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Know Your Rights

HIV Laws & Protections

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If you're living with HIV, knowing your rights is very important to make sure you don't get treated unfairly because of your diagnosis.

What is HIV

Discrimination?

HIV discrimination is when you are treated unfairly because you are living with (or are suspected to have) HIV. If you believe you are experiencing HIV discrimination:

When does the law protect you from HIV discrimination?

It is illegal to fire, harass, or deny you a job because of their HIV status. People living with HIV are protected under federal and Philadelphia laws.

If you believe you were discriminated against at work because of your HIV status, here’s what you can do:

  • Federal law: File a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) within 180 days. File a complaint
  • Philadelphia law: Contact the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) at (215) 686-4670.
  • State employees in Pennsylvania: Reach out to your agency’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) officer.

It is illegal to deny you housing because you have HIV. Federal and Philadelphia laws protect people living with HIV from housing discrimination.

If you’ve been treated unfairly, here’s what you can do:

  • Federal law: File a complaint under the Fair Housing Act at 1-800-669-9777.
  • Pennsylvania law: Report violations under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act at (717) 787-0822.
  • Philadelphia law: Contact the Philadelphia Fair Housing Commission at (215) 686-4670 or email fairhousingcomm@phila.gov.

It is illegal for businesses and services open to the public to deny service or treat you unfairly
because of your HIV status.

If you’ve experienced discrimination in a public space, here’s what you can do:

  • Federal law: Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects you.
  • Pennsylvania law: File a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission at (717) 787-4410
    or PHRC@pa.gov.
  • Philadelphia law: Call (215) 686-4670 or email pchr@phila.gov to report discrimination.

It is illegal for healthcare and social service providers to share your HIV status without your written permission.

If you believe your HIV status has been shared without your permission:

  • Federal law: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 is a law that protects everybody.
    HIV-specific privacy rules prevent healthcare and social service providers from sharing your information without
    your written consent, unless required by law, like if a court orders it or in a medical emergency where treatment
    is needed.
  • Pennsylvania law: Report violations to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission at (717) 787-4410 or PHRC@pa.gov.
  • Philadelphia law: Contact the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at (215) 686-4670 or email pchr@phila.gov.
Learn more about HIV confidentiality here
Criminalization icon

What criminalization laws should you be aware of

for your safety?

People with HIV can face prosecution or enhanced sentencing in criminal cases because of their HIV status. This can happen even if HIV transmission did not occur or wasn’t possible.

HIV criminalization is a serious issue that increases stigma around HIV. It discourages people from getting tested, harms those living with HIV, and does not prevent the transmission of the virus.

If you believe you are experiencing HIV discrimination or are being subjected to HIV criminalization:

Get Help:

Contact the AIDS Law Project for assistance

Website:

www.aidslawpa.org

Email:

intake@aidslawpa.org or intake@lawprojectpa.org

Phone Number:

(215) 587-9377

Learn more about HIV criminalization here

Want to Learn More about HIV?

Check out these other pages:

Newly Diagnosed

Learning you’re HIV positive can be scary but you’re not alone. We can walk you through what to do next. Learn more

Paying for HIV Care

Get HIV care and support regardless of your ability to pay. Learn more

Stigma

Learn about HIV stigma and how to challenge it. Learn more

Treatment

With treatment you can reduce the amount of HIV in your blood to levels so low it can’t even be detected. Learn more

Getting into Care

Know what to expect when you start care. Learn more

HIV Resource Finder Tool

HIV Resource Finder

HIV Resource Finder Tool

For additional HIV care and support services, including food delivery, legal assistance, mental health support, housing, and more, try our resource tool.

Find HIV Care Resources

Close

Events

Consejos de usar el buscador de recursos:

  • Buscador: Teclea una palabra o frase en la casilla de búsqueda. Si teclee más que una palabra, se buscará cada palabra individualmente. Por ejemplo: Buscar “alimentos” o “banco.” Frases incluidos en comillas mostrarán resultos para la frase. Ej. Busca “banco de alimentos.”
  • Filtro: Si la búsqueda produce demasiados resultados, aplica un filtro. Ejemplo: busca “banco de alimentos” Y selecciona “condado de Filadelfia.”
  • Orden de los resultados de búsqueda: resultados estan ordenado por relevancia.
  • Empezar de nuevo: selecciona “Reiniciar” para reiniciar la búsqueda y filtros.

Definiciones de términos

  • Administración de casos médicos, incluidos los servicios de adhesión al tratamiento

    Ayuda para facilitar las necesidades de atención médica y salud mental de personas con VIH, proporcionando además servicios de apoyo.

  • Asistencia financiera de emergencia

    Ayuda a corto plazo para cubrir necesidades de emergencia, incluidos los servicios públicos, la vivienda y el transporte.

  • Asistencia financiera de emergencia para farmacia

    Ayuda para el pago de medicamentos.

  • Atención ambulatoria por consumo de sustancias

    Tratamiento por el consumo de drogas o alcohol en un consultorio u oficina clínica.

  • Atención de salud oral

    Cuidado dental.

  • Banco de alimentos / Comidas a domicilio

    Ayuda para obtener alimentos, ya sea en un banco de alimentos o con entrega a domicilio.

  • Educación en salud / Reducción de Riesgos

    Información y educación sobre cómo se transmite el VIH y cómo atender sus necesidades de salud.

  • Especialidad en adolescentes edades de 12 a 24

    Esta agencia se idenfica como proveedor de servicios para personas de 12 a 24 años de edad. La agencia puede proveer servicios para gente de otras edades.

  • Línea directa del Centro de excelencia PEP

    Línea directa para obtener medicamentos que previenen el VIH después de una exposición.

  • Prueba del VIH

    Prueba de VIH disponibles en un servicio de atención sin cita previa.

  • Servicios de atención primaria

    Servicios médicos de atención primaria disponibles independientemente de la capacidad de pago, el estado del seguro o el estatus migratorio.

  • Servicios de atención y apoyo para el VIH

  • Servicios de prevención de sobredosis

    Servicios para prevenir la transmisión del VIH relacionada con el consumo de sustancias.

  • Servicios de prevención del VIH

  • Servicios de reducción de daños

    Servicios para prevenir la transmisión del VIH y las sobredosis. Los servicios incluyen el intercambio de jeringas usadas por nuevas, con el fin de prevenir el VIH y otras enfermedades transmisibles.

  • Servicios de salud ambulatorios / externos

    Atención médica para el VIH en consultorios u oficinas clínicas.

  • Servicios de salud mental

    Un consejero u otro profesional que lo ayude a abordar problemas de salud mental.

  • Servicios de salud sexual sin cita previa

    Atención en salud sexual, pruebas de STI y pruebas de VIH en una clínica de atención sin cita previa.

  • Servicios legales

    Ayuda por parte de un abogado.

  • Servicios lingüísticos

    Traducción de idiomas para el médico u otro proveedor de servicios.

  • TelePrEP

    Acceso en línea y por teléfono a medicamentos para prevenir el VIH.

  • Terapia de nutrición médica

    Asesoramiento de un profesional autorizado sobre qué comer según las necesidades médicas específicas y ayuda para obtener alimentos o suplementos nutricionales (como Ensure).

  • Transporte médico

    Transporte hacia citas médicas.

  • Vivienda de transición

    Ayuda para el pago de la vivienda destinada a personas con VIH que están sin hogar o enfrentan inseguridad habitacional.

  • Vivienda Ryan White

    Ayuda a corto plazo para pagar la renta.

Term Definitions

  • Adolescent Specialty Age 12 to 24

    Agency has identified itself as a provider of services specifically for the age group from 12 to 24. The agency may also provide services for other age groups.

  • Emergency Financial Assistance

    Short-term help paying for an emergency need, including utilities, housing, and transportation.

  • Emergency Financial Assistance Pharmacy

    Help with paying for medication.

  • Food Bank/Home Delivered Meals

    Help with getting food, either at a food bank or delivered to your home.

  • Harm Reduction Services

    Services to prevent HIV transmission and overdose. Services include exchange of used syringes for new syringes in order to prevent HIV and other communicable diseases.

  • Health Education/Risk Reduction

    Information and education on how HIV is transmitted and how to take care of your health needs.

  • HIV Care and Support Services

    These are services that are sometimes called “Ryan White Services.” They are services to provide HIV care or other assistance to individuals with HIV.

  • HIV Prevention Services

    These services are meant to help prevent HIV transmission. Some services are specific to people who are HIV negative, and other services are available regardless of HIV status.

  • HIV Testing

    HIV testing in a walk-in setting.

  • Legal Services

    Help from a lawyer.

  • Medical Case Management, including Treatment Adherence Services

    Help facilitating healthcare and mental health needs for people with HIV while providing support services.

  • Medical Nutrition Therapy

    Advice from a licensed professional about what to eat for a specific medical need and help getting food or nutritional supplements (such as Ensure).

  • Medical Transportation

    Transportation to medical appointments.

  • Mental Health Services

    A counselor or other professional to help deal with a mental health problem.

  • Oral Health Care

    Dental care.

  • Outpatient/Ambulatory Health Services

    HIV medical care in an office or clinic.

  • Post-Exposure Prophylaxis for Non-Occupational Exposures (PEP COE)

    A hotline to find medicine to prevent HIV after an exposure.

  • Primary Care Services

    Primary medical care services available regardless of ability to pay, insurance status, or immigration status.

  • Ryan White Housing

    Short-term help paying rent.

  • Substance Abuse Outpatient Care

    Drug or alcohol treatment at an office or clinic.

  • TelePrEP

    Online and phone access to medicine to prevent HIV.

  • Transitional Housing

    Help paying for housing for people with HIV experiencing homeless or with housing insecurity.

  • Walk-In Sexual Health Services

    Sexual health, STI testing, and HIV testing in a walk-in clinic.

Tips for searching this Resource Finder:

  • Search: Type a word or phrase into the keyword search field to view results. Multiple words entered into the field will be searched independently. Example: Search for: “food” or “bank”. Phrases enclosed with quotation marks will show results for the whole phrase. Ex. Search for “food bank”.
  • Filter: If a keyword search returns too many results, refine it by adding filter terms using the dropdown pickers and checkboxes. Example: Search for “food bank” AND Philadelphia county.
  • Order of results: Results are listed by relevance.
  • Start over: Reset the search and filters by pressing the Reset button.