I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 988 

To reauthorize the Elder Justice Act of 2009. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2015 

Mr. KING of New York (for himself, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New 

Mexico, Mr. SWALWELL of California, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. FRANKEL

of Florida, Mr. GRAYSON, and Mr. HONDA) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, and 

Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined 

by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 

within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the Elder Justice Act of 2009. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Elder Justice Reau5 thorization Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) According to the American Journal of Pub2 lic Health, at least 10 percent of older Americans 

3 experience elder abuse. 

4 (2) Victims of elder financial abuse are esti5 mated to lose at least $2.9 billion a year. 

6 (3) Victims of elder abuse are three times more 

7 likely to end up in a hospital and four times more 

8 likely to end up in a nursing home than nonvictims. 

9 (4) Adult protective services which operate in 

10 all 50 States to help prevent elder abuse and inves11 tigate cases have no dedicated Federal funding or 

12 any designated Federal agency home. 

13 (5) Underreporting of elder abuse cases, espe14 cially financial abuse, remains a major issue com15 bined with a dearth of comprehensive and reliable 

16 data which collectively leads to a vast underesti17 mation of the real amount of elder abuse in the Na18 tion. 

19 (6) Differences in State laws and practices in 

20 the areas of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older 

21 adults lead to significant disparities in prevention, 

22 protective and social services, treatment systems, 

23 and law enforcement, and lead to other inequities. 

24 (7) Starting with the 1974 enactment of the 

25 Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the 


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1 Federal Government has played an important role in 

2 promoting research, training, public safety, data col3 lection, the identification, development, and dissemi4 nation of promising health care, social, and protec5 tive services, and law enforcement practices, relating 

6 to child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and vi7 olence against women. The Federal Government 

8 should promote similar efforts and protections relat9 ing to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. 

10 (8) The Federal Government should provide 

11 leadership to assist States and communities in their 

12 efforts to prevent elder abuse, including the pro13 motion of coordinated planning between all levels of 

14 government and nongovernment entities and gener15 ating and sharing knowledge relevant to protecting 

16 elders. 

17 (9) The problem of elder abuse, neglect, and ex18 ploitation requires a comprehensive approach that— 

19 (A) recognizes the statutory role of State 

20 and local adult protective services and long21 term care ombudsman programs to respond to 

22 elder abuse; 

23 (B) integrates the work of health, legal, 

24 and social service agencies and organizations; 


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1 (C) emphasizes the need for prevention, 

2 detection, reporting, investigation, assessment 

3 and treatment, and prosecution of elder abuse, 

4 neglect, and exploitation at all levels of govern5 ment; 

6 (D) ensures that sufficient numbers of 

7 properly trained personnel with specialized 

8 knowledge are in place to treat, assess, and pro9 vide services related to elder abuse, neglect, and 

10 exploitation, and carry out elder protection du11 ties; 

12 (E) ensures there is cultural competency to 

13 address the unique needs of a diverse older 

14 adult population with respect to elder abuse; 

15 and 

16 (F) balances an elder’s right to self-deter17 mination with society’s responsibility to protect 

18 elders. 

19 (10) The future well-being of millions of older 

20 adults may be challenged by elder abuse and a co21 ordinated and comprehensive Federal response is 

22 needed. Elder abuse prevention is a sound invest23 ment that can produce savings to the Medicare and 

24 Medicaid programs in the future. 


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1 (11) A victim of elder abuse is never the same 

2 after being victimized. 

3 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE ELDER JUSTICE ACT OF 

4 2009. 

5 (a) AMENDMENTS TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT.— 

6 (1) Each of the following provisions of the So7 cial Security Act is amended by striking ‘‘2014’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘2019’’: 

9 (A) Section 2024(2) (42 U.S.C. 1397k– 

10 3(2)). 

11 (B) Section 2042(a)(2) (42 U.S.C. 

12 1397m–1(a)(2)). 

13 (C) Section 2042(b)(5) (42 U.S.C. 

14 1397m–1(b)(5)). 

15 (D) Section 2042(c)(5) (42 U.S.C. 

16 1397m–1(c)(5)). 

17 (E) Section 2043(b)(2) (42 U.S.C. 

18 1397m–2(b)(2)). 

19 (2) Each of the following provisions of the So20 cial Security Act is amended by striking ‘‘and 2014’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘through 2019’’: 

22 (A) Section 2031(f)(3) (42 U.S.C. 

23 1397l(f)(3)). 

24 (B) Section 2041(d)(3) (42 U.S.C. 

25 1397m(d)(3)). 


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1 (C) Section 2043(a)(2)(C) (42 U.S.C. 

2 1397m–2(a)(2)(C)). 

3 (3) Section 2045 of the Social Security Act (42 

4 U.S.C. 1397m–4) is amended by striking ‘‘October 

5 1, 2014’’ and inserting ‘‘2 years after the completion 

6 of grants made to States under section 2042’’. 

7 (b) AMENDMENTS TO THE PATIENT PROTECTION

8 AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.—Section 6703(b) of the 

9 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 

10 1395i–3a(b)) is amended in each of paragraphs (1)(C) 

11 and (2)(C), by striking ‘‘2014’’ and inserting ‘‘2019’’. 

Æ 


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