What This Means for You
- New regional “Multidisciplinary Teams” will help investigate and resolve complex elder abuse cases faster.
- Five county groups will receive national-level consulting support to strengthen local protections.
- Proposed legal reforms would expand protections against financial exploitation and caregiver misconduct.
MOHNTON, PA — Older Pennsylvanians facing abuse, neglect, or exploitation may soon see faster and more coordinated responses under a statewide effort to strengthen protective services.
Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich on Tuesday highlighted the launch of regional Multidisciplinary Teams, or MDTs — community-based coalitions designed to address complex cases of older adult abuse by bringing together professionals from multiple fields, including social services, law enforcement, medicine, mental health, finance, and public health .
The MDT model, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice and used in states such as New York and California, is intended to improve collaboration across agencies and ensure older adults receive timely, coordinated support .
Regional Expansion
Five applications were selected through a competitive process to receive consulting support from Weill Cornell Medicine . Those include:
- Individual counties: Bucks, Cumberland, and Indiana
- A regional hub of Lehigh, Lancaster, and Berks counties
- A second regional hub of Clearfield, Jefferson, Potter, Cameron, Elk, and McKean counties
Weill Cornell Medicine will provide technical assistance, data analysis, and evidence-based frameworks to help local Area Agencies on Aging formalize and strengthen their MDT structures .
Budget and Legislative Proposals
Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2026–27 budget includes more than $6 million in additional funding for aging services . The proposal also calls for updates to the Older Adults Protective Services Act — the state law governing investigations of abuse involving older adults — including adding financial exploitation as a crime and expanding background check requirements for caregivers .
The administration is also proposing older adult fatality review teams to examine cases in which deaths are connected to abuse investigations .
Oversight and Accountability
The Department of Aging works with 52 Area Agencies on Aging covering all 67 counties . In 2025, the department launched the Comprehensive Agency Performance Evaluation, or CAPE — an updated monitoring system designed to increase transparency and accountability within the network .
Performance results for 18 agencies have already been posted publicly, with additional reports expected in the coming months .
State officials say the goal is to create a consistent, statewide framework that improves protective services for older adults while allowing flexibility to address the specific needs of rural, suburban, and regional communities .
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