Vermont Statutes Title 33 Sec. 6912
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 33 Sec. 6912
- Abuse: means :
- Adult: means any individual who is 18 years of age or older. See
- Care: means subsistence, medical services, personal care services, mental health services, or rehabilitative services and includes assistance with activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living. See
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Department: means the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living. See
- Exploitation: means :
- following: when used by way of reference to a section of the law shall mean the next preceding or following section. See
- Neglect: means purposeful, knowing, or reckless failure or omission by a caregiver that has resulted in, or could be expected to result in, physical or psychological harm, including a failure or omission to:
- Person: shall include any natural person, corporation, municipality, the State of Vermont or any department, agency, or subdivision of the State, and any partnership, unincorporated association, or other legal entity. See
- Report: means the statements provided to Adult Protective Services from a reporter alleging that a vulnerable adult has been abused, neglected, or exploited. See
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
§ 6912. Public education and disclosure of rights and duties; posting of notice
(a) The Department, within available appropriations, shall conduct a publicity and education program to encourage the fullest degree of reporting of suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults.
(b) All agencies, facilities, or institutions providing care and services to adults who are elders, have a disability, or are vulnerable shall inform their employees of their right and duty to report suspected incidents of abuse, neglect, or exploitation and the protections afforded them by this chapter, and shall establish appropriate policies and procedures to facilitate such reporting.
(c)(1) All agencies, facilities, or institutions providing care and services to vulnerable adults shall post in a prominent and accessible location a poster describing the protections afforded to vulnerable adults by this chapter and by 13 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 28. The poster shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(A) a statement that abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults is unlawful;
(B) a statement that it is unlawful to retaliate against a person for filing a complaint of abuse, neglect, or exploitation or for cooperating in an investigation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation;
(C) a description and examples of abuse, neglect, and exploitation;
(D) a statement of the range of consequences for persons who commit abuse, neglect, or exploitation;
(E) if the agency, facility, or institution has more than five employees, a description of the process for filing internal complaints about abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the person or persons to whom complaints should be made; and
(F) the complaint process of the appropriate State and federal agencies and directions as to how to contact such agencies.
(2) Except as provided in subdivision (3) of this subsection, the poster required by this subsection shall be posted in a location where it would ordinarily be viewed by vulnerable adults.
(3) An agency, facility, or institution that provides home-based services shall:
(A) display the poster required by this subsection in its principal place of business; and
(B) provide a written notice that includes all information contained on the poster to each vulnerable adult for whom services are provided. (Added 1985, No. 78, § 12; amended 2001, No. 135 (Adj. Sess.), § 17, eff. June 13, 2002; 2005, No. 79, § 7; 2013, No. 96 (Adj. Sess.), § 217; 2021, No. 20, § 346.)