IHSS Compliance & Ethical Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An IHSS recipient asks their provider to pick up a prescription and keep the change from the money given. What should the provider do?
- Keep the change as a tip for the errand
- Return all change and get a receipt for the purchase (Correct answer)
- Use the change to buy the recipient a small gift
- Ask the recipient's family before deciding
Correct answer: Return all change and get a receipt for the purchase
Providers must return all change and obtain receipts when handling a recipient's money to maintain financial accountability.
Question 2: Which situation represents a conflict of interest for an IHSS provider?
- Providing care to a neighbor who is not a family member
- Being named as a beneficiary in a recipient's will (Correct answer)
- Working for two different IHSS recipients on the same day
- Requesting a shift change through proper channels
Correct answer: Being named as a beneficiary in a recipient's will
Being named in a recipient's will creates a direct financial conflict of interest and is prohibited.
Question 3: A provider notices that a recipient's adult child visits and yells at the recipient regularly. What is the provider's ethical obligation?
- Intervene verbally to stop the behavior during visits
- Ignore it as family matters are private
- Report the suspected abuse to Adult Protective Services (Correct answer)
- Ask the recipient if they want the child removed from the home
Correct answer: Report the suspected abuse to Adult Protective Services
Providers are mandated reporters and must report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation to Adult Protective Services.
Question 4: An IHSS provider completes their authorized hours but the recipient still needs help. What is the correct action?
- Continue working unpaid to help the recipient
- Stop work when authorized hours are exhausted and document the situation (Correct answer)
- Bill for extra hours without prior approval
- Ask a family member to pay for the extra time
Correct answer: Stop work when authorized hours are exhausted and document the situation
Providers must stop working when authorized hours are used and should document unmet needs for the recipient's social worker.
Question 5: What does 'self-determination' mean in the context of IHSS care?
- The provider decides what tasks are most important for the recipient
- The recipient has the right to direct their own care and make their own choices (Correct answer)
- The county determines all care decisions based on assessment
- The recipient's physician sets all care guidelines
Correct answer: The recipient has the right to direct their own care and make their own choices
Self-determination means the recipient is the employer and has the right to direct how, when, and what care is provided.
Question 6: An IHSS provider is offered a gift worth $50 by a grateful recipient. What is the appropriate response?
- Accept it since it shows the recipient's appreciation
- Decline politely, explaining that accepting gifts is not permitted (Correct answer)
- Accept only if the gift is under a county-set dollar threshold
- Accept and report it to the social worker afterward
Correct answer: Decline politely, explaining that accepting gifts is not permitted
IHSS providers should decline gifts to maintain professional boundaries and avoid ethical conflicts.
Question 7: A provider disagrees with a recipient's decision to refuse a recommended medical treatment. What should the provider do?
- Override the decision by contacting the recipient's doctor directly
- Respect the recipient's decision as long as they are mentally competent (Correct answer)
- Report the recipient to the county for refusing care
- Threaten to quit if the recipient does not follow medical advice
Correct answer: Respect the recipient's decision as long as they are mentally competent
Competent recipients have the right to refuse any treatment or service, and providers must respect that autonomy.
IHSS Compliance & Ethical Standards 2
An IHSS recipient asks their provider to pick up a prescription and keep the change from the money given.
What should the provider do?