§ 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 V.S.A. 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 which 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 which 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.)