Elderly Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation and Abandonment:
This law applies to any person aged 60 or older.
Any social worker who has reasonable cause to suspect or believe that any person aged 60 or older has been abused, neglected, exploited or abandoned, or is in a condition which is the result of such abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment, or who is in need of protective services, shall not later than 24 hours after such suspicion or belief arose, report such information to the Department of Social Services, Elderly Protective Services Unit.
In making the report the mandated reporter shall include the name and address of the elderly person, information regarding the nature and extent of the abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment, and any other information that the reporter believes might be helpful in an investigation of the case.
Persons failing to report within the required 24-hour timeframe for the first time must retake the elder abuse training of DSS and provide the DSS commissioner with proof of successful training completion. It requires repeat violators to (1) retake the training and provide the proof of successful training completion and (2) be fined up to $500.
Intentional failure to report is a class C misdemeanor for the first offense, punishable by up to three months in prison, a fine of up to $500, or both. Subsequent offenses are a class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in prison, a fine of up to $2,000, or both.
Public Act No. 22-58 requires that a mandatory reporter complete the educational training program developed by the Department, or an alternate program approved by the Department, not later than June 30, 2023, or not later than ninety days after becoming a mandatory reporter. Social workers are amongst the professionals who are mandated reporters.
To take the mandatory training video go to https://portaldir.ct.gov/dss/learncenter/ElderAbuse/Elder%20Abuse%20-%20Identification%20and%20Reporting%20Mandatory/story_html5.html
Any person who is discharged or in any manner discriminated or retaliated against for making, in good faith, a report or complaint under this statute shall be entitled to all remedies available under law.
Abuse or Neglect of Person’s with Mental Retardation:
This law applies to all persons with mental retardation.
Any social worker that has reasonable cause to suspect or believe that any person with mental retardation has been abused or neglected must within five calendar days report such information to the State of Connecticut’s Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities. The mandated reporter must follow-up their report with a written report within five additional calendar days. In the case of a person under 18 years of age the reporting procedures for child abuse and neglect should be followed too. The Office of Protection and Advocacy can be reached at (860) 297-4300 or (800) 842-7303.
In making the report the mandated reporter shall include the name and address of the allegedly abused or neglected person, a statement from the mandated reporter indicating their belief that such person is mentally retarded, information supporting the supposition that such person is substantially unable to protect themselves from abuse or neglect, information regarding the nature and extent of the abuse or neglect and any other information which the reporter believes might be helpful in an investigation of the case.
Failure to make a mandated report will result in a fine up to a maximum amount of $500.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not to be considered as legal advice.
