§ 40.1-24.5-5. Absolute rights of residents. No resident admitted to any community residence shall be deprived of any constitutional, civil or legal right, solely by reason of admission. Among others, each resident shall be entitled to the following rights without limitation:

(1) To privacy and dignity;

(2) To civil service or merit rating or ranking and appointment;

(3) Those relating to the granting, forfeiture or denial of a license, 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's personal physician, attorney, clergyperson, and the mental health advocate;

(6) To vote and participate in political activity, including reasonable assistance when desired in registering and voting;

(7) To be employed at a gainful occupation insofar as the resident's condition permits. No resident shall be required to perform labor, which involves the essential operation and maintenance of the community residence or program or the regular supervision or care of other residents. Residents may be required to perform labor involving normal housekeeping and home maintenance functions as documented in their individualized service plan or as delineated in the community residents rules and regulations;

(8) To communicate by sealed mail or otherwise with persons of one's choosing;

(9) To participate in the development of individualized service plan;

(10) To have access to his or her individualized service plan and other medical, social, financial, vocational, psychiatric, or other information included in the resident's file maintained by the community residence;

(11) To not be the subject to experimental research without his 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 rights through the established grievance procedure as delineated in § 40.1-24.5-8; and

(14) To have access to the mental health advocate upon request and to have assistance when desired and necessary to implement this right.

History of Section. (P.L. 1982, ch. 363, § 1.)