San Mateo County Elder and Dependent Adult Protection Team

The San Mateo County Elder and Dependent Adult Protection Team (EDAPT) consists of law enforcement, social workers, and attorneys who respond quickly and effectively to elder financial abuse, and who focused on the prevention, investigation and prosecution of financial abuse among older and dependent adults. EDAPT is a division of Adult Protective Services (APS) within San Mateo County Health System’s Aging and Adult Services, working closely with the District Attorney’s Office and County Counsel’s Office. Financial abuse investigations can be very complex, multi-jurisdictional, and document-intensive; therefore, investigators must have the training and ability to decipher, digest, and explain financial records. 

In one year, San Mateo County EDAPT initiated 565 financial abuse cases, a record number, which accounted for 35 percent of all cases opened that year. With the addition of an outreach specialist, the number of abuse reports received by APS increased nearly 30 percent compared to the year before the launch of EDAPT. Since the establishment of the District Attorney’s Elder Abuse Unit, prosecutors have consulted on more than 400 cases in 3 years, with almost $1.7 million in restitution ordered for financial abuse victims. In addition to obtaining traditional restitution orders for victims, the prosecutors have also been able to void fraudulent deeds and powers of attorney, and to order convicted defendants’ seized funds disbursed to their victims. 

Since the EDAPT program was initiated in January 2016, staff have conducted almost 425 trainings, outreach, and community education programs to promote awareness of elder financial abuse and victims’ services. Working together, the team has shortened the response time in investigating financial elder abuse, created a robust prosecution unit dedicated to pursuing these crimes, and provided investigative training and case consultation for local law enforcement.