(a) For purposes of this section:

(1) “Administration for Community Living” or “ACL” means the organization created by the United States Department of Health and Human Services to facilitate the independence, well-being and health of adults sixty years of age and older, persons with disabilities of all ages and their families and caregivers.

(2) “National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System” means the national data reporting and collection system designed to provide consistent, accurate national data on the exploitation and abuse of adults sixty years of age and older and adults with disabilities, as reported to state adult protective services departments nationwide.

(3) “Voluntary Consensus Guidelines for State Adult Protective Services” means national guidelines developed by the ACL that state adult protective services departments may adopt to respond to reports of abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment.

(b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall develop a strategic plan to (1) incorporate the ACL'S Voluntary Consensus Guidelines for State Adult Protective Services into protective services for adults sixty years of age and older offered in the state, and (2) align state data collection with the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System. Not later than July 1, 2017, the Commissioner of Social Services shall submit the plan, that shall include, but need not be limited to, recommendations for changes in state law, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to aging and human services.

(P.A. 16-149, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 16-149 effective July 1, 2016.