There is a new house bill to protect seniors coming into play. It would help quicken the process for the elderly and disabled to acquire relief from financial exploiters. Often seniors are the target for scams and abuse due to being alone, or possibly because they might be easy to confuse.
What the New Bill to Protect Seniors Does
The bill, called HB 1807, uses New Hampshire’s existing domestic violence protective order process as the blueprint. Any vulnerable adult can submit a petition to a judge asking for immediate relief from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Under the current domestic violence order, it’s difficult for seniors to get help because they don’t always fit the profile. That’s why this new bill is coming into play. It can take months in court before any relief is given from financial exploitation. Plus, there are the legal fees which can easily get expensive.
Petitions for these type of cases can be hard to write without legal help. There’s not a user friendly form like there is for domestic violence victims. This new bill to protect seniors hopes to fix that.
It’s Not a Perfect Bill
There are some complaints about how the bill is written up. Some say it’s not broad enough for different types of exploitations due to how someone can file for petition.
For example, a lot of times the guardians are the ones that are abusing the senior. So if someone else, like a doctor for example, can’t file a petition, it could take a long time before anything gets done.
To that criticism, some are afraid if they open up the range too much, it could lead abusers to use the system to cause more harm.
Read more here.