PCHA TEST PAPER QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS FULL REVIEW GUIDE
●● Q2: What is the minimum number of adult residents that triggers
personal care home licensure?
Answer: Four or more adults who are not relatives of the operator.
●● Q3: Under Chapter 2600, what does "maximum capacity" mean?
Answer: The total number of residents who require personal care
services that the home is permitted to serve, distinct from the total
number of people who may reside in the building.
●● Q4: What term describes a resident who needs help with activities of
daily living but does not need the level of care provided by a nursing
facility?
Answer: A personal care resident.
●● Q5: What state agency licenses and oversees personal care homes in
Pennsylvania?
Answer: The Department of Human Services (DHS).
●● Q6: What Pennsylvania Code chapter governs personal care homes?
Answer: 55 Pa. Code Chapter 2600.
,●● Q7: What chapter governs the licensure procedures that also apply to
personal care homes?
Answer: 55 Pa. Code Chapter 20.
●● Q8: Can a personal care home serve a resident who requires skilled
nursing care on a long-term basis?
Answer: No. Residents who require the services of a licensed long-term
care facility must be referred to an appropriate facility.
●● Q9: What is a "direct care staff person"?
Answer: A staff person who provides hands-on personal care or
supervision to residents.
●● Q10: What does "personal assistance" include in the context of a
personal care home?
Answer: Assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing,
dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, and ambulation.
●● Q11: Are relatives of the operator counted toward the four-resident
threshold for licensure?
Answer: No. Only adults who are not relatives of the operator count
toward the threshold.
,●● Q12: What is a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) and
can its independent living units be considered a personal care home?
Answer: A CCRC is a campus providing multiple levels of care. An
independent living unit on a CCRC campus is not a personal care home
if the owner of the unit has no ownership, control, or affiliation with the
personal care services provider.
●● Q13: What is the term for a formal written request to deviate from a
specific Chapter 2600 requirement?
Answer: A waiver.
●● Q14: Which elements of Chapter 2600 may never be waived?
Answer: The scope, definitions, applicability, or residents' rights
provisions.
●● Q15: What advance notice must a home give affected residents
before submitting a waiver request to the Department?
Answer: At least 30 days before submitting the completed written
waiver request.
●● Q16: What must a waiver request demonstrate to be granted?
Answer: That the waiver is not contrary to residents' health, safety, or
well-being; that an equivalent level of protection exists; and that
residents will benefit from the waiver.
, ●● Q17: What is a "support plan" in a personal care home?
Answer: A written, individualized plan documenting each resident's
needs, goals, and the services the home will provide to meet those needs.
●● Q18: What does "ADL" stand for?
Answer: Activities of daily living.
●● Q19: Under Chapter 2600, what is the role of the administrator?
Answer: The person responsible for the day-to-day operation and
management of the personal care home and for ensuring compliance
with all applicable regulations.
●● Q20: What is a "dementia care unit" under Chapter 2600?
Answer: A separately licensed or distinct unit within a personal care
home that serves residents with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders.
●● Q21: What does "protective oversight" mean in a personal care home
context?
Answer: Monitoring of the resident's well-being to ensure safety,
including awareness of the resident's whereabouts and response to
behavioral changes.
●● Q22: What is the term for a person who has legal authority to make
decisions on behalf of a resident?
SOLUTIONS FULL REVIEW GUIDE
●● Q2: What is the minimum number of adult residents that triggers
personal care home licensure?
Answer: Four or more adults who are not relatives of the operator.
●● Q3: Under Chapter 2600, what does "maximum capacity" mean?
Answer: The total number of residents who require personal care
services that the home is permitted to serve, distinct from the total
number of people who may reside in the building.
●● Q4: What term describes a resident who needs help with activities of
daily living but does not need the level of care provided by a nursing
facility?
Answer: A personal care resident.
●● Q5: What state agency licenses and oversees personal care homes in
Pennsylvania?
Answer: The Department of Human Services (DHS).
●● Q6: What Pennsylvania Code chapter governs personal care homes?
Answer: 55 Pa. Code Chapter 2600.
,●● Q7: What chapter governs the licensure procedures that also apply to
personal care homes?
Answer: 55 Pa. Code Chapter 20.
●● Q8: Can a personal care home serve a resident who requires skilled
nursing care on a long-term basis?
Answer: No. Residents who require the services of a licensed long-term
care facility must be referred to an appropriate facility.
●● Q9: What is a "direct care staff person"?
Answer: A staff person who provides hands-on personal care or
supervision to residents.
●● Q10: What does "personal assistance" include in the context of a
personal care home?
Answer: Assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing,
dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, and ambulation.
●● Q11: Are relatives of the operator counted toward the four-resident
threshold for licensure?
Answer: No. Only adults who are not relatives of the operator count
toward the threshold.
,●● Q12: What is a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) and
can its independent living units be considered a personal care home?
Answer: A CCRC is a campus providing multiple levels of care. An
independent living unit on a CCRC campus is not a personal care home
if the owner of the unit has no ownership, control, or affiliation with the
personal care services provider.
●● Q13: What is the term for a formal written request to deviate from a
specific Chapter 2600 requirement?
Answer: A waiver.
●● Q14: Which elements of Chapter 2600 may never be waived?
Answer: The scope, definitions, applicability, or residents' rights
provisions.
●● Q15: What advance notice must a home give affected residents
before submitting a waiver request to the Department?
Answer: At least 30 days before submitting the completed written
waiver request.
●● Q16: What must a waiver request demonstrate to be granted?
Answer: That the waiver is not contrary to residents' health, safety, or
well-being; that an equivalent level of protection exists; and that
residents will benefit from the waiver.
, ●● Q17: What is a "support plan" in a personal care home?
Answer: A written, individualized plan documenting each resident's
needs, goals, and the services the home will provide to meet those needs.
●● Q18: What does "ADL" stand for?
Answer: Activities of daily living.
●● Q19: Under Chapter 2600, what is the role of the administrator?
Answer: The person responsible for the day-to-day operation and
management of the personal care home and for ensuring compliance
with all applicable regulations.
●● Q20: What is a "dementia care unit" under Chapter 2600?
Answer: A separately licensed or distinct unit within a personal care
home that serves residents with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders.
●● Q21: What does "protective oversight" mean in a personal care home
context?
Answer: Monitoring of the resident's well-being to ensure safety,
including awareness of the resident's whereabouts and response to
behavioral changes.
●● Q22: What is the term for a person who has legal authority to make
decisions on behalf of a resident?
