§ 40.1-24.5-5 - Absolute rights of residents.
SECTION 40.1-24.5-5
§ 40.1-24.5-5 Absolute rights ofresidents. – No resident admitted to any community residence shall be deprived of anyconstitutional, civil or legal right, solely by reason of admission. Amongothers, each resident shall be entitled to the following rights withoutlimitation:
(1) To privacy and dignity;
(2) To civil service or merit rating or ranking andappointment;
(3) Those relating to the granting, forfeiture or denial of alicense, permit privilege, or benefit pursuant to any law;
(4) To attend or not attend religious services;
(5) To be visited privately at all reasonable times by one'spersonal physician, attorney, clergyperson, and the mental health advocate;
(6) To vote and participate in political activity, includingreasonable assistance when desired in registering and voting;
(7) To be employed at a gainful occupation insofar as theresident's condition permits. No resident shall be required to perform labor,which involves the essential operation and maintenance of the communityresidence or program or the regular supervision or care of other residents.Residents may be required to perform labor involving normal housekeeping andhome maintenance functions as documented in their individualized service planor as delineated in the community residents rules and regulations;
(8) To communicate by sealed mail or otherwise with personsof one's choosing;
(9) To participate in the development of individualizedservice plan;
(10) To have access to his or her individualized service planand other medical, social, financial, vocational, psychiatric, or otherinformation included in the resident's file maintained by the communityresidence;
(11) To not be the subject to experimental research withouthis or her prior written and informed consent;
(12) To be free from verbal and physical abuse;
(13) To register an alleged violation of resident's rightsthrough the established grievance procedure as delineated in §40.1-24.5-8; and
(14) To have access to the mental health advocate uponrequest and to have assistance when desired and necessary to implement thisright.