Minnesota Statutes
Chapter 245D — Home And Community-based Services Standards
Section 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 support 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 and supports identified in the support plan and the support plan addendum provided in a manner that respects and takes into consideration the person's preferences according to the requirements in sections 245D.07 and 245D.071;
(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, including the license holder's knowledge, skill, and ability to meet the person's service and support needs;
(5) know conditions and terms governing the provision of services, including the license holder's admission criteria and policies and procedures related to temporary service suspension and service termination;
(6) a coordinated transfer to ensure continuity of care when there will be a change in the provider;
(7) know what the charges are for services, regardless of who will be paying for the services, and be notified of changes in those charges;
(8) 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
(9) 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 support plan or support plan addendum.
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, time out, seclusion, restrictive intervention, or other prohibited procedure identified in section 245D.06, subdivision 5, or successor provisions, except for: (i) emergency use of manual restraint to protect the person from imminent danger to self or others according to the requirements in section 245D.061 or successor provisions; or (ii) the use of safety interventions as part of a positive support transition plan under section 245D.06, subdivision 8, or successor provisions;
(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 website, email, 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 in the community;
(14) personal privacy, including the right to use the lock on the person's bedroom or unit door;
(15) engage in chosen activities; and
(16) access to the person's personal possessions at any time, including financial resources.
(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;
(3) have use of and free access to common areas in the residence and the freedom to come and go from the residence at will;
(4) choose the person's visitors and time of visits and have privacy for visits with the person's spouse, next of kin, legal counsel, religious adviser, or others, in accordance with section 363A.09 of the Human Rights Act, including privacy in the person's bedroom;
(5) have access to three nutritionally balanced meals and nutritious snacks between meals each day;
(6) have freedom and support to access food and potable water at any time;
(7) have the freedom to furnish and decorate the person's bedroom or living unit;
(8) a setting that is clean and free from accumulation of dirt, grease, garbage, peeling paint, mold, vermin, and insects;
(9) a setting that is free from hazards that threaten the person's health or safety; and
(10) a setting that meets the definition of a dwelling unit within a residential occupancy as defined in the State Fire Code.
(c) Restriction of a person's rights under paragraph (a), clauses (13) to (16), 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 person's support plan or support plan addendum. The restriction must be implemented in the least restrictive alternative manner necessary to protect the person and provide support to reduce or eliminate the need for the restriction in the most integrated setting and inclusive manner. The documentation 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 semiannually from the date of initial approval, at a minimum, or more frequently if requested by the person, the person's legal representative, if any, and case manager; 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.
2012 c 216 art 18 s 19; 2013 c 108 art 8 s 24; 2014 c 275 art 1 s 49; 2014 c 312 art 27 s 23; 2017 c 90 s 11; 1Sp2017 c 6 art 2 s 8; 1Sp2020 c 2 art 5 s 23; 2022 c 98 art 17 s 26