State Elder Abuse Statutes
The federal government and states, the District of Columbia, and some territories all have statutes to protect older adults from physical abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, and abandonment.
On this page you will find different types of state statutes related to elder abuse.
Civil elder abuse statutes guide the practice of adult protective services (APS) agencies, the entity in each state designated to receive and respond to reports of elder abuse. This document provides types of abuse defined in adult protective services statutes.
The chart in this document summarizes laws on reporting of maltreatment to adult protective services (APS) in each state.
Civil financial exploitation statutes are typically part of the larger body of adult protective services law and determine, among other things, who is eligible for protection. Financial exploitation is a criminal offense in many, but not all, states. States vary in how they define financial exploitation and what penalties are associated with the offense.
This webpage provides consumer protection laws for each state, the District of Columbia, and territories.
The chart in this document contains citations to state statutes that authorize or create adult protective services (APS), institutional abuse and Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) programs in each state.
This document contains information on various aspects of power of attorney law. Stetson University also compiles power of attorney statutes.
Guardianship is when an individual has legal authority for the care of another’s property or person, a relationship governed by state law. This document contains a table of state guardianship laws.
Indigenous peoples are sovereign and therefore are governed by different sets of laws. A list of laws specific to Native Americans is maintained by The National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative.
This document contains a list of state statutes related to elder abuse multidisciplinary teams and information sharing.
Statutory Review of Elder Abuse Multidisciplinary Teams and/or Information Sharing
State by state compilation of undue influence definitions found in statue and case law.
For each type of elder abuse, this document lists alternative charges to consider.
The information appearing on this website is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice to any individual or entity. We urge you to consult with your own legal advisor before taking any action based on information appearing on this site or any site to which it may be linked.