CPG Record Keeping 4

Question 1

Which type of receipt is most important to obtain and retain when purchasing items for a ward?

Accepted Answer

An itemized receipt showing date, vendor, amount, and items purchased

Answer

A handwritten note from the store clerk

Answer

A bank statement alone

Answer

A credit card bill without supporting receipts

Question 2

A guardian who also serves as the ward's representative payee for Social Security must maintain records that satisfy:

Accepted Answer

Both Social Security Administration representative payee rules and state court accounting standards

Answer

Only state guardianship court requirements

Answer

Only federal SSA requirements since Social Security is federal law

Answer

Neither, since representative payee duties are handled separately from guardianship

Question 3

If a ward's home is sold during guardianship, the guardian's records must include:

Accepted Answer

The court order authorizing the sale, the closing statement, and documentation of how proceeds were managed

Answer

Only the final sale price

Answer

A verbal report to the ward's family

Answer

Only records of fees paid to the real estate agent

Question 4

A guardian notices that the ward's bank sends monthly statements. The guardian should:

Accepted Answer

Retain all original or verified digital copies of statements as part of the permanent case record

Answer

Discard statements after scanning them

Answer

Review them and forward all originals to the court immediately

Answer

Keep only the December year-end statement for each year

Question 5

What does the term 'petty cash fund' mean in the context of guardian record keeping?

Accepted Answer

A small, pre-set amount of cash maintained for minor incidental ward expenses, with each expenditure individually documented

Answer

The ward's entire checking account balance

Answer

Funds set aside for court filing fees only

Answer

An informal account for guardian personal use

Question 6

A court visitor reviewing a guardian's records finds that meal receipts for the ward's care home visits are mixed with the guardian's personal restaurant receipts. This is evidence of:

Accepted Answer

Commingling and potential breach of fiduciary duty

Answer

Efficient record keeping

Answer

Acceptable bundled expense reporting

Answer

A minor clerical error with no legal significance

Question 7

Which is the most appropriate method for a guardian to document the ward's expressed preferences about daily care decisions?

Accepted Answer

Record the ward's statements in dated case notes, noting the ward's communication method and any limitations

Answer

Rely on memory and report preferences verbally at the next court hearing

Answer

Ask family members to remember and relay preferences to care staff

Answer

Only document preferences if the ward has full legal capacity