If you fail to report suspected incidents of neglect, which statement is true?

• A. You Will Be Fine if You Did Not Mean to Cause Harm
• B. It Is OK, Neglect Is Not as Bad as Abusing a Recipient
• C. You Have Violated the Recipient's Rights
• D. A and B, but Not C

Answer: (C)

Not reporting suspected neglect violates the recipient’s rights because there is a duty to protect recipients from harm and to report concerns promptly. This obligation applies regardless of intent; failing to report can allow harm to continue and breaches the standard that keeps recipients safe. So the true statement is that you have violated the Recipient’s Rights.

Claiming you’ll be fine if you didn’t mean to cause harm ignores the protective duty and potential risk to the recipient, which is why that idea isn’t correct. Saying neglect isn’t as bad as abuse downplays serious harm and the responsibility to report, so that isn’t accurate either. The idea that both of those could be true is not correct because both premises are inconsistent with the obligation to report and protect recipients.