By MARC LEVY (Associated Press)
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican state legislators are urging the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro to do more to look into the deaths of elderly people who are the subject of an abuse or neglect complaint, following a significant increase in such deaths in Pennsylvania since 2019.
Shapiro’s Department of Aging has rejected the suggestion from Republican lawmakers to collect information about the cause of death from death records, despite pressure from the lawmakers and county-level agencies that handle abuse or neglect complaints.
Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, said in an interview on Friday that obtaining more information about the cause of death is a necessary first step.
Grove mentioned the importance of having the information and taking further steps to protect these individuals and prevent them from ending up on a list of fatalities.
During a House Appropriations Committee hearing last month, Rep. John Lawrence, R-Chester, criticized Jason Kavulich, the Secretary of Aging appointed by Shapiro, for not already collecting this information when someone dies.
Lawrence expressed dismay that the department seemed unable to explain the causes of death when vulnerable individuals, who had been reported as such, ended up deceased.
Kavulich informed Lawrence that the department is gathering the data required by law.
Kavulich later sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, clarifying that caseworkers are expected to contact the county coroner in cases where there is reason to suspect that the older adult died from abuse.
However, Kavulich also stated that neither the department nor the county-level agencies have the legal authority to access cause of death information.
Grove disputed this, asserting that death certificates are publicly available, and that the department or county caseworkers should be able to request this information from a coroner or health department.
Lawrence criticized Kavulich's written response, describing it as an unclear statement that shifts blame but does not take responsibility.
Lawrence expressed concern about the lack of a straightforward answer to the simple question of why the seniors' deaths are not being investigated.
Lawrence suggested that if the state attorney general’s office is not already looking into the matter, it should launch an investigation soon.
Lawmakers started asking questions after the number of deaths of elderly people following an abuse or neglect complaint increased more than tenfold in Pennsylvania, from 120 in 2017 to 1,288 last year, peaking at 1,389 in 2022.
The department typically does not release data on deaths publicly, but did so in response to a request from The Associated Press.
The increase in deaths coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, a rise in complaints, and difficulties in retaining caseworkers.
The Department of Aging has indicated that the information could be incorrect because the deaths may not be related to the original abuse or neglect complaint.
Department and county-level agency officials have guessed that the increase may be due to a growing population of people 65 and older, more complaints, and the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults.
It’s unclear if better data collection also helped to explain the increase, but there is evidence that other similar areas like Michigan and Illinois did not experience such a large increase.
The overall death rate of older adults did not increase as sharply during the pandemic, rising from about 4% of those 65 and older in 2018 to 4.5% in 2021, according to federal statistics.
The department has agreements with 52 county-level “area agencies for aging” to look into abuse or neglect complaints and work with doctors, service providers, and, if needed, law enforcement.
Most calls involve someone who lives on their own or with a family member or caregiver. Poverty is often a factor.
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Follow Marc Levy at http://twitter.com/timelywriter.
