Most often, adults require assistance with their finances and legal matters, but can manage their own personal health care needs. Therefore, a Committee of the Person is less frequently needed. The Public Guardian and Trustee's Office is also at a disadvantage to provide these services since they require considerable personal knowledge of the client of his or her wishes. When the Public Guardian and Trustee is appointed by the Court to manage someone's affairs, this person becomes a client of the Public Guardian and Trustee. The Public Guardian and Trustee has a duty to protect the client's property and is the only person with authority to deal with those assets.
All property continues to belong to the client and is held in trust in the client's name.
The Public Guardian and Trustee's duty as Committee is to manage the assets for the client's benefit and his or her family's maintenance and care and involve them, whenever possible, in making decisions. When the client recovers and is able to manage his or her own affairs, all remaining assets are returned to him or her. For more information on how the Public Guardian and Trustee manages the assets of clients, read the Client Investments page. It is the Public Guardian and Trustee's goal as Committee to maximize the client's independence, and to allow the person to remain in as much control of his or her financial and legal decisions as possible. To the extent that the assets are secure, the Public Guardian and Trustee will try to minimize the office's involvement.