Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017

Federal Legislation Protects Seniors

Elder abuse is about to receive the full attention of Congress. A new bill entitled Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017 breezed through the Senate Judiciary Committee last week on its way to the Senate floor and then the House. Introducing the bill, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) observed that the government wants to go after those who “cowardly seek to exploit the vulnerabilities of America’s seniors.”

Elder Abuse Cases Rising

According to the report that accompanied the legislation, an estimated six million Americans over the age of 60 fall victim to abuse or exploitation each year, and many of those crimes go unreported, both in San Mateo County and throughout the country. Financial crimes targeting seniors rob them of at least $2.9 billion annually. With such a widespread and severe impact on the American population, it’s long time for Congress to act. As boomers age, the dilemma is only likely to get worse if not meaningfully addressed.

The bill will enhance national data collection on the problem and expand training for government prosecutors with respect to crimes against seniors. In a very significant move, the bill calls for the Department of Justice to designate in each federal judicial district a prosecutor to handle elder abuse cases. Perhaps most importantly, though, the bill increases penalties for perpetrators of such crimes – including mandatory forfeiture – to deter future offences. So far all of the bill’s measures have received very strong bipartisan support.

Contact Us

If you or a loved one might be a victim of elder abuse in San Mateo County or in any California county, contact the Evans Law Firm elder attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at info@evanslaw.com. Our attorneys have experience with all types of elder abuse cases. We can help guide your case through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We handle cases involving complex insurance and annuity matters, qui tam and whistleblower law, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.