Legislature Aids Vulnerable Adult Protections

AARP Wyoming Photo

AARP Wyoming's Tom Lacock is joined by Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and State Senator and Mental Health and Vulnerable Adult Task Force Co-Chair Fred Baldwin during a bill signing in February of 2025.

The Wyoming Mental Health and Vulnerable Adult Task Force (MHVA) left an enduring mark on the work of the 67th Wyoming Legislature this winter. The Task Force brought forth four bills which were signed into law by Governor Mark Gordon.

The MHVA Task Force was formed by the Wyoming Legislatures Management Council during the previous interim and comprised Legislators and state agency personnel. Rep. Lloyd Larsen (R-Fremont) and Sen. Fred Baldwin (R-Sublette, Lincoln, Uinta, Sweetwater), chaired the committee and were joined by Senators Eric Barlow (R-Campbell) and Tara Nethercott (R-Laramie); Representatives Dan Zwoniter (R-Laramie), and Albert Sommers (R-Sublette). In addition, the Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Corrections, State Superintendent of Public Instruction's Office, and the Department of Family Services were also represented on the committee.

ìIt was an exceptional committee with many years of legislative experience and a number of professional experiences," says Larsen. ìBecause of that, we were able to peel the issue back to the foundational concerns around vulnerable adults. That laid the foundation for what we should be able to do this year."

The State of Wyoming's legal definition of a vulnerable adult is ìany person 18 years of age or older who is unable to manage and take care of himself or his property without assistance as a result of advanced age or physical or mental disability.î

The committee's first bill was signed into law on March 6. Senate File 7 slid vulnerable adults into the list of prioritized population groups who can receive behavioral and mental health services using state dollars when needed. Senate File 45 was signed by the Governor the next day and allows vulnerable adults or their representatives to sue when a vulnerable adult has been exploited financially. While SF45 was sponsored by Nethercott, the bill was constructed in the Task Force. Both were priority bills for AARP this session.

House Bill 27 simply requires the Department of Family Services and the state's law enforcement agencies to cross report instances when they find a vulnerable adult in need of services. House Bill 26 changes the time caseworkers at the Department of Family Services are allowed to provide services and produce a report on the vulnerable adult to 14 days. Previously, that timeframe was limited to 72 hours, however testimony taken during the MHVA Task Force meetings in the interim revealed the fact that case workers were commonly asking for extensions of up to 28 days from the courts, while they looked for relatives or services in the area of the vulnerable adults. It was decided 14 days was a good compromise for reports and services to be offered.

The MHVA Task Force was granted another interim to look deeper into other issues. Chief among them is to ask what is the stateís role in working with vulnerable adults and what services exist or should exist? During last year's interim discussion, Department of Family Services Director Korin Schmidt told the committee that services for vulnerable adults are generally limited to whatever is available in a local community. That means identifying what is available through churches, senior centers, and even chambers of commerce. Larsen says that opens up a much larger conversation.

"The biggest concern we had as we went into the session was if you are in Farson or Otto, you won't have the same services from your DFS people as you would in Casper, Sheridan or Cheyenne," Larsen says. ìWe want to close those gaps and when our citizens are identified, we want them to be safe, have shelter, and have access to support services, meaning legal services like guardianship to protect their health and assets they have accumulated over their lifespan.

"There is not a state out there that has this issue figured out."

Michael Shane Smith Photography for AARP Wyoming<br>

Mental Health and Vulnerable Adult Task Force members Dan Zwonitzer (R-Laramie) and Lloyd Larsen (R-Fremont) discuss a bill on the floor of the House during the 2024 Legislative Session (Michael Shane Smith Photography for AARP Wyoming).