Intake
The first step to all our services is the referral process. Click Here to take a look at our referral form for the guardian service. Our internal guardian team leader reviews the referral and advises the referring individual or company on whether or not it is a mutual fit for our company to serve as Guardian. Once we have accepted, the referring individual or company will then complete a court petition form (Click Here to see the petition document). Once that form is complete it needs to be filed the court. Please note that there is a $20.00 filing fee that will be due at the time of filing to the court. A court hearing will be scheduled once the judge has had an opportunity to review the petition. At the appointment hearing any objections to the need of guardianship or petitioned individual/company to be appointed will be heard. The judge will ultimately make the decision on whether there is a need for a guardian and who will be appointed to conduct that service.
Tenure
If Guardian, Inc is appointed Guardian the client will be assigned a specific Guardian worker from our organization that will be responsible for managing the clients medical and placement decisions. Our organization will direct the client’s pension and social security income to pay the expenses and distribute the remaining funds to the client for personal use. The Guardian will attend medical appointments, make medical decisions, assist in moving, establish appropriate care in and out of the home, and maintain medical insurance that is appropriate to their medical needs. The Guardian will work with care facilities to conduct care agreements, attend medication reviews, and negotiate the price of care. The Guardian will be responsible for completing quarterly visits to assess the client and those reports will be given to court and legally interested family members for review. The Guardian will work with the interested parties to ensure that there is a collective response and approach to the client’s needs. Once the client is nearing the end of life, the Guardian will ensure that end of life plans are established based on the desire of the client and input of the legally interested parties.
Discharge
There are several different reasons why a guardian client would be discharged from Guardian, Inc:
- A new Guardian has been appointed by the court. When a new guardian is appointed, our organization will release the necessary information regarding the client to help establish their new authority. The new guardian is responsible for redirecting the client’s income and mail.
- A client deceases. At the time a client deceases the Guardian is required to stop any expenditures from the clients account, preserve any assets until the court directs a final distribution, and notify the court and Social Security (if applicable) of the clients death.
- The client has regained the ability to manage their own affairs. This is a very rare, but this is common if our client suffered a tragic accident that temporarily suspended the ability to manage their own affairs, such as a comma, and over a period of time they have regained the mental ability to manage those affairs.