A Guardianship doesn’t have to go on forever
A Guardian of the Person or Guardian of the Estate is appointed by a Court in a situation where an individual is found to be presently “incapacitated” and unable to manage their affairs regarding financial, residential, medical, occupational and other major decisions. If the individual previously signed a durable general power of attorney or medical power of attorney, there...
Thwarted by HIPPA rules? Persevere.
Protected health information can’t be disclosed to anyone but the patient or the patient’s authorized recipients. If you are the court-appointed Guardian of an incapacitated person, or you are a designated Agent under a Health Care Proxy or Health Care Power of Attorney, you may have encountered roadblocks in trying to get access to the records of the person you are acting for....
Protective arrangements may be necessary for individuals impaired due to drug addiction
When one thinks about “guardianship,” one usually thinks about cases involving dementia or severe developmental/intellectual disabilities, or perhaps the residuals of traumatic brain injury. The definition of “incapacitated” is broader than that. In the New Jersey probate code, “incapacitated individual” is defined to include someone “who is impaired...
Person under Guardianship still has the right to vote
When a Court enters an order in a guardianship action that finds a person to be “incapacitated,” the Court is required in New Jersey to consider the functional areas in which the person needs or does not need a surrogate decision-maker, and must fashion the least restrictive arrangement that is consistent with the individual’s best interests. The Court can structure the...
There are some limits on what Guardians in NJ can do without court approval
A Legal Guardian is a person appointed by a court to be the decision-maker for a person who is incapacitated as defined by law, and unable to manage all or some of his/her affairs. The court rules provide the complex procedures (N.J. R. 4:86-1 et seq), but the powers and duties of the guardian, as well as further details about how the court has to handle the case, are found in the statutes,...