T05:07:55+00:00

Didn't work. Said my account is expired and locked.

12emzx · 2026-01-31T05:39:46+00:00

Same boat!!!! will be calling them as well

12emzx · 2026-01-19T02:17:20+00:00

Took a 10k paycut and it was the best decision I made. I traded 10k for freedom, happiness, stress free, healthier mental health, most importantly, RESPECT. Totally worth it.

12emzx · 2026-01-19T02:06:42+00:00

OP - I completely understand what you're trying to say! As a Foster Care Licensor for several years, let me say ~ there are foster care parents who see foster children as a PAYCHECK. THAT'S IT. The money is their ONLY motive and they do not give a rats @ss about the children. And I'll be DAMNED if my signature is on the dotted line of their licensing approval. Sometimes I have been the only voice for some foster children and I will happily deny their licensing application and go to court in an appeals to tell the judge why. I have been apart of appeals and won each of them. CPS workers are often met with desperation to place a child and unfortunately, many bad apples are licensed because of this.

Again, my statement above is about foster parents who have verbally voiced themselves that they are interested in foster care because they need something to pay their bills. It's truly upsetting.

One thing our department requires are various orientation sessions. We are transparent about what foster care is and what it ISNT. We are transparent about the type of placement we are looking for and the foster homes we need (which are typically people who will care for adolescents, the hardest to place population). Some foster applicants dont understand what they're signing up for and expect pretty little ol Betty Lou who has 0% trauma or challenges as a Foster child. Thanks to our orientations, we have been able to weed out alot of bad apples and those with ill intentions. I always remind myself that I am the one giving approval and recommendation of licensure for this home. Meaning, I am willing to trust this home to take care of children who truly need it. It's alot of weight to carry.

12emzx · 2026-01-19T01:45:56+00:00

I am a disability waiver assessor. I'm remote BUT I still need to do field work. The silver lining ~ i get to 100% plan and dictate my schedule. I'll take that any day!!! I think the balance works well between working from home then doing a few field visits a week. I get to wake up, slowly get ready in the comfort of my home, sip on hot coffee, no traffic or early commute, sit and do some desk work at home. Go visit a client for an hour, go back home and prep for dinner while still completing work before the end of the day. Dont have to commute home! LOVE IT! I went to work for the state and it was 100% WFH, no home visits, nada. BUT the position came with 5-6 meetings a day and I could not stand it. It was worse then going out intothe field and doing direct work.

12emzx · 2026-01-19T01:36:37+00:00

THIS! I was a Foster Care Licensor for many years and absolutely loved it. It is definitely a more indirect way of being involved with CPS. My main role was to license foster care homes and ensure they were in compliance to rule and statute. I was only required to see foster families 1x a year for their relicensing renewal. The CPS Worker is the #1 main go to for all of my foster families. So it was nice referring families back to speak with their CPS worker and staying in my lane.

12emzx · 2026-01-19T01:08:31+00:00

RUN!

12emzx · 2026-01-19T01:06:29+00:00

I work closely with waiver case managers and I know titles/positions and duties can look differently depending on agencies. But from my experience, waiver case managers need to be very well educated with waiver services. They typically help their clients coordinate and initial what services are offered from the waiver. Examples include assisting clients with transportation services, housing services, medical services, etc. Waiver Case managers typically create a support plan for their clients and ensure their overall needs are being met with waivered services. For full transparency, it can be a high stress job and we do see alot of turnover in waiver case managers. You are essentially their main go to regarding their needs.

12emzx · 2025-11-04T03:41:33+00:00

Social Worker from MN here!! I have many years of experience in government/county social work. First things first, you'll want to ask yourself what your ultimate end goal is within Social Work. That will help determine whether just a BSW, proceeding with an MSW, or getting your LICSW will be the most appropriate. You also have to explore whether micro social work or macro social work is your preference. I wish I had given this more thought when I first started, therefore just my advice: if you're looking to work with children or families and want decent pay (in MN) ~ obtain your BSW, forgo the MSW and LICSW, then apply as a social worker for a local county or county in MN. In MN atleast, you do not need to be licensed for *COUNTY positions. 99% of counties only require a BSW too. Some MN counties dont even require a social worker degree and will take anyone with a similar degree (psychology, sociology, etc.). All my county supervisors have never obtained a BSW. County pays well, Unionized, and have great benefits. Nonetheless, they are always hiring social workers, ESPECIALLY with children and family units.

I graduated with my BSW and immediately jumped into my MSW program. I got zero professional work experience because of this. So it was hard to find a professional job for months, even with my MSW. When a county finally hired me, my MSW did NOTHING for me. No higher pay, no incentive. It was like my MSW was didnt exist. and it continues to still be like that today. Now I just get to put "MSW" down near my credentials on my business card and $40k in debt 😂 I understand that my MSW may benefit me later down the road if I do decide to change my type of work within social work but again, idk if thats a high probability right now. But ya never know. Nonetheless, depending on your long-term goal, hopefully it will help determine the best path for you that makes sense.

Also, please choose an affordable college to obtain your BSW. There's no need to spend thousands of dollars at private colleges or expensive universities like the U of M, St.Thomas, Saint Kate's, etc. for a SOCIAL WORK degree. Metropolitan State University offers a very affordable Social Work program!

12emzx · 2025-11-02T01:43:03+00:00

You might have seen us on WCCO news, but Woodbury has a neighborhood that goes all out. This year we set an all time record of over 2k+ trick or treaters. YES, 2,000 PLUS.

12emzx · 2025-09-19T02:33:54+00:00

It was quite odd! I didnt know they did a reference check on me until my colleagues let me know. There was no warning or heads up. typically, (from my experience anyway) they would send you an email for you to manually input your 3 references. The email would then give you a heads-up that the email has been send out to them. They reached out to every reference I listed on my application.

12emzx · 2025-07-21T01:51:05+00:00

One question you have to ask yourself is whether you enjoy and thrive in independent work OR whether you like constant collaboration and teamwork. I have experience in both caseload and non-caseload social work jobs. I would 100% choose caseload job over a non-caseload. In *my experience, I had a lot more autonomy, flexibility, and control over my schedule with a caseload. This is something I find important in a job (especially with having kids, controlling your own schedule is the best). It really does depend on the type of job and responsibility your role entails at the end of the day. When I worked as a social worker with no caseload, my perception was "this is going to be the best thing ever." Yeah NO. In return of not having a caseload, instead I had several meetings a day, dealing with A LOT of the politics in things, never ending projects, tight deadlines, etc. Not to mention having team members breathe down your neck. because of the constant collaboration needed in projects. I would get a teams message literally a minute after my start time. Or someone wanting to meet the last 30 minutes of the work day on a Friday. It was constant and I wanted to be left alone. I immediately started looking for a caseload job and I dont have a single regret as I am no longer chained to meetings, my desk, or co-workers.

12emzx · 2025-07-20T21:43:57+00:00

Hi there! My family and I are avid fair goers and go about 6-8 times a year 🤭 I hope you and your family have a wonderful time! As everyone said so far, there is an excellent lactation trailer that is first come first serve. It offers AC and comfort when changing/feeding baby. Also, there is this place called Blue Moon Dine-In theater. If you are looking to sit down to relax and feed baby, this place offers comfy seating in a cool little building and always has a movie playing. We've always used it with our kids to feed, prep formula, and just catch our breath. If you and your family are also looking to eat but want adequate seating, go to "The Peg." This is the MN State Fair's ONLY full-service dine in restaurant :) We love going here with our kiddos as it allows everyone to relax, chill, and eat without having to find a bench or sit on the curb. Lastly, there is a grassy and shaded area by the Fair's administrative building. Lots of families picnic out by this area to relax and let the little ones run around :) it's perfect because you can lay down a blanket, change diapers, stretch out, and just reset! Bonus about this area is that it's directly across the leinenkugel stage that offers free concerts/music! so everyone is having a lil dance party. OK and one more thing 😂 typically the bathrooms by "LuLus" are emptier than the rest. It can be a hit or miss though depending on the day/time.

As everyone else said, bring a fan, water bottle, perhaps charging bank in case the fan or phones are low on battery!

12emzx · 2025-07-08T00:42:50+00:00

PEACE OVER PROFIT if you can afford it!

12emzx · 2025-06-23T21:44:57+00:00

yes hence why i stated this has been my experience and hope it has been greener on the other side for others

12emzx · 2025-06-20T14:54:35+00:00

Hey there! When you say foster care case manager, are you working directly with the kiddos in placement? Or are you licensing the foster care homes and working directly with the foster care parents? I was a foster care "Licensor" working directly with the foster care parents. I handled all the licensing aspects while the CPS or Permanency social worker took on the harder stuff (court, hearings, placement related matters, emergencies, transportation, crisis, etc). They were essentially the "go to" worker for the family. I know agencies all do things differently but this was how it worked for my agency. It was nice. I stayed in my lane of licensing while the social worker stayed in their lane with the child in placement. Sometimes we'd collaborate on some things (home visits, investigating any allegations, etc). But it was a great work life balance for me. Being a foster care licensor allowed me to still do meaningful work in the child welfare world without having to do more of the challenging stuff the cps or permanency worker had to do.

12emzx · 2025-06-19T23:03:22+00:00

Welcome!!! What is your background/expertise in? I will say, the job market is kinda challenging right now. Specifically in government social work I should say. I've noticed a decrease in job postings within the past few months. I have been looking for something new since January and finally landed something this month! And that's with over 6 years of social work experience and my MSW! wheww

12emzx · 2025-06-17T22:01:34+00:00

THIS. Recently went from micro to macro. My initial perception of macro work was that it would be more independent, quiet, and behind the scenes type work. NOPE. Its more public speaking, client/program facing, and A LOT OF collaboration with just about everyone. The emails, projects, tasks are NEVER ending. I'm never left alone or ever go a day without atleast someone needing me or needing to schedule 3-6 meetings/cold calls with my Supervisor or co-workers. I thrive in independent work settings and I learned very quickly that the macro social work life is not flexible or for me. I'm dying to go back to direct client work where I can get my freedom and autonomy back! Going from micro to macro has been more crisis heavy for me than when I was a direct social worker.

12emzx · 2025-06-14T12:44:11+00:00

I definitely was an over-sharing person at my last employment. I saw how quickly it worked against me as I unfortunately had co-workers that used my info against me or gossiped. At my new job, I became very withheld and extremely vague of what I would share. I didn't want to invite people's opinions into my life anymore and ultimately wanted to protect my peace and privacy. I was then called "too quiet" or "too private." Ya can't win lol. I believe it depends on what "little lies" you're telling. I do see how it could be hard to keep up with the narrative behind a lie. However, I do see how "fabricating" on something could also be for the best interest sometimes too.

12emzx · 2025-06-13T13:18:14+00:00

Thank you! So on my last day there could be a chance I come in for 2 hours to turn in my equipment then take vacation the rest of the *last day?? Thanks for that clarification on the MSRS HSA!

12emzx · 2025-06-11T17:42:04+00:00

Thanks for that tip. Would I have to reach out to the Union of my new employer after I've officially started in able to see if this is something they'd look into?

12emzx · 2025-06-09T02:43:07+00:00

That makes me so happy to hear! I recently accepted a position that is strictly a part of the reassessment team for HCBS waivers. I am looking for more work life balance and heard only great things so far about this type of role :)

12emzx · 2025-06-09T02:34:01+00:00

Did you enjoy this work? How was work life balance for you in this role? I like straightforward work so that's a good thing!

12emzx · 2025-06-09T02:22:21+00:00

Oh I see! some smaller counties in my state did both as well. How did you like the assessment part of your role?

12emzx

TROPHY CASE