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Elder Justice Task Force

Department of Justice Elder Justice Initiative

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, in partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky and in coordination with the United States Department of Justice Civil Division, has launched an Elder Justice Task Force to combat neglect, abuse, and financial exploitation of seniors occurring in Kentucky.

The Task Force brings together federal, state, and local agencies involved in protecting the elderly. Task Force members include the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Kentucky Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Kentucky Department for Financial Services, Kentucky State Police, Jefferson County and Fayette County Commonwealth Attorney’s Offices, Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, U.S. Secret Service, and U.S. Social Security Administration, among others.

As part of this initiative, the office is actively engaged in efforts to:

  • Pursue nursing homes and other facilities that provide grossly substandard care to seniors

  • Investigate and prosecute financial scams targeting or disproportionately impacting seniors

  • Promote greater coordination with state and local partners to combat elder abuse

  • Provide training and resources to law enforcement to identify and respond to elder abuse

For more information about the Department of Justice’s elder justice initiative, please visit elderjustice.gov. There you will also find prosecutor training, the Multidisciplinary Teams Toolkit, and Outreach resources.

Other Elder Justice Resources

The United States Attorney’s Office is primarily a legal office and not an investigative agency. Please keep in mind that this office cannot represent you in any matter. therefore, you may need to consult and retain your own attorney.

Below are some additional resources:

  • Call the ABUSE TIP hotline: Call (877) ABUSE TIP (877-228-7384) to report suspected abuse and neglect to the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office. This hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

     

  • Sign up for Scam Alerts from the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office for alerts by text message or email about current financial scams targeting seniors. Learn more about such scams here .

     

  • Elder Abuse Awareness resources are available through the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services

     

  • The National Crime Victim Bar Association may be able to assist. You can contact them for more information, (202) 467-8716 or (844) 529-4357, or email victimbar@ncvc.org.

     

Enforcement Efforts By The Office

Below you can read more about the office’s enforcement efforts relating to elder justice in the Eastern District of Kentucky:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edky/pr/erlanger-nursing-home-and-united-states-government-settle-civil-allegations

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edky/pr/somerset-optometrist-found-liable-false-claims-act

Updated August 15, 2022