NEW PHONE NUMBER MAKES SERVICES FOR VULNERABLE ADULTS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO NEW YORKERS
Callers should dial 1-844-697-3505 for information about adult services
OCFS has announced a new phone number to reach a helpline for the Bureau of Adult Services, which oversees Adult Protective Services (APS), a program administered through local departments of social services formerly known as Protective Services for Adults (PSA). Effective November 13, 2014, New Yorkers should dial 1-844-697-3505 to reach the state’s Human Services Call Center (HSCC), which can answer questions about adult services, provide contact information for local APS units, or take information to be sent to local APS units regarding abuse, neglect, or exploitation of adults. Staff can also answer basic questions and contact information about the Family-Type Homes for Adults (FTHA) program, a type of adult care facility in which an operator provides personal care and supervision services for up to four unrelated adults in his or her own home.
The phone lines are open Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Callers are encouraged to provide their names and telephone numbers so local departments can follow up, but anonymous calls are also accepted. By law, anyone who makes a report of abuse or neglect to APS in good faith is immune from civil liability. Information reported to APS, and information obtained by APS in the course of investigation, is confidential and can be disclosed only in accordance with specific exceptions stated in law.
Citizens calling to make complaints about a FTHA operator or a FTHA resident will be redirected by a call center representative to the Vulnerable Persons’ Central Register (VPCR), a hotline operated by the New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs that is open 24 hours per day, seven days per week (1-855-373-2122). If someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911.
The APS program serves adults (aged 18 or older) who, due to physical or mental impairments:
- Are unable to protect themselves from abuse, neglect, or other harm, and
- Have no one available who is willing or able to assist them responsibly.
APS services include:
- Investigation and assessment of the adult’’s needs and risk of harm
- Counseling for the victim and their family
- Advocacy and case management services including arranging for medical and mental health assessments, applying for benefits, and assuring coordinated delivery services
- Finding alternative living arrangements, including providing emergency room and board for up to 30 days
- Financial management services, including serving as representative payee
- Homemaker and housekeeper chore services, within specified limits
- Crisis interventions, such as securing access orders, involuntary protective service orders, and orders of protection
- Long-term legal interventions, such as pursuing guardianship