Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) today announced that 50 percent of Pennsylvania’s 52 local aging agencies that provide a host of services to older adults – including protective services – are completing elder abuse investigations within 20 days more than 90 percent of the time. The Department checks each month how quickly these local agencies complete their investigations and measures how many cases are finished within 20 days, as the time it takes to complete an investigation is a key performance metric in ensuring an older adult’s safety.
This accomplishment is the direct result of the Department’s overhauled approach to monitor the local Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) more aggressively, to both hold them accountable and boost transparency of the process.
“The Shapiro Administration’s efforts to modify outdated, decades-long protocol and put in place a modern, comprehensive process for how and when these AAAs are evaluated is generating measurable results. While working steadily on a much-needed major overhaul of the Department’s performance monitoring system, we have also worked closely with AAAs to make sure they have the tools they need to improve,” said Secretary Kavulich. “It is evident that our work is leading to real-world results that benefit and protect older Pennsylvanians.”
This week also marks six months of the Department publicly posting the 20-day performance results in suspected elder abuse cases. Those performance results for all of Pennsylvania’s 52 AAAs are now posted on the Department’s website for the first time and can be viewed here on the Department of Aging’s website.
The publication of the 20-day turnaround measurement is yet another step the Department has taken under the Shapiro Administration to increase transparency of how well the AAAs are performing their duties for the older adults they serve.
In March 2025, PDA announced the rollout of the agency’s new Comprehensive Agency Performance Evaluation, or CAPE – an innovative tool designed to boost transparency and accountability of Pennsylvania’s AAA network that provides a host of services to older adults. In April 2025, the Department began publicly posting performance results on its website for the first batch of AAAs to be monitored under CAPE, with more AAA performance results regularly added.
Across Pennsylvania, AAAs investigate nearly 40,000 cases of suspected abuse each year. Reports of suspected abuse can be made to a AAA, or to the statewide elder abuse helpline at 1-800-490-8505. The Helpline is answered live 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and all calls are confidential. Part of the AAA’s duty in responding to a report is to determine whether the abuse or neglect is, in fact, taking place.
Learn more about how Pennsylvania is serving the needs of older adults by visiting the Department of Aging's website.