CHAPTER 217 - ELDER ABUSE PREVENTION AND PROSECUTION

Title 34 > CHAPTER 217

Sections (9)

§ 21701 Definitions

In this chapter— the terms “abuse”, “adult protective services”, “elder”, “elder justice”, “exploitation”, “law enforcement”, and “neglect” have the meanings given those terms in section 1397j of title 42 ; the term “elder abuse” includes abuse, neglect, and exploitation of an elder; and the term “State” means each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other territory or possession of the United States. ( Pub. L. 115–70, § 2 , Oct. 18, 2017 , 131 Stat. 1208 .)

§ 21711 Supporting Federal cases involving elder justice

(a) Support and assistance The Attorney General shall designate in each Federal judicial district not less than one Assistant United States Attorney to serve as the Elder Justice Coordinator for the district, who, in addition to any other responsibilities, shall be responsible for— serving as the legal counsel for the Federal judicial district on matters relating to elder abuse; prosecuting, or assisting in the prosecution of, elder abuse cases; conducting public outreach and awareness activities relating to elder abuse; and ensuring the collection of data required to be collected under section 21722 of this title . The Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall, with respect to crimes relating to elder abuse, ensure the implementation of a regular and comprehensive training program to train agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the investigation and prosecution of such crimes and the enforcement of laws related to elder abuse, which shall include— specialized strategies for communicating with and assisting elder abuse victims; and relevant forensic training relating to elder abuse. The Attorney General, through the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, shall ensure the operation of a resource group to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, experience, sample pleadings and other case documents, training materials, and any other resources to assist prosecutors throughout the United States in pursuing cases relating to elder abuse. Not later than 60 days after October 18, 2017 , the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, shall establish a subcommittee or working group to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of United States Attorneys, as established under section 0.10 of title 28, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto, for the purposes of advising the Attorney General on policies of the Department of Justice relating to elder abuse.

(b) Department of Justice Elder Justice Coordinator Not later than 60 days after October 18, 2017 , the Attorney General shall designate an Elder Justice Coordinator within the Department of Justice who, in addition to any other responsibilities, shall be responsible for— coordinating and supporting the law enforcement efforts and policy activities for the Department of Justice on elder justice issues; evaluating training models to determine best practices and creating or compiling and making publicly available replication guides and training materials for law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, emergency responders, individuals working in victim services, adult protective services, social services, and public safety, medical personnel, mental health personnel, financial services personnel, and any other individuals whose work may bring them in contact with elder abuse regarding how to— conduct investigations in elder abuse cases; address evidentiary issues and other legal issues, including witnesses who have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias; and appropriately assess, respond to, and interact with victims and witnesses in elder abuse cases (including victims and witnesses who have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias), including in administrative, civil, and criminal judicial proceedings; and carrying out such other duties as the Attorney General determines necessary in connection with enhancing the understanding, prevention, and detection of, and response to, elder abuse. In creating or compiling replication guides and training materials under paragraph (1)(B), the Elder Justice Coordinator shall consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, State, local, and Tribal adult protective services, aging, social, and human services agencies, Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies, and nationally recognized nonprofit associations with relevant expertise, as appropriate. The Elder Justice Coordinator shall— review the best practices identified and replication guides and training materials created or compiled under paragraph (1)(B) to determine if the replication guides or training materials require updating; and perform any necessary updating of the replication guides or training materials.

(c) Federal Trade Commission Not later than 60 days after October 18, 2017 , the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission shall designate within the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission an Elder Justice Coordinator who, in addition to any other responsibilities, shall be responsible for— coordinating and supporting the enforcement and consumer education efforts and policy activities of the Federal Trade Commission on elder justice issues; and serving as, or ensuring the availability of, a central point of contact for individuals, units of local government, States, and other Federal agencies on matters relating to the enforcement and consumer education efforts and policy activities of the Federal Trade Commission on elder justice issues. Not later than 1 year after October 18, 2017 , and once every year thereafter, the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General shall each submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report— detailing the enforcement actions taken by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, respectively, over the preceding year in each case in which not less than one victim was an elder or that involved a financial scheme or scam that was either targeted directly toward or largely affected elders, including— the name of the district where the case originated; the style of the case, including the case name and number; a description of the scheme or scam; and the outcome of the case. 2 with respect to the report by the Attorney General, including a link to the publicly available best practices identified under subsection (b)(1)(B) and the replication guides and training materials created or compiled under such subsection; and with respect to the report by the Federal Trade Commission, in relevant years, including information on— the newly created materials, guidance, or recommendations of the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Group established under section 112 of the Stop Senior Scams Act and any relevant views or considerations made by members of the Advisory Group that were not included in the Advisory Group’s model materials or considered an official recommendation by the Advisory Group; the Senior Scams Prevention Advisory Group’s findings about senior scams and industry educational materials and programs; and any recommendations on ways stakeholders can continue to work together to reduce scams affecting seniors.

(d) Use of appropriated funds No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section.

§ 21721 Establishment of best practices for local, State, and Federal data collection

(a) In general The Attorney General, in consultation with Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies, shall— establish best practices for data collection to focus on elder abuse; and provide technical assistance to State, local, and tribal governments in adopting the best practices established under paragraph (1).

(b) Deadline Not later than 1 year after October 18, 2017 , the Attorney General shall publish the best practices established under subsection (a)(1) on the website of the Department of Justice in a publicly accessible manner.

(c) Limitation Nothing in this section shall be construed to require or obligate compliance with the best practices established under subsection (a)(1).

§ 21722 Effective interagency coordination and Federal data collection

(a) In general The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, on an annual basis— collect from Federal law enforcement agencies, other agencies as appropriate, and Federal prosecutors’ offices statistical data related to elder abuse cases, including cases or investigations where one or more victims were elders, or the case or investigation involved a financial scheme or scam that was either targeted directly toward or largely affected elders; and publish on the website of the Department of Justice in a publicly accessible manner— a summary of the data collected under paragraph (1); and recommendations for collecting additional data relating to elder abuse, including recommendations for ways to improve data reporting across Federal, State, and local agencies.

(b) Requirement The data collected under subsection (a)(1) shall include— the total number of investigations initiated by Federal law enforcement agencies, other agencies as appropriate, and Federal prosecutors’ offices related to elder abuse; the total number and types of elder abuse cases filed in Federal courts; and for each case described in paragraph (2)— the name of the district where the case originated; the style of the case, including the case name and number; a description of the act or acts giving rise to the elder abuse; in the case of a scheme or scam, a description of such scheme or scam giving rise to the elder abuse; information about each alleged perpetrator of the elder abuse; and the outcome of the case.

(c) HHS requirement The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall, on an annual basis, provide to the Attorney General statistical data collected by the Secretary relating to elder abuse cases investigated by adult protective services, which shall be included in the summary published under subsection (a)(2).

(d) Prohibition on individual data None of the information reported under this section shall include specific individually identifiable data.

§ 21731 Report

(a) In general Not later than 1 year after the date on which the collection of statistical data under section 21722(a)(1) of this title begins and once each year thereafter, the Director of the Office for Victims of Crime shall submit a report to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives that addresses, to the extent data are available, the nature, extent, and amount of funding under the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 ( 42 U.S.C. 10601 et seq.) 1 for victims of crime who are elders.

(b) Contents The report required under subsection (a) shall include— an analysis of victims’ assistance, victims’ compensation, and discretionary grants under which elder abuse victims (including elder victims of financial abuse, financial exploitation, and fraud) received assistance; and recommendations for improving services for victims of elder abuse.

§ 21741 Training and technical assistance for States

The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and in coordination with the Elder Justice Coordinating Council (established under section 1397k of title 42 ), shall create, compile, evaluate, and disseminate materials and information, and provide the necessary training and technical assistance, to assist States and units of local government in— investigating, prosecuting, pursuing, preventing, understanding, and mitigating the impact of— physical, sexual, and psychological abuse of elders; exploitation of elders, including financial abuse and scams targeting elders; and neglect of elders; and assessing, addressing, and mitigating the physical and psychological trauma to victims of elder abuse. ( Pub. L. 115–70, title IV, § 403 , Oct. 18, 2017 , 131 Stat. 1214 .)

§ 21742 Interstate initiatives

(a) Interstate agreements and compacts The consent of Congress is given to any two or more States (acting through State agencies with jurisdiction over adult protective services) to enter into agreements or compacts for cooperative effort and mutual assistance— in promoting the safety and well-being of elders; and in enforcing their respective laws and policies to promote such safety and well-being.

(b) Recommendations on interstate communication The Executive Director of the State Justice Institute, in consultation with State or local adult protective services, aging, social, and human services and law enforcement agencies, nationally recognized nonprofit associations with expertise in data sharing among criminal justice agencies and familiarity with the issues raised in elder abuse cases, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall submit to Congress legislative proposals relating to the facilitation of interstate agreements and compacts.

§ 21751 Model power of attorney legislation

The Attorney General shall publish model power of attorney legislation for the purpose of preventing elder abuse. ( Pub. L. 115–70, title V, § 504 , Oct. 18, 2017 , 131 Stat. 1217 .)

§ 21752 Best practices and model legislation for guardianship proceedings

The Attorney General shall publish best practices for improving guardianship proceedings and model legislation relating to guardianship proceedings for the purpose of preventing elder abuse. ( Pub. L. 115–70, title V, § 505 , Oct. 18, 2017 , 131 Stat. 1217 .)