Michelle Livinghouses' Letter to the Editor on Adult Protective Service

The news that Indiana’s Adult Protective Service (APS) Program, that investigates cases of endangered adults, has been awarded to a for-profit company has left current APS professionals and providers of services for those adults with questions.  I am a retired Adult Protective Service Investigator, having served from 1998 until 2020, working out of the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office (Unit 2 – hub office), serving St. Joseph, Elkhart, Marshall, and Kosciusko Counties.  I primarily served Marshall and Kosciusko Counties.

As the news broke, a friend was on a call with an Investigator as the Investigator received an email and she realized she was losing her job.  This was cruel and unprofessional on the part of FSSA.  There are unanswered questions, and the State of Indiana and FSSA are not providing answers.  The job posting for the new company states this will be a contracted position with no benefits. Current  APS staff may choose to not apply for these jobs without benefits.  Years of valuable experience will be lost, and vulnerable adults will be at risk.  APS has been housed in hub- Prosecutor’s offices since 1988 in an agreement with the Indiana Legislature and the Indiana Prosecuting Attorney’s Council.  For years, the Hub Prosecutor's offices financially supplemented the program, as well as some of the Prosecuting Attorney’s offices in the outlying counties.  In 1998, the St. Joseph County Hub served four counties with one Director and one Investigator.  Over the years, the funding and staffing increased, along with the need for services. The program has been underfunded for many years.

Caseloads per investigator remain high.  An analysis of 2023 statistics show  the average case load per Investigator was 197.5 per year.  That would be more than one new case per Investigator every other day for a year.  This caseload indicates these seasoned and dedicated APS professionals are of great value to the program. I am concerned this change to a for-profit company will diminish the collaboration of Adult Protective Service Professionals and the many services they work with. Has FSSA and the State of Indiana just put vulnerable adults at risk?  The very idea of a for-profit company who may cut services to make a profit on the backs of Endangered Adults and a dedicated and seasoned workforce is troubling.

Shortly after taking office, St. Joseph Prosecuting Attorney Micheal Dvorak met with our APS Unit.  He asked us each to write up one or two Cases of Significance each month, to document the stories of what was and was not successful.  He wanted to understand the solutions we found and the helpful collaboration and partnership of many people in our communities.  He stated, “Although statistics are important, they do not portray the whole story. This is our opportunity to do some good. “Dedicated APS staff understand the people they serve are more than statistics.

Michelle Livinghouse, Plymouth