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Adult Protective Services requests guardianship staff as opioid screener pilot shows reduced recidivism
Summary
Agency officials told lawmakers APS handled about 9,000 reports in 2024 and that a Purdue University pilot opioid screener plus follow-up reduced recidivism. DPHHS asked the subcommittee to fund three guardianship social worker positions to keep up with growing workload and new federal oversight requirements.
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services administrators told the Section B subcommittee that Adult Protective Services (APS) is seeing rising demand and requested three social-service worker positions to staff a guardianship program when grant funding expires.
Lindsay Carter, the new division administrator for Senior and Long Term Care, said APS received roughly 14,000 phone-call intakes in 2024 that produced about 9,000 reports of suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation; the bureau found indicated findings in approximately 1,200 investigations and referred about 235 cases to law enforcement.
Why it matters: APS handles investigations and, in some circumstances, serves as a public guardian. The division said judges may appoint state guardians for people who need them and that the APS guardianship unit currently covers about 75 wards with five guardians; grant funding that had supported guardianship staff is expiring Sept. 30, prompting the request.
Opioid screener pilot and outcomes - APS partnered with Purdue University on a grant-funded project that introduced a substance-use screener into investigations; staff used the screener in about 8,675 reports to identify opioid use and service gaps. - The pilot added a follow-up protocol with checks at 30, 60 and 90 days after case closure; the study reported recidivism among those cases fell from about 25 percent to about 16 percent, the department said. Agency staff indicated they requested raw data from the researchers to provide the committee with numerators and denominators.
Guardianship staffing request - The APS guardianship unit now has five social service workers serving roughly 75 wards. DPHHS seeks funding to retain three guardianship positions after grant expiration, which the department said would produce an approximate staff-to-ward ratio of 1:25 (the National Study of Public Guardianship recommends about 1:20). - Division testimony says APS investigators’ caseload averaged about 31 cases in January versus a recommended caseload of 25, and the separation of investigative and guardianship roles (piloted from 2021 grant funding) reduces conflicts of interest and improves oversight.
Federal oversight and reporting - DPHHS told the committee that new federal regulations (Administration for Community Living) effective March 2024 increase state monitoring responsibilities for Older Americans Act programs and related services; the department requested a budgeted program officer in Aging Services to comply with the new rules.
Next steps The department provided fact sheets and told the committee it would supply requested raw data from the Purdue pilot and further information on APS caseloads, guardian staffing ratios and the fiscal impact of converting grant-supported positions to state-funded roles. There was no formal action or vote at this hearing.
