Washington State Adult Protective Services: Report Abuse

Call 1-877-734-6277 any time, day or night. Call 911 if the person is in immediate danger. Washington Adult Protective Services (APS), in the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), investigates abandonment, abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, and self-neglect of a vulnerable adult. There is no separate Adult Protective Services phone number for Seattle or King County. A concern inside a licensed nursing home follows the Complaint Resolution Unit path below.

RCW 74.34.020 defines a vulnerable adult. The list includes:

• a person 60 or older who has the functional, mental, or physical inability to care for themselves
• a person subject to a guardianship under RCW 11.130.265 or a conservatorship under RCW 11.130.360
• a person with a developmental disability as defined under RCW 71A.10.020
• a person admitted to a facility
• a person receiving services from a home health, hospice, or home care agency licensed or required to be licensed under chapter 70.127 RCW
• a person receiving services from an individual provider
• a person who self-directs their own care and receives services from a personal aide under chapter 74.39 RCW

How to Report Elder Abuse in Washington State

The DSHS report-concerns page tells you to use the online form or call 1-877-734-6277. You can make a report at any time, day or night. Call 911 if the person is in immediate danger. You do not need proof, and you do not need to give your name.

DSHS says every report is screened by Adult Protective Services and/or Residential Care Services. The client-resources page also lists TTY 1-833-866-5595 and email apscentralintake@dshs.wa.gov.

Report by Phone

Call 1-877-734-6277 for Adult Protective Services. The statewide phone page lists that number, with TTY 1-833-866-5595, for all locations in Washington. Seattle and King County use this same line. The phone page says APS takes reports of abuse, abandonment, neglect, self-neglect, and financial exploitation of vulnerable adults living in the community and in facilities.

A person who reports in good faith is immune from liability resulting from the report. RCW 74.34.050. Unless there is a judicial proceeding or the person consents, the identity of the person making the report is confidential. RCW 74.34.035(9).

Report Online

DSHS asks people to use the online form on the report-concerns page, or to call. That page says you can make a report at any time, day or night. It links one online form for a vulnerable adult in the community and a separate online form for a complaint or concern about a licensed long-term care setting.

An employee making a mandated report for a licensed long-term care facility or a certified supported living agency uses the Residential Care Services online incident report instead. That facility form is for a situation that is not an emergency. If you cannot finish it, call the Complaint Resolution Unit at 1-800-562-6078.

Emergency Situations

Call 911 first if a vulnerable adult is in immediate danger. The Adult Protective Services page says APS is not an emergency responder and cannot detain or arrest a person. RCW 74.34.063 requires the department to initiate a response no later than 24 hours after knowledge of a report of suspected abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, or self-neglect. The statute does not set a number of days for finishing the investigation.

What Information Should You Have Ready Before You Call?

RCW 74.34.035(8) says each report, oral or written, must contain as much as possible of the following. The APS page says it is still all right to report if you do not have every item:

• Your name and address, if you choose to give them. DSHS says you do not need to give your name
• The name and address of the vulnerable adult, and the name of the facility or agency providing care
• The name and address of the legal guardian or alternate decision maker
• The nature and extent of the abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, or self-neglect
• Any history of previous abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, or self-neglect
• The identity of the alleged perpetrator, if known
• Other information that may help show the extent of the harm, or the cause of death of a deceased vulnerable adult

Reasonable cause is the reporting standard for a mandated reporter. Proof is not required. The report page says you do not need proof to report suspected abuse.

What Types of Elder Abuse Does APS Investigate in Washington State?

Under RCW 74.34.020, the categories below are the statutory definitions. APS investigates abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, and self-neglect.

• Physical abuse — The intentional, willful, or reckless action of inflicting bodily injury or physical mistreatment. The statute includes striking, slapping, pinching, choking, kicking, shoving, or prodding
• Sexual abuse — Any form of nonconsensual sexual conduct, including unwanted or inappropriate touching, rape, molestation, indecent liberties, sexual coercion, sexually explicit photographing or recording, voyeurism, indecent exposure, and sexual harassment. Sexual conduct between a staff person, who is not also a resident or client, and a vulnerable adult living in that facility or receiving services from a program authorized under chapter 71A.12 RCW is sexual abuse whether or not it is consensual
• Mental abuse — An intentional, willful, or reckless verbal or nonverbal action that threatens, humiliates, harasses, coerces, intimidates, isolates, unreasonably confines, or punishes a vulnerable adult. It may include ridiculing, yelling, or swearing
• Personal exploitation — Forcing, compelling, or exerting undue influence over a vulnerable adult so that the person acts in a way that is inconsistent with relevant past behavior, or performs services for the benefit of another
• Financial exploitation — The illegal or improper use, control over, or withholding of the vulnerable adult’s property, income, resources, or trust funds for someone else’s profit or advantage. The statute includes deception, intimidation, or undue influence by a person in a position of trust, a breach of fiduciary duty such as misuse of a power of attorney, trust, or guardianship, and use of the person’s property when the user knows or clearly should know the person lacks capacity to consent
• Improper use of restraint — The inappropriate use of a chemical, physical, or mechanical restraint for convenience or discipline, or in a way that is inconsistent with licensing rules, is not medically authorized, or otherwise constitutes abuse
• Neglect — A pattern of conduct or inaction by a person or entity with a duty of care that fails to provide the goods and services that maintain physical or mental health, or that fails to avoid or prevent physical or mental harm or pain; or an act or omission that shows a serious disregard of consequences of such a magnitude as to be a clear and present danger
• Abandonment — Action or inaction by a person or entity with a duty of care that leaves the vulnerable adult without the means or ability to obtain necessary food, clothing, shelter, or health care
• Self-neglect — The failure of a vulnerable adult, not living in a facility, to provide the goods and services necessary for their own physical or mental health, when that failure impairs or threatens their well-being. The definition can include a person receiving home health, hospice, home care, or individual-provider services when the neglect is not the result of inaction by that agency or provider

What Are the Warning Signs of Elder Abuse?

The Adult Protective Services page lists common signs and says additional signs may also appear. The groups below follow that page. They are not a complete statutory test. For the legal definitions, use RCW 74.34.020.

Physical Signs

• Suspicious bruises, black eyes, or welts
• Unexplained broken bones, cuts, or sprains
• Unusual bruising on the thighs or chest, which the page lists with sexual abuse
• Unexplained sexually transmitted infections
• Lack of food and water, or changes in personal hygiene, which the page lists with neglect and self-neglect

Behavioral Signs

• Sudden changes in behavior
• Isolation, missed appointments, or a lack of medication, which the page lists with neglect and self-neglect
• Withdrawal from social interactions
• Threatening significant harm, derogatory names, insults, profanity, ridicule, harassment, or humiliation

Financial Signs

• Basic needs not met
• Unpaid bills
• Unexplained financial changes

Who Can (and Must) Report Abuse in Washington State?

A mandated reporter who has reasonable cause to believe that abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation, or neglect of a vulnerable adult has occurred shall immediately report to the department. RCW 74.34.035(1). RCW 74.34.020(13) defines a mandated reporter as:

• an employee of DSHS or the Department of Children, Youth, and Families
• a law enforcement officer
• a social worker
• professional school personnel
• an individual provider
• an operator of a facility or a certified residential services and supports agency under chapter 71A.12 RCW
• an employee of a facility
• an employee of a social service, welfare, mental health, adult day health, adult day care, home health, home care, hospice, or certified residential services and supports agency
• a county coroner or medical examiner
• a Christian Science practitioner
• a health care provider subject to chapter 18.130 RCW

A permissive reporter is any person. The statute names, as examples, an employee of a financial institution, an attorney, and a volunteer in a facility or program that serves vulnerable adults. RCW 74.34.020(16). A permissive reporter may report when there is reasonable cause to believe a vulnerable adult is being or has been abandoned, abused, financially exploited, or neglected. RCW 74.34.035(6).

Making a permissive report does not create a duty to report, and no civil liability attaches for failing to make one.

The APS page also says DSHS employees, interns, volunteers, work-study students, and a person or entity working under contract with or licensed by the department are mandated reporters under DSHS Administrative Policy No. 8.02.

Reports to Law Enforcement

Some reports also go to law enforcement.

• When there is reason to suspect sexual assault, a mandated reporter shall immediately report to the appropriate law enforcement agency and to the department.
• When there is reason to suspect physical assault, or reasonable cause to believe an act has caused fear of imminent harm, the mandated reporter reports to the department and, with the exceptions in RCW 74.34.035(4), to law enforcement.
• When there is reason to suspect that abuse, neglect, or abandonment caused a vulnerable adult’s death, the mandated reporter reports to the medical examiner or coroner, the department, and local law enforcement.

Penalties

A person required to report who knowingly fails to make the report is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. RCW 74.34.053(1). A person who intentionally, maliciously, or in bad faith makes a false report of abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation, or neglect is guilty of a misdemeanor. RCW 74.34.053(2).

Where the Report Goes

Where the report goes depends on the setting.

• The mandatory-reporter page tells a mandated reporter to call the Complaint Resolution Unit at 1-800-562-6078, or file the Residential Care Services online incident report, when the person lives in a nursing home, assisted living facility, adult family home, certified community residential setting, intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities, or enhanced services facility.
• When the person lives in their own home or somewhere other than those settings, that page says to report to APS online or at 1-877-734-6277.

The April 2026 mandatory-reporting contacts use the same split: APS central intake at 1-877-734-6277 for a vulnerable adult, and Residential Care Services / Complaint Resolution Unit at 1-800-562-6078, TTY 1-800-737-7931, for a provider-practice concern in a nursing home, assisted living facility, adult family home, or supported living program.

What Happens After You Report to APS in Washington State?

DSHS says the report is triaged and prioritized. A staff member may contact the reporter for more information. RCW 74.34.063 requires the department to initiate a response no later than 24 hours after knowledge of the report. The statute does not give a finish date.

Step 1 — Intake Screening

An APS intake worker gathers details and assesses whether the report is within APS jurisdiction. The APS page describes that intake step. DSHS then screens the report through Adult Protective Services and/or Residential Care Services.

Step 2 — Response Timeline

The numbered clock in RCW 74.34.063(1) is the start of the response: no later than 24 hours after the department knows of the report of suspected abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, or self-neglect. The report page says the report is triaged and prioritized for investigation. Chapter 74.34 RCW does not add a date for finishing the investigation.

Step 3 — Investigation

During an investigation, APS conducts interviews, collects documents, makes observations, and collaborates with law enforcement and other organizations as necessary. If the initial report or the investigation indicates the conduct may be criminal, RCW 74.34.063(2) requires an immediate report to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

The department and law enforcement coordinate. When the investigation reveals that a crime may have been committed, the law enforcement agency or the department reports the incident in writing to the proper county prosecutor or city attorney.

Step 4 — Service Plan and Outcome

Protective services are services the department provides with the consent of the vulnerable adult, or of the legal representative. RCW 74.34.020(18) says those services may include case management, social casework, home care, placement, arranging for medical or psychological evaluations, day care, or a referral for legal assistance.

The APS page says APS:

• cannot remove a person against their will
• cannot force a person to accept services
• does not provide guardianship
• is not an emergency responder

A vulnerable adult, or an interested person on that adult’s behalf, may petition for a vulnerable adult protection order under chapter 7.105 RCW. RCW 74.34.110.

After an initial substantiated finding, WAC 388-103-0040 says APS notifies the alleged perpetrator in writing on or before the tenth working day after that finding. APS may notify later if time is needed to translate the letter or to provide for the safety of the alleged victim. That notice is not a promise that the investigation ends on a set day.

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

• Use APS, at 1-877-734-6277, for abandonment, abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, or self-neglect of a vulnerable adult, including a report from Seattle.
• Use the Complaint Resolution Unit, at 1-800-562-6078, TTY 1-800-737-7931, for a complaint or concern about a licensed nursing home, adult family home, assisted living facility, enhanced services facility, intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities, or supported living services.

The report-concerns page gives both numbers. The client-resources page lists the Complaint Resolution Unit for a question about a living facility, and it lists the Long-Term Care Ombudsman for a problem with long-term care when talking with the case manager has not resolved it.

The Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocates for residents of nursing homes, adult family homes, and assisted living facilities. Call 1-800-562-6028. The program’s TTY is 711.

The ombudsman receives complaints and works on problems involving quality of care, restraints, transfer and discharge, abuse, and resident rights. The ombudsman does not replace a report to APS or to the Complaint Resolution Unit. The find-an-ombuds page is linked from DSHS for a local contact. For the facility complaint steps, use the Washington nursing home complaint guide.

Additional Resources in Washington State

• Washington APS: 1-877-734-6277, any time, day or night, including Seattle and King County. TTY 1-833-866-5595
• Email listed by DSHS client resources: apscentralintake@dshs.wa.gov
• Complaint Resolution Unit, for a nursing home, adult family home, assisted living facility, or supported living concern: 1-800-562-6078, TTY 1-800-737-7931
• Washington State Long-Term Care Ombudsman: 1-800-562-6028
• DSHS Adult Protective Services
• National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311)
• Eldercare Locator (national): 1-800-677-1116
• National Center on Elder Abuse

The Washington 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 Washington APS or to the Complaint Resolution Unit.