UnitedHealth Group logo
UnitedHealth Group
West Orange, New Jersey

Senior Living Speech Therapist Per Diem

Speech-Language PathologistPer Diem

Listed compensation

$43.6-$65.4/hr

The week · per this posting

Schedule not stated in this posting — no days, weekends, call or nights given.

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 51m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Explore opportunities with LHC Group, a leading post-acute care partner for hospitals, physicians and families nationwide. As members of the Optum family of businesses, we are dedicated to helping people feel their best, including our team members who create meaningful connections with patients, their families, each other and the communities we serve. Find a home for your career here. Join us and embrace a culture of Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

As the Speech Therapist in Home Health is responsible for the assessment and evaluation of patient care needs related to treating speech and language disorders, and functional training in communication, swallowing, and cognitive impairments. Based on this assessment and evaluation, the Speech Therapist works to help determine a treatment plan, performs interventions aimed at improving and enhancing the patient's well-being, and evaluates the patient's progress.

Primary Responsibilities

Provides services within the scope of practice as defined by the state laws governing the practice of speech therapy, in accordance with the plan of care, and in coordination with other members of the health care team

Evaluates the patient's level of function by applying diagnostic and prognostic functional ability tests. Assists the physician in the development of the therapy plan of care

Treats patients to communicate effectively by expressing thoughts according to the patient's condition using acceptable standards of practice

Observes, records, and reports to the supervising nurse and/or physician the patient's response to treatment and changes in the patient's condition

Instructs the patient, the family and/or caregiver and other members of the health care team in areas of speech therapy in which they can participate

You’ll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications

Licensed in Speech Therapy in the state of residence

Current CPR Certification

Current driver's license, vehicle insurance, access to a dependable vehicle or public transportation

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements).

No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The hourly pay for this role will range from $43.60 to $65.40 per hour based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone–of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income–deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life.

Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes.

We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes — an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

Key Responsibilities

The Speech Therapist is responsible for assessing patient needs, developing treatment plans, and providing interventions for speech, language, swallowing, and cognitive disorders. They also coordinate care with the healthcare team and instruct patients and caregivers on therapy participation.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a valid Speech Therapy license in the state of residence and possess current CPR certification. A valid driver's license and access to reliable transportation are also required for home health visits.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Patient assessmentTreatment planningCommunication trainingSwallowing therapyCognitive impairment treatmentFunctional ability testingPatient care coordinationDocumentationCaregiver instruction

Speech-Language Pathologist Career Context

UnitedHealth Group holds silver-tier status on WeekdayDoc's Top Employers work-life index, composite score 75/100, 1,402 active listings.

In New Jersey, the Speech-Language Pathology weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$104k (34 salary observations; 64 listings), vs ~$99k nationally (1,053 salary observations; 3,888 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 40 active Speech-Language Pathology listings this role was benchmarked against, 10% are remote, 33% have no call, 55% require no weekends.

Speech-Language Pathology pay on WeekdayDoc is up 5.4% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for New Jersey is 108.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$113k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $104k in an average-cost state. 63.8% of New Jersey clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top contract/1099 Speech Language Pathologist Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution27 jobs · 26 employers

8
<$125k
3
$125k-140k
10
$140k-155k
6
$155k-170k

Annual compensation range

Work-Life Balance Distribution40 jobs · 26 employers

0
1-2
0
3-4
2
5-6
37
7-8
1
9-10

Higher = better work-life balance

#1

Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) - Pediatric Home Health

Pivot Home Health · Brighton, Colorado

$166k – $193k
#2

Acute Care Speech Language Pathologist - CPMC Van Ness Campus

Sutter Health · San Francisco, California

$65.01-$91.01/hr
#3

Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) On-Call

$65-$70/hr
#4

Speech Language Pathologist

$60-$65/hr
+ 38 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 50% of Speech Language Pathology listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 6,871 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in West Orange

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$678k
Typical market rent
$2,938/mo
State income tax
Up to 10.8%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026).

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

UnitedHealth Group logo

About UnitedHealth Group

Hospitals and Health Care
Eden Prairie , Minnesota
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Comprehensive benefits package
Incentive and recognition programs
Equity stock purchase
401k contribution