Bill > HB5649

This bill clarifies when confidential records concerning adults and residents of facilities, particularly those related to abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation, can be shared with government entities and used in administrative hearings. Specifically, it expands the types of governmental entities, including federal, state, and local agencies and law enforcement, that can receive these records for investigations, and it establishes a procedure for disclosing these records in administrative hearings, requiring a written motion and an order from a hearing officer after reviewing the record's relevance. The bill also mandates that identifying information in disclosed records be redacted unless it's essential for the hearing, and that records used in hearings must be returned afterward, with further limitations on their use during judicial appeals. Additionally, it allows for the disclosure of summaries of investigative reports to individuals who have abused, neglected, or financially exploited a vulnerable adult, and to specific entities like the State Auditor's Office for investigative purposes.

Justice

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=5649&year=2026&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill