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245D.04 SERVICE RECIPIENT RIGHTS.

Subdivision 1.License holder responsibility for individual rights of persons served by the program.

The license holder must:

(1) provide each person or each person's legal representative with a written notice that identifies the service recipient rights in subdivisions 2 and 3, and an explanation of those rights within five working days of service initiation and annually thereafter;

(2) make reasonable accommodations to provide this information in other formats or languages as needed to facilitate understanding of the rights by the person and the person's legal representative, if any;

(3) maintain documentation of the person's or the person's legal representative's receipt of a copy and an explanation of the rights; and

(4) ensure the exercise and protection of the person's rights in the services provided by the license holder and as authorized in the service plan.

Subd. 2.Service-related rights.

A person's service-related rights include the right to:

(1) participate in the development and evaluation of the services provided to the person;

(2) have services identified in the service plan provided in a manner that respects and takes into consideration the person's preferences;

(3) refuse or terminate services and be informed of the consequences of refusing or terminating services;

(4) know, in advance, limits to the services available from the license holder;

(5) know conditions and terms governing the provision of services, including the license holder's policies and procedures related to temporary service suspension and service termination;

(6) know what the charges are for services, regardless of who will be paying for the services, and be notified of changes in those charges;

(7) know, in advance, whether services are covered by insurance, government funding, or other sources, and be told of any charges the person or other private party may have to pay; and

(8) receive services from an individual who is competent and trained, who has professional certification or licensure, as required, and who meets additional qualifications identified in the person's service plan.

Subd. 3.Protection-related rights.

(a) A person's protection-related rights include the right to:

(1) have personal, financial, service, health, and medical information kept private, and be advised of disclosure of this information by the license holder;

(2) access records and recorded information about the person in accordance with applicable state and federal law, regulation, or rule;

(3) be free from maltreatment;

(4) be free from restraint or seclusion used for a purpose other than to protect the person from imminent danger to self or others;

(5) receive services in a clean and safe environment when the license holder is the owner, lessor, or tenant of the service site;

(6) be treated with courtesy and respect and receive respectful treatment of the person's property;

(7) reasonable observance of cultural and ethnic practice and religion;

(8) be free from bias and harassment regarding race, gender, age, disability, spirituality, and sexual orientation;

(9) be informed of and use the license holder's grievance policy and procedures, including knowing how to contact persons responsible for addressing problems and to appeal under section 256.045;

(10) know the name, telephone number, and the Web site, e-mail, and street addresses of protection and advocacy services, including the appropriate state-appointed ombudsman, and a brief description of how to file a complaint with these offices;

(11) assert these rights personally, or have them asserted by the person's family, authorized representative, or legal representative, without retaliation;

(12) give or withhold written informed consent to participate in any research or experimental treatment;

(13) associate with other persons of the person's choice;

(14) personal privacy; and

(15) engage in chosen activities.

(b) For a person residing in a residential site licensed according to chapter 245A, or where the license holder is the owner, lessor, or tenant of the residential service site, protection-related rights also include the right to:

(1) have daily, private access to and use of a non-coin-operated telephone for local calls and long-distance calls made collect or paid for by the person;

(2) receive and send, without interference, uncensored, unopened mail or electronic correspondence or communication; and

(3) privacy for visits with the person's spouse, next of kin, legal counsel, religious advisor, or others, in accordance with section 363A.09 of the Human Rights Act, including privacy in the person's bedroom.

(c) Restriction of a person's rights under paragraph (a), clauses (13) to (15), or paragraph (b) is allowed only if determined necessary to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of the person. Any restriction of those rights must be documented in the service plan for the person and must include the following information:

(1) the justification for the restriction based on an assessment of the person's vulnerability related to exercising the right without restriction;

(2) the objective measures set as conditions for ending the restriction;

(3) a schedule for reviewing the need for the restriction based on the conditions for ending the restriction to occur, at a minimum, every three months for persons who do not have a legal representative and annually for persons who do have a legal representative from the date of initial approval; and

(4) signed and dated approval for the restriction from the person, or the person's legal representative, if any. A restriction may be implemented only when the required approval has been obtained. Approval may be withdrawn at any time. If approval is withdrawn, the right must be immediately and fully restored.

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes