Frequently Asked Questions

Mandated Reporters are required by Hawai‘i Revised Statutes §346-224 to report vulnerable adult abuse because of their professional or official duties.

Mandated reporters must submit a written report as well as an oral report. Submission of the DHS 1640-WEB online report form meets the written report requirement.

As soon as possible:

• Call the Statewide Adult Protective Services (APS) reporting line: (808) 832-5115.
• Submit the DHS 1640-WEB online report form, including after business hours.

Non-mandated Reporters are members of the general public who want to report an incident they believe involves vulnerable adult abuse.

Non-mandated reporters may choose to either:

• Provide their contact information so APS may follow up for more details, or
• Submit an anonymous report by calling the Statewide APS Reporting Line at (808) 832-5115.

Financial Institution Reporters are officers and employees of banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions. Under Hawai‘i Revised Statutes §412:3-114.5, they are required to report suspected financial abuse of an elder.

Use the financial institution pathway when:

• You are a financial institution officer or employee.
• The alleged victim is an elder, 62 years or older.
• You have a good-faith belief that financial abuse appears to have occurred.

This pathway uses the DHS 1648 report, which is shorter than the DHS 1640 and focuses on financial abuse. If these criteria do not all apply, use the mandated or non-mandated pathway instead.

To file the DHS 1648 Financial Institution Dual Reporting Form for Elder Financial Abuse, use the financial institution pathway. It is the online version of the DHS 1648, and it is only for officers and employees of financial institutions.

The DHS 1648 is for suspected financial abuse of an elder aged 62 or older. If the alleged victim is younger than 62, or you suspect a type of abuse that is not financial, the DHS 1648 does not apply. Use the mandated or non-mandated pathway to file the DHS 1640 instead.

Before you begin, have as much of this information ready as you can:

• Your name, title, institution, department, and institution address
• The alleged victim’s contact information, living arrangement, and present location
• The alleged perpetrator’s identity, contact information, and relationship to the alleged victim
• What you observed, including whether the alleged victim was accompanied by the alleged perpetrator
• Any witnesses or other people with knowledge of the situation, such as institution staff or family members

Please have all relevant documents ready before beginning your report, and provide as much information as possible about:

• The Alleged Victim
• The Alleged Perpetrator(s)
• The incident(s) of alleged abuse

If multiple alleged victims are involved, please complete a separate report for each victim.

If you work at a financial institution and suspect financial abuse of an elder, see the questions for financial institution reporters.

Yes. Access to an email account is required, because verification codes are delivered by email.

If you don’t have access to an email account, you can:

• Call the Statewide APS Reporting Line at (808) 832-5115, or
• Use the PDF version of the DHS 1640 Report Form, or, for financial institution reporters, the PDF version of the DHS 1648 Dual Reporting Form.

1. On the home page, in the “Mandated reporting” card, click Get started.
2. Read the information page and click Continue.
3. Enter your email address and click Send Verification Code.
4. Check your email for a 6-digit code.
5. Enter the code and click Confirm to log in and begin your report.

1. On the home page, in the “Non-mandated reporting” card, click Get started.
2. Read the information page and click Continue.
3. Enter your email address and click Send Verification Code.
4. Check your email for a 6-digit code.
5. Enter the code and click Confirm to log in and begin your report.

1. On the home page, in the “Financial institution reporting” card, click Get started.
2. Confirm that the criteria on the information page apply, then click Continue.
3. Enter your email address and click Send Verification Code.
4. Check your email for a 6-digit code.
5. Enter the code and click Confirm to log in and begin your report.

If you don’t receive a verification code within 5 minutes:

• Check your junk or spam folder.
• Click Resend code to request another code.

You may log out at any time. To log out, click My Account and select Logout.

1. On the home page, click Sign in at the top of the page.
2. Enter your email address and request a new verification code (the same way you signed in originally).
3. After confirming your contact information, click Continue to reach your dashboard, where all of your unfinished reports are listed.

You have 24 hours to finish an unsubmitted report. After that you can no longer return to it, and it is permanently deleted shortly afterward.

• Click Continue at the bottom of each screen to save your progress and move on to the next screen.
• To go back to a previous screen, use the progress-bar icons at the top of the page.

You will be asked to review a Report Summary before submitting your report.

Yes, but you need to save it at the time you submit. After submitting, you can:

• Download and/or print a PDF copy of your report directly from the confirmation screen.
• Open a copy that’s automatically emailed to the address you provided.

Submitted reports are not kept in your account, so they are not listed on your dashboard. Download a copy from the confirmation screen before you leave it, and keep the copy emailed to you.

If you need another copy later, contact Adult Protective Services directly at 808-832-5115 or SSDOahuAPCS@dhs.hawaii.gov. You will be asked to verify your identity.

Yes. After submitting a report, you can start a new one from the confirmation screen. If multiple alleged victims are involved, please complete a separate report for each victim.

No. Under Hawai‘i Revised Statutes §412:3-114.5, a financial institution must report suspected financial abuse of an elder to both Adult Protective Services (APS) and the appropriate County Police Department.

Submitting the online report notifies APS only. It does not complete your duty to the police. Report to the police department for the county involved (Honolulu, Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i, or Maui), using your institution’s Police / APCSB Contact Sheet.

If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.

For technical support navigating the DHS 1640-WEB Online Report Form, email support@mauisdc.com.

For questions about the content of a report, contact the Adult Intake Unit:

• Email SSDOahuAPCS@dhs.hawaii.gov
• Call (808) 832-5115

Anonymous reports are not accepted through this online form. For anonymous reporting, please call the Statewide APS Reporting Line at (808) 832-5115.