On Tuesday, The Administration for Community Living (ACL) released the Final Rule on Adult Protective Services Functions and Grant Programs. These regulations are the first-ever Federal regulations for Adult Protective Services (APS) and represent a watershed moment in the continued evolution of state and federal elder justice efforts. The regulations take effect on June 7, 2024, and regulated entities have until May 8, 2028 to fully comply.
As noted on the APS page of the ACL website, APS programs across the country support older adults and people with disabilities who experience, or who are at risk of, abuse, neglect, self-neglect or financial exploitation. The 2024 APS rule was developed in response to long-standing requests from the APS community, Congress, and other stakeholders for federal guidance, leadership, stewardship, resources, and support for APS systems and victims of adult maltreatment. ACL asserts the new regulations promote high-quality APS and will improve consistency in services across states, and ACL aims to support the national network that delivers APS with the ultimate goal of better meeting the needs of adults who experience, or are at risk of, maltreatment or self-neglect.
ACL is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, May 14 at 3:00 p.m. ET to provide an overview of the rule. Advance registration is required.
ACL has also created a plainer-language overview of some of the core provisions of the final rule and released a fact sheet about the rule.
More information is available on the ACL website: www.acl.gov/APSrule.