SB1919 Summary

• Expands the Adult Protective Services Act to include "abandonment" as a form of elder abuse and requires mandated reporters to report suspected deaths of elderly persons resulting from abuse, abandonment, or neglect to law enforcement and coroners/medical examiners.

• Requires the Department on Aging to offer annual trauma-informed training for employees addressing how trauma impacts caseworkers responding to elder abuse, neglect, exploitation, and abandonment cases.

• Mandates development and implementation of a risk assessment tool demonstration project by January 1, 2023, to identify elderly persons experiencing elder abuse, abandonment, neglect, or exploitation and connect them to appropriate services.

• Amends the Criminal Code to extend the statute of limitations from 3 to 7 years for prosecuting theft by deception of victims age 60 or older or persons with disabilities, and expands the definition of "position of trust and confidence" in financial exploitation cases to include friends and acquaintances.

• Amends the Home Repair Fraud Act to establish "aggravated home repair fraud" when a person promises performance they know will not be completed, particularly targeting elderly persons and persons with disabilities.