Senior citizen anti-scam bill introduced

WASHINGTON (WKOW) -- Three Congressional representatives, including Wisconsin's Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), introduced a new bill today to protect senior citizens from scams, fraud, and abuse.

The representatives involved say more than 5 million seniors are targeted by scammers and con artists each year. The bill would give state and local governments more resources to combat elder abuse.

They hope to bring some federal legislation to help protect them.

The written documents from the representatives outline some measures included in the bill:

• Establish an Elder Justice Coordinating Council to make recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the coordination of activities of the Federal, State, local and private agencies and entities relating to elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.
• Improve the quality of information and research related to elder abuse.
• Create new forensic expertise in elder abuse (similar to that in child abuse) that will promote detection and increase the capacity to prosecute offenders. New programs will train health professionals in both forensic pathology and geriatrics.
• Establish penalties and prosecution for failure to promptly report crimes in long-term care facilities. The act will require reporting of crimes in nursing homes on an official federal website.
• Provide a first-time direct funding stream for Adult Protective Services (APS) - $100 million a year for four years.
• Establish an advisory board to create a short- and long-term multidisciplinary strategic plan for the developing field of elder justice.
• Authorize $72.5 million over four years for national organizations or states that represent or train long-term care ombudsman representatives to provide training, technical assistance, demonstration programs and research to improve ombudsman effectiveness in addressing abuse and neglect in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
• Authorize $67.5 million over four years in grants to enhance long-term care staffing through training and recruitment to establish employee incentives including career and wage benefit ladders and programs to improve management practices.

Source: WKOWTV.com