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State officials report early results, identify gap in caregiver‑negligence authority in Adult Protective Services statute
Summary
Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living officials told the Human Services Committee that Vermont’s 2023 Adult Protective Services (APS) statute has increased use of service‑oriented assessments but leaves a gap around caregiver negligence that may require legislative change to meet a 2024 federal rule and retain related funding.
Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living officials updated the Human Services Committee on recent changes to Vermont’s Adult Protective Services program and warned that the state’s current law leaves APS unable to substantively investigate caregiver negligence, a gap that could jeopardize a modest stream of federal funding unless addressed by 2028.
Joe Nussbaum, director of the Division of Licensing and Protection, told the committee that the statute enacted in June 2023 “very much was driven by and I think has successfully centered victims' rights” and introduced a formal distinction between assessments and investigations. He said the department received about 4,000 reports in fiscal 2024 and reported 424 assessments and 402 investigations in the first full year under the new law.
The change has shifted APS work toward assessments — less adversarial, service‑focused inquiries intended to connect people with services — while…
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