Vermont § 6912 - Public education and disclosure of rights and duties; posting of notice

§ 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 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.)