Committee approves Vulnerable Persons Protection Act to expand abuse protections for seniors and inpatient patients

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to pass SB519, the Vulnerable Persons Protection Act, a bill that expands Arkansas's protections against abuse, neglect and exploitation to two groups currently outside the state's long-term care statute: people age 69 and older, and patients in inpatient medical or rehabilitation facilities that provide round-the-clock care.

Sen. Missy Irvin (District 24) sponsored the bill and said it was patterned on the state's existing Abuse of Adults Act. Lloyd Weatherford, deputy attorney general and director of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, told the committee the unit's jurisdiction and federal grant obligations have expanded over recent years to cover abuse in a wider set of Medicaid-funded settings, and that investigators had encountered hundreds of cases that fall outside the specialized long-term-care statute.

Weatherford said the statute change would provide consistent protections for people who depend on others for food, medical care and basic supports but who are not already covered by the long-term-care statute. He added that the age threshold was chosen after discussions with stakeholder groups; the bill defines the vulnerable age group as 69 or older.

Committee members asked clarifying questions; no public opposition was recorded. The committee voted the bill out for further consideration.

What's next: SB519 goes to the Senate floor. Supporters said the change will align Arkansas's statutes with the expanded investigative authority of the Medicaid fraud-control unit and provide clearer protections for elderly and inpatient populations.