{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-43a-43a-10-104v1","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 43A, § 43A-10-104v1","heading":"Persons required to report abuse – Contents of","body":"report – Penalty – Immunity – False reports – Reporting of\n\nsuspicious deaths – Impairment of employment prohibited.\n\nA. 1. Any person having reasonable cause to believe that a\n\nvulnerable adult is suffering from abuse, neglect, or exploitation\n\nshall make a report to either the Department of Human Services, the\n\noffice of the district attorney in the county in which the suspected\n\nabuse, neglect, or exploitation occurred or the local municipal\n\npolice department or sheriff's department as soon as the person is\n\naware of the situation.\n\n2. a. If a report is made to the Department of Human\n\nServices, the county office, after investigating the\n\nreport, shall forward its findings to the office of\n\nthe district attorney in the county in which the\n\nsuspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation occurred.\n\nb. The findings shall also be sent to any state agency\n\nwith concurrent jurisdiction over persons or issues\n\nidentified in the investigation, including, where\n\nappropriate, the State Department of Health, the\n\nOklahoma Board of Nursing, or any other appropriate\n\nstate licensure or certification board, agency, or\n\nregistry.\n\nB. Persons required to make reports pursuant to this section\n\nshall include, but not be limited to:\n\n1. Physicians;\n\n2. Operators of emergency response vehicles and other medical\n\nprofessionals;\n\n3. Social workers and mental health professionals;\n\n4. Law enforcement officials;\n\n5. Staff of domestic violence programs; and\n\n6. Long-term care facility personnel.\n\nC. The report shall contain the name and address of the\n\nvulnerable adult, the name and address of the caretaker, if any, and\n\na description of the current location and current condition of the\n\nvulnerable adult and of the situation which may constitute abuse,\n\nneglect or exploitation of the vulnerable adult.\n\nD. Any person who knowingly and willfully fails to promptly\n\nreport any abuse, neglect, or exploitation as required by the\n\nprovisions of subsections A and B of this section, upon conviction,\n\nshall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the\n\ncounty jail for a term not exceeding one (1) year or by a fine of\n\nnot more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by both such fine\n\nand imprisonment.\n\nE. 1. Any person participating in good faith and exercising\n\ndue care in the making of a report pursuant to the provisions of\n\nthis section shall have immunity from any civil or criminal\n\nliability that might otherwise be incurred or imposed. Any such\n\nparticipant shall have the same immunity with respect to\n\nparticipation in any judicial proceeding resulting from such report.\n\n2. The same immunity from any civil or criminal liability shall\n\nalso be extended to previous employers of a person employed to be\n\nresponsible for the care of a vulnerable adult, who in good faith\n\nreport to new employers or prospective employers of such caretaker\n\nany misconduct of the caretaker including, but not limited to,\n\nabuse, neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult, whether\n\nconfirmed or not.\n\nF. Any person who willfully or recklessly makes a false report\n\nshall be civilly liable for any actual damages suffered by the\n\nperson being reported and for any punitive damages set by the court\n\nor jury which may be allowed in the discretion of the court or jury.\n\nG. Any state or county medical examiner or physician who has\n\nreasonable cause to suspect that the death of any vulnerable adult\n\nmay be the result of abuse or neglect as defined by Section 10-103\n\nof this title shall make a report to the district attorney of the\n\ncounty in which the death occurred. The report shall include the\n\nname of the person making the report, the name of the deceased\n\nperson, the facts or other evidence supporting such suspicion, and\n\nany other information that may be of assistance to the district\n\nattorney in conducting an investigation into the matter.\n\nH. No employer shall terminate the employment, prevent or\nrict attorney of the\n\ncounty in which the death occurred. The report shall include the\n\nname of the person making the report, the name of the deceased\n\nperson, the facts or other evidence supporting such suspicion, and\n\nany other information that may be of assistance to the district\n\nattorney in conducting an investigation into the matter.\n\nH. No employer shall terminate the employment, prevent or\n\nimpair the practice or occupation of or impose any other sanction on\n\nany employee solely for the reason that the employee made or caused\n\nto be made a report or cooperated with an investigation pursuant to\n\nthe Protective Services for Vulnerable Adults Act. A court, in\n\naddition to other damages and remedies, may assess reasonable\n\nattorney fees against an employer who has been found to have\n\nviolated the provisions of this subsection.","path":["OK Code","Title 43A"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os43A.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"f4f0dd952c2ca3e53887e4373a52eca9737477d828629397c7560d91e12a81ce","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-43a-43a-10-104","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-43a-43a-10-104v2"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}