Eligibility for APS services typically is based on a statutorily defined disability, vulnerability or impairment, not solely on the age of the adult.
In three states (Massachusetts, Oregon, and Wisconsin), separate code sections apply exclusively to older persons, as defined by the statute.
Eligibility criteria and definitions of those criteria vary widely across the states and acquiring an adequate understanding of the requirements can be challenging in some states.
Judges, prosecutors, attorneys and other professionals involved in the justice system response to elder abuse should be familiar with their state's threshold eligibility requirements for adult protective services. The ABA Commission on Law and Aging has developed detailed charts on threshold eligibility criteria for adult protective services.