AL HB497

Requires the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) Division of Developmental Disabilities to establish and maintain a Community Incident Prevention and Management System (IPMS) to protect individuals receiving developmental and intellectual disability services from harm

Defines 14 categories of critical incidents requiring mandatory reporting, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation, elopement, major injury, unexplained death, suicide attempts, medication errors resulting in medical intervention, and misuse of restraints or seclusion

Mandates that providers report critical incidents to the ADMH Regional Office within 24 hours of becoming aware; all other incident types must be submitted quarterly to the electronic management system

Prohibits ADMH from requiring or adopting incident reporting requirements more stringent than those specified in the act, unless required by federal law or regulations

Effective date: October 1, 2026