Resuming California Conservatorships: 6 Important Things You Should Know (Pt. 1), here, we’ll highlight some more crucial info to know if you are considering stepping into the role of conservator.
More Important Info About California Conservatorships
3 – When California conservatorships have been granted, Letters of Conservatorship will be issued.
These Letters are proof of California conservatorships and conservators’ authority over specific aspects of conservatees’ lives. While Letters of Conservatorship can lay out some specific duties or responsibilities that conservators have, conservators can have a number of other powers not specifically delineated in these Letters.
Retaining copies of Letters of Conservatorships can be crucial to the fulfillment of conservator duties. In particular, some of the ways that these Letters can be helpful include in:
- Opening up bank accounts for conservatees.
- Changing mailing addresses at the Post Office for conservatees.
- Moving around conservatees’ funds (for the purposes of investment and/or satisfying living expenses, for instance).
- Proving to medical professionals that conservators have the legal authority to make decisions about conservatees’ medical care.
If you’ve been granted a California conservatorship and never received one of these Letters, it’s advised that you contact an experienced lawyer who can help you resolve the holdup/complications.
4 – Conservatees have some specific rights.
In fact, according to the California Bar Association, conservatees’ rights include (but may not be exclusive to) the rights to:
- Request a change of conservator from a judge.
- Request the end of the conservatorship.
- Directly receive a salary or allowance.
- Alter his or her will.
- Receive personal mail.
- Retain his or her own lawyer.
- Get married, vote, control personal spending and/or have visits from friends and family – as long as a judge has not specifically barred any of these activities (which can occur if such activities are risky and/or generally not perceived to be in the best interest of the conservatee/public for whatever reason).
When conservatees reside in assisted care and living facilities, they will also have the rights specifically outlined in California’s Patient’s Bill of Rights. If your loved one is a conservatee in California, understanding the rights (s)he has can be important to ensuring that his California conservatorship is offering the appropriate protections.
Be sure to look for the final installment of this blog series for some more important info about California conservatorships.
San Fernando and Santa Clarita Estate Planning Attorney at the Law Offices of Darrell C. Harriman
Do you need help obtaining a conservatorship? If so, the trusted San Fernando and Santa Clarita Estate Planning Attorney Darrell C. Harriman is here for you. When people make the smart choice to move forward with San Fernando Estate Planning Attorney Darrell C. Harriman, they can be assured that they will:
- Receive clear answers and information about their case.
- Have an experienced, skilled lawyer listening and responding to their legal concerns.
- Have the optimal chances of bringing their case to a successful resolution.
You can get professional advice about of your estate planning needs during an initial consultation. To schedule this meeting, contact our firm today by calling (818) 946-0412 or by filling out the contact form on this page.
From our offices based in North Hills, we provide the highest quality legal services to our clients throughout the San Fernando Valley, Simi Valley, Santa Clarita and the greater Los Angeles area.