MOHNTON, PA — Older Pennsylvanians facing abuse or exploitation may soon see faster, more coordinated responses under a new regional team approach the Department of Aging says is designed to strengthen protective services.
What This Means for You
- Regional teams will coordinate law enforcement, health, and social services in complex elder abuse cases.
- Five county groups will receive outside consulting support to build or expand these teams.
- The governor’s proposed budget includes more than $6 million in additional aging services funding and proposed legal updates.
During a visit Tuesday to leaders from the Berks, Lancaster, and Lehigh County Area Agencies on Aging, Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich highlighted the rollout of Multidisciplinary Teams, or MDTs, across parts of the state.
MDTs are community-based groups that bring together professionals from social services, district attorney’s offices, criminal and civil justice, mental health, medicine, finance, and public health to coordinate responses in complicated older adult protective services cases. Protective services cases typically involve allegations of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or abandonment of adults age 60 and older.
“We are doing groundbreaking collaborative work at the state level to ensure the protection of older adults at the community level,” Kavulich said. He added that the goal is to modernize practices while supporting Area Agencies on Aging, district attorneys, and community partners so teams can “move quickly to get the right resources for the victim.”
Where the Teams Are Launching
Five applications were selected through a competitive process to receive consulting support from Weill Cornell Medicine.
Three single counties — Bucks, Cumberland, and Indiana — were chosen. Two regional “MDT Hubs” were also selected: one serving Lehigh, Lancaster, and Berks counties, and another serving Clearfield, Jefferson, Potter, Cameron, Elk, and McKean counties.
Through its partnership with the department, Weill Cornell Medicine will provide technical assistance, data analysis, and evidence-based frameworks to help agencies establish or strengthen team structures.
Dr. Mark Lachs, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell School of Medicine, said, “As someone who has created and supported elder abuse teams around the country and internationally, I can say that the Commonwealth’s commitment to statewide availability of this vital resource is unprecedented.”
JR Reed, executive director of the Lehigh County Office of Aging and Adult Services, said the regional hub “creates a structured framework for collaboration that allows us to address complex cases more effectively and consistently across the region.”
Jessica Jones, director of the Berks County Office on Aging, said the approach will help ensure “that the least restrictive options are always considered.”
Budget and Legal Proposals
Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2026-27 budget calls for more than $6 million in additional funding for Department of Aging services.
The proposal also includes changes to the Older Adults Protective Services Act, or OAPSA — the state law governing how elder abuse cases are investigated and addressed. Proposed updates include adding financial exploitation as a crime, expanding background check requirements for caregivers, and creating older adult fatality review teams to examine deaths linked to abuse investigations.
The administration says the changes would better align OAPSA with the Adult Protective Services Act, which covers younger adults with disabilities.
Since taking office in 2023, the governor has invested more than $20 million in programs intended to help older residents remain safe and independent, according to the department.
Oversight and Transparency
The Department of Aging works with a network of 52 Area Agencies on Aging covering all 67 counties to deliver services that help older adults stay healthy, live safely, and remain in their homes of choice as they age.
In March 2025, the department launched the Comprehensive Agency Performance Evaluation, or CAPE, an updated monitoring system designed to measure how well AAAs perform, including in protective services cases. In April 2025, the department began posting performance results online for the first time. Results for 18 AAAs are currently available, with more expected in the coming months.
State officials say the MDT initiative, combined with increased oversight and proposed legal changes, is intended to strengthen protections for older adults statewide.
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