HF4457 - Vulnerable Adult Maltreatment Prevention and Accountability Act

• Strengthens vulnerable adult protections by establishing comprehensive maltreatment prevention standards for nursing homes, home care providers, housing with services establishments, and assisted living facilities, including requirements for abuse prevention plans and consumer rights disclosures.

• Enhances reporting and investigation processes by requiring 24-hour reporting timelines, establishing a centralized common entry point for maltreatment reports, and mandating lead investigative agencies complete investigations within 60 calendar days with regular victim notifications.

• Expands data transparency and accountability by requiring investigators to provide vulnerable adults with detailed investigation information, establishing publication of substantiated maltreatment reports online, and creating an expert technical panel for safety and quality improvement recommendations.

• Establishes three working groups to develop recommendations by January 15, 2019, addressing: (1) assisted living and dementia care licensing frameworks, (2) dementia care certification standards, and (3) assisted living report card development.

• Modifies enforcement and appeal processes by allowing vulnerable adults and interested persons to request independent reviews of maltreatment determinations through a new Vulnerable Adult Maltreatment Review Panel, with expanded rights to appeal and access investigation records.