No. However, a conservator must file an inventory and annual accounts, so if the ward has few or no assets, a conservatorship may not be needed or appropriate.
In accordance with the law in the District of Columbia, a guardian may establish a residence for the ward outside the District of Columbia.
No, the Judge to whom a report is forwarded cannot be selected by anyone. Each Report of Guardian will be forwarded to the Judge assigned to that particular ward’s intervention case.
Although the Report of Guardian can be handwritten, guardians are strongly advised to use the interactive form on the website to type the report and print it out for filing. If the Report of Guardian form is typed or saved to a personal computer, it can be updated with any changes every six months, printed, and filed.
The Probate staff is available to take the oath required on the petition for a general proceeding or the Report of Guardian.
Letters of conservatorship and orders terminating conservatorships must be filed or recorded in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds so that notice of the transfer of title is on file. There is a fee associated with this filing.
A small bank account held on the ward’s behalf may be listed on the Report of Guardian in paragraph 22. The Court determines what qualifies as "small."
Take the Letters of conservatorship, your identification, and the ward’s Social Security number to a District of Columbia bank that is conveniently located. Open a bank account that is titled in the name of the subject and yourself as conservator. Usually, this is a checking account that returns checks and provides monthly bank statements because bank statements and canceled checks are needed to prepare the annual account and copies must be presented with the account.
Contact the DC Office of Aging and Disability Resource Center at (202) 724-5626 for a list of available day programs in the DC area for an elderly or disabled ward. The Court’s Guardianship Assistance Program at (202) 879-9407 may also be able to provide guidance and assistance.
If a ward has assets consisting of less than the Medicaid resource and income limits, apply for Medicaid, also known as DC medical assistance. Once the ward is found to be eligible, Medicaid will pay the difference between any income that the ward has and the nursing home bill, less a small monthly personal needs allowance for the ward.
