Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB736%20SUB1.htm&yr=2008&sesstype=RS&i=736
Timestamp: 2018-03-22 12:28:28
Document Index: 354737751

Matched Legal Cases: ['§37', '§44', '§44', '§ 37', '§44', '§44', '§44', '§37']

SB 736 Text
SB736 SUB1 Senate Bill 736 History
SB736 SUB1
A BILL to amend and reenact §37-1-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended ; to amend and reenact §44A-1-8 of said code; and to amend and reenact §44A-3-5 of said code, all relating generally to persons under legal disability, including protected persons ; clarifying the sale of real estate for persons under legal disability, including protected persons ; clarifying when a conservator appointment is exempted; and making technical corrections.
That § 37-1-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended , be amended and reenacted; that §44A-1-8 of said code be amended and reenacted; and that §44A-3-5 of said code be amended and reenacted , all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1. LANDS OF PERSONS WITH LEGAL DISABILITY, AND LANDS HELD IN TRUST.
37-1-3. Guardian ad litem.
(a) Any adult individual may be appointed to serve as a guardian, a conservator or both upon a showing by the individual of the necessary education, ability and background to perform the duties of guardian or conservator and upon a determination by the court that the individual is capable of providing an active and suitable program of guardianship or conservatorship for the protected person. The individual may not be employed by or affiliated with any public agency, entity or facility that is providing substantial services or financial assistance to the protected person.
: Provided, That the (b) The court may, after first determining it to be in the best interest of the protected person, appoint coguardians, coconservators or both: Provided, however, That the individual is not employed by or affiliated with any public agency, entity or facility which is providing substantial services or financial assistance to the protected person.
(b) (d) Any nonprofit corporation chartered in this state and licensed as set forth in subsection (c) (e) of this section or a public agency that is not a provider of health care services to the protected person may be appointed to serve as a guardian, a conservator or both: Provided, That the entity is capable of providing an active and suitable program of guardianship or conservatorship for the protected person and is not otherwise providing substantial services or financial assistance to the protected person.
(c) (e) A nonprofit corporation chartered in this state may be appointed to serve as a guardian or conservator or as a limited or temporary guardian or conservator for a protected person if it is licensed to do so by the Secretary of Health and Human Resources. The secretary shall propose legislative rules, for promulgation in accordance with the provisions of chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, for the licensure of nonprofit corporations and shall provide for the review of the licenses. The rules shall, at a minimum, establish standards to assure that any corporation licensed for guardianship or conservatorship:
(4) Will assure that the protected person is receiving appropriate educational, vocational, residential and medical services in the setting least restrictive of the individual's personal liberty;
(d)(f) A duly licensed nonprofit corporation that has been appointed to serve as a guardian or as a conservator pursuant to the provisions of this article is entitled to compensation in accordance with the provisions of section thirteen of this article.
(e) (g) Except as provided in section thirteen of this article, no guardian or conservator nor any officer, agent, director, servant or employee of any guardian or conservator may do business with or in any way profit, either directly or indirectly, from the estate or income of any protected person for whom services are being performed by the guardian or conservator.
(f) (h) A person who has an interest as a creditor of a protected person is not eligible for appointment as either a guardian or conservator of the protected person, except that a Any bank or trust company authorized to exercise trust powers or to engage in trust business in this state may be appointed as a conservator if the court determines it is capable of providing suitable conservatorship for the protected person.
(g) (i) The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources shall designate a the adult protective services division of the county of appointment, or another or agency under his or her jurisdiction, which may to be appointed to serve as a guardian, but an appointment may only be made if when there is no other individual, nonprofit corporation or other public agency that is equally or better qualified and willing to serve: Provided, That when any sheriff was initially appointed as guardian for the person, the. The department may not refuse to accept the guardianship appointment. If the department has been appointed as conservator, it may petition the circuit court to be released as conservator, when ordered by the court, but may not be appointed as conservator.
(h) (j) The sheriff of the county in which a court has assumed jurisdiction may shall be appointed as a conservator but the appointment may only be made if when there is no other individual, nonprofit corporation or other public agency that is equally or better qualified and willing to serve: Provided, That when the department of health and human resources was initially appointed as conservator for the person, the . The sheriff may not refuse to accept the conservatorship appointment. If the sheriff has been appointed as guardian, he or she may petition the circuit court to be released as guardian, when ordered by the court, but may not be appointed as guardian.
(k) A conservator shall not be appointed when the alleged protected person's total assets are worth less than six hundred dollars or the alleged protected person's income is: (1) From the Social Security Administration and a representative payee has been appointed to act in the best interest of the individual; (2) from Medicaid and the only income distributed to the individual is the personal account allotment; or (3) less than fifty dollars per month or six hundred dollars per year. In these instances, the guardian, representative payee or health care facility, if there is no other person or entity, shall manage the personal care account or assets.
(i) Other than a bank or trust company authorized to exercise trust powers or to engage in trust business in this state, a person who has an interest as a creditor of a protected person is not eligible for appointment as either a guardian or conservator of the protected person.
(a) A conservator shall not sell real estate and shall not be authorized to mortgage any real estate without approval of the court. until thirty days after persons entitled to notice of hearing of the original petition are notified, and the court has considered any objections and determined whether additional bond is required.
(NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to generally update antiquated provisions dealing with the sale of real estate for persons with legal disabilities, including protected persons, and references §44A-3-5, which requires a conservator to petition the court or mental hygiene commissioner for the sale of property of a protected person and appoint counsel or a guardian ad litem. The bill further clarifies that a conservator may not be appointed when the protected person's total assets are worth less than six hundred dollars, or when the protected person's income is from Social Security, Medicaid, or less than fifty dollars per month.
§37-1-3 has been completely rewritten; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.