Adult Protective Services in Kentucky

Call 1-877-597-2331 (1-877-KYSAFE1). Call 911 if the person is in immediate danger. Kentucky Adult Protective Services (APS), in the Department for Community Based Services of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, investigates reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of an adult.

The Adult Protection Branch also lists 1-800-752-6200. Both numbers are for a report of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. A licensing complaint about a nursing home goes to the Office of Inspector General, Division of Health Care. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocates for residents of nursing homes, personal care homes, and family care homes. The ombudsman does not replace either report.

KRS 209.020(4) defines an adult as a person 18 or older who, because of mental or physical dysfunctioning, is unable to manage their own resources, carry out the activity of daily living, or protect themselves from neglect, exploitation, or a hazardous or abusive situation without assistance from others, and who may be in need of protective services.

How to Report Elder Abuse in Kentucky

Use the office that matches the concern. More than one office can be the right call. KRS 209.030(2) says any person who has reasonable cause to suspect that an adult has suffered abuse, neglect, or exploitation shall report it. The statute’s examples include a physician, law enforcement officer, nurse, social worker, Cabinet personnel, a coroner, a medical examiner, an alternate care facility employee, and a caretaker.

KRS 209.020(6) defines a caretaker to include an institution. Death of the adult does not end the duty to report the circumstances. Call 911 if the person is in immediate danger.

The Adult Protection Branch says APS investigates known or suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an adult as defined in KRS 209.020(4). It does not limit that work to private homes. KRS 209.030(7) allows a Cabinet representative to enter a health facility or health service licensed by the Cabinet at any reasonable time to carry out this chapter. A separate licensing complaint about a licensed long-term care or health care facility goes to the regional Office of Inspector General enforcement branch described below.

Report by Phone

Call 1-877-597-2331. The Adult Protection Branch prints that number as (877) KYSAFE1 and also prints (800) 752-6200. The reporting portal says to call 1-877-597-2331 if you cannot complete the online report.

A technical-support line, 1-866-231-0003, option 3, is listed on that same page for weekday website problems between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eastern. That line is not the abuse hotline.

KRS 209.030(3) says an oral or written report shall be made immediately upon knowledge. You do not need proof. The reporting standard is reasonable cause. 922 KAR 5:070 Section 2(4) says the Cabinet shall investigate an anonymous report that provides sufficient information about the alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

Report Online

The online Kentucky Child/Adult Protective Services Reporting System is for a non-emergency report. The Adult Protection Branch says the site is monitored from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday. Reports are not reviewed during evenings, weekends, or state holidays. Use the phone hotline for those times.

The portal page itself says to call 1-877-597-2331 for a report made outside those weekday hours. Call 911 or local law enforcement for an emergency.

Do not use an older web address printed on the Cabinet’s January 2018 residents’ rights poster. The current portal is the address above.

Emergency Situations

Call 911 first if an adult is in immediate danger. Then call 1-877-597-2331. 922 KAR 5:070 Section 2(3) requires a 24-hour on-call response system for emergency reporting after normal office hours.

APS is not the agency that answers a 911 call. KRS 209.020(11) defines an emergency as an adult living in conditions that present a substantial risk of death or immediate and serious physical harm to the adult or to others.

What Information Should You Have Ready Before You Call?

922 KAR 5:070 Section 2(9) says a report does not require an APS investigation when there is not enough information to identify or locate the adult, or to explore leads to identify or locate the adult. KRS 209.030(4) says a person making a report shall provide the following, if known:

• The name and address of the adult, or of any other person responsible for the adult’s care
• The age of the adult
• The nature and extent of the abuse, neglect, or exploitation, including any evidence of previous abuse, neglect, or exploitation
• The identity of the person believed to be responsible, if known
• The identity of the person making the report, if possible. The statute does not require the name, and Section 2(4) of 922 KAR 5:070 requires the Cabinet to investigate an anonymous report that still gives sufficient information
• Any other information that might help establish the cause

A report has to meet the statutory definitions of an adult and of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. If it does not, 922 KAR 5:070 says it does not require an APS investigation. The Cabinet may refer the caller to community resources, to general adult services under 922 KAR 5:090, or to a domestic violence protective services provider.

What Types of Elder Abuse Does APS Investigate in Kentucky?

The categories below use the definitions in KRS 209.020 and the added definitions in 922 KAR 5:070 Section 1. They are not a separate checklist:

• Abuse — The infliction of injury, sexual abuse, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment that results in physical pain or injury, including mental injury. KRS 209.020(8). Unreasonable confinement, in the regulation, means the unnecessary restriction of an adult’s movement through physical or chemical restraints, or the unnecessary isolation of an individual. Mental injury means a negative impact on the emotional or psychological state that is inconsistent with the person’s medical care and that requires medical or therapeutic treatment, is shown by a behavioral change, or caused fear, distress, humiliation, or ridicule
• Neglect — A situation in which an adult is unable to perform or obtain the goods or services necessary to maintain health or welfare, or the deprivation of those services by a caretaker. KRS 209.020(16). The first part of that definition is what people often call self-neglect. The regulation does not give self-neglect its own label
• Exploitation — Obtaining or using another person’s resources, including funds, assets, or property, by deception, intimidation, or similar means, with the intent to deprive the person of those resources. KRS 209.020(9)

Upon receipt of a report, KRS 209.030(5) requires the Cabinet to notify the appropriate law enforcement agency within 24 hours. If the assessment or investigation shows emergency circumstances or a potential crime, the notice is immediate. Authorized agencies under KRS 209.020(17) include the Cabinet, a law enforcement agency, the Department of Kentucky State Police, a Commonwealth’s attorney or county attorney, and the appropriate division of the Office of the Attorney General.

What Are the Warning Signs of Elder Abuse?

The Cabinet does not publish the groups below as a legal test. They are examples of what the definitions in KRS 209.020 can look like. They are not proof that abuse, neglect, or exploitation occurred.

Physical Signs

• Bruises, burns, cuts, or fractures that the person cannot explain, including marks in unusual places or at different stages of healing
• Bedsores, or other signs of staying in one position for a long time
• Weight loss, dehydration, or a lack of food without a medical explanation
• Poor hygiene, soiled clothing, or unsanitary living conditions

Behavioral Signs

• Sudden fear, withdrawal, or extreme submissiveness around one caregiver
• A change in mood or confusion that does not match the person’s usual condition
• A caregiver who controls the conversation, insists on being present, or will not let the person speak

Financial Signs

• Withdrawals, new signers on accounts, or missing money the person cannot explain
• A sudden change to a will, trust, or power of attorney
• Unpaid bills, a shutoff notice, or a lack of necessities despite money to pay for them
• Missing property, or a new person controlling the money

Who Can (and Must) Report Abuse in Kentucky?

Any person who has reasonable cause to suspect that an adult has suffered abuse, neglect, or exploitation shall report it or cause a report to be made. KRS 209.030(2). The report is made immediately, orally or in writing. KRS 209.030(3). The listed professions are examples. The duty is not limited to them. Death of the adult does not relieve the duty.

Penalties and Immunity

Anyone who knowingly or wantonly violates that duty is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. Each violation is a separate offense. KRS 209.990(1).

A person who acts upon reasonable cause in making a report, or who participates in an investigation or in a petition under this chapter, has immunity from civil or criminal liability that might otherwise be incurred. Cabinet representatives have the same immunity when they act in good faith and within the scope of their authority. KRS 209.050.

Confidentiality

922 KAR 5:070 says the identity of the reporting individual remains confidential in accordance with KRS 209.140. Information from an investigation is not divulged except to the people that statute lists.

When information is given to a person suspected of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, the informant’s name may be withheld unless a court orders otherwise. The March 27, 2025 amendment also lists the Commonwealth Office of the Ombudsman under KRS 43.035. That office is not the Long-Term Care Ombudsman.

What Happens After You Report to APS in Kentucky?

The Cabinet screens the report, and an accepted report follows the initiation times in 922 KAR 5:070. The regulation does not set a date for finishing the investigation.

Step 1 — Intake Screening

On receipt of a report, KRS 209.030(5) requires an initial assessment, notice to law enforcement, notice to each appropriate authorized agency, and initiation of an investigation. 922 KAR 5:070 Section 2(9) screens out a report that does not meet the statutory definitions, or that does not give enough information to identify or locate the adult or to explore leads. A report that is not accepted for investigation may still be referred elsewhere.

Step 2 — Response Timeline

922 KAR 5:070 Section 3(5), effective June 19, 2024, says designated regional staff shall initiate the investigation of an accepted report.

• If the accepted report of alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation, with the expressed permission of the adult, indicates an emergency, the investigation shall be initiated within four hours.
• If it indicates a nonemergency, the investigation shall be initiated within 48 hours.
• If the accepted report of alleged abuse or neglect resulted in the death of an adult, the investigation shall be initiated within 48 hours.

These are times for starting the investigation. They are not a promise of a visit on a shorter clock, and they are not a deadline for finishing the case. A four-hour start applies only when this section’s emergency condition, including the adult’s permission, is met.

Step 3 — Investigation

KRS 209.020(10) says an investigation includes:

• a personal interview with the adult
• an assessment of risk and safety
• identification of the perpetrator if possible
• identification by the Office of Inspector General of a regulated or licensed facility’s failure to adopt or enforce policies when that failure contributed to abuse, neglect, or exploitation

KRS 209.030(8) allows entry to a private premises with the consent of the adult or caretaker. If consent is refused, a search warrant may be issued on probable cause. The Cabinet coordinates the investigation with law enforcement and, where indicated, other authorized agencies. KRS 209.030(6).

Step 4 — Service Plan and Outcome

If the investigation shows that protective services are necessary, the Cabinet provides them within budgetary limitations, except where the adult chooses to refuse. KRS 209.030(9).

KRS 209.020(5) describes protective services as:

• services to determine whether further action is warranted
• services aimed at preventing and remedying abuse, neglect, and exploitation
• services to help the adult obtain suitable care in or out of the home

If an adult lacks the capacity to consent in an emergency, protective services may be ordered by a court under KRS 209.100 only when the statute’s conditions are met. The court may authorize only the intervention it finds least restrictive of the adult’s liberty and rights while consistent with welfare and safety. APS does not remove an adult on its own.

922 KAR 5:070 says a case is closed:

• when the factors that led to the abuse, neglect, or exploitation are resolved to the extent the adult’s needs have been met
• when the adult requests closure
• when the Cabinet lacks legal authority to obtain court-ordered cooperation

The adult is notified in writing and told of the right to request a service appeal. An aftercare plan, if one is made, requires the adult’s consent.

APS vs. Long-Term Care Ombudsman — Who Handles Nursing Home Abuse in Kentucky?

• Call APS at 1-877-597-2331, or 1-800-752-6200, to report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an adult, including an adult in a licensed facility. The Adult Protection Branch does not send every facility concern away from APS.
• Call the Office of Inspector General, Division of Health Care, to make a licensing complaint about the care in a licensed long-term care or health care facility.

The Division of Health Care page says complaints go through the regional office. The complaint information sheet lists the enforcement branches:

• Western, 270-889-6052
• Northern, 502-595-4958
• Southern, 606-330-2030
• Eastern, 859-246-2301

Use the regional map on the Division of Health Care page to choose the branch. The same page lists 502-564-7963 for updating a facility’s contact information. That is the division’s Frankfort number. It is not a substitute for the regional complaint lines.

The Kentucky Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocates for residents of nursing homes, personal care homes, and family care homes. The Cabinet page does not name assisted living communities in that list.

The Office of the State Long Term Care Ombudsman is housed at the Nursing Home Ombudsman Agency of the Bluegrass. That office’s site lists a toll-free line, 1-800-372-2991, and a local line, (859) 277-9215, at 3138 Custer Drive, Suite 110, Lexington, KY 40517.

The ombudsman identifies, investigates, and helps resolve complaints, and acts only with the resident’s or family’s direction. The ombudsman does not license the facility and does not replace a report to APS or to the Office of Inspector General.

The Attorney General’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control asks people to report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an adult, or suspected Medicaid fraud, to the Elder Abuse and Medicaid Fraud Hotline at 1-877-228-7384. That page says a complaint may be made anonymously. The Attorney General’s contact page also lists Consumer Protection at 1-888-432-9257. For the facility steps, use the Kentucky nursing home complaint guide.

Additional Resources in Kentucky

• Kentucky APS, for suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation: 1-877-597-2331 (1-877-KYSAFE1), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Adult Protection Branch also lists 1-800-752-6200
• Online APS report, non-emergency, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern
• Office of Inspector General, Division of Health Care, for a licensed-facility complaint: Western 270-889-6052, Northern 502-595-4958, Southern 606-330-2030, Eastern 859-246-2301
• Kentucky Long-Term Care Ombudsman: 1-800-372-2991 or (859) 277-9215
• Attorney General, Elder Abuse and Medicaid Fraud Hotline: 1-877-228-7384
• Attorney General, Consumer Protection: 1-888-432-9257
• National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311)
• Eldercare Locator (national): 1-800-677-1116

The Kentucky nursing home complaint guide explains how to report a problem in a licensed nursing home. The form on this page is a request to speak with a lawyer. It is not a report to Kentucky APS, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, the Office of Inspector General, or the Attorney General.