Report of suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment. Penalty for failure to report. Confidentiality. Immunity and protection from retaliation. Notice to complainant. Registry - Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17b-407

Health care providers, social workers, clergy, police officers, long-term care facility employees, sexual assault and battered women counselors, and any person that provides care to a long-term care facility resident must report their reasonable suspicion of resident abuse or neglect within 72 hours of suspecting such abuse or neglect to the Commissioner of Social Services. The report must identify the resident, the facility, the facts giving rise to the suspicion of abuse or neglect, and any other information that may help the investigation. Persons that report suspected instances of abuse or neglect may receive, upon request, notice of the findings of the Commissioner of Social Service’s investigation. 

Connecticut does not classify abuse reports as public record and exempts the reports from the Freedom of Information Act. (1-210). The Commissioner of Social Services may disclose the name of a long-term care facility, the number of complaints received regarding the facility, the number of substantiated complaints, and the type of complaints, but may not disclose the identity of the complaining resident unless the resident requests disclosure or a the complaint results in a judicial proceeding. The Commissioner must keep a registry of abuse reports, investigations, findings, and responsive actions.

Persons that report their suspicion of abuse or neglect or testify about their report, in good faith, are immune from any resulting liability.

Persons that fail to report a suspicion of abuse or neglect within 72 hours are subject to a $500 fine. Persons that intentionally fail to report abuse or neglect are guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and a Class A misdemeanor for subsequent offenses.

Persons not statutorily required to report resident abuse may report their suspicions to the Commissioner. The Commissioner must subsequently refer to the resident to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman.