Ventura Public Administrator brochure

Source: https://www.venturacounty.gov/human-services-agency/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2024/02/VCHSA-Public-Administrator_brochure_56-19-107_02-2024_ENG_8.5.pdf

Public Administrator The Public Administrator Public Guardian and Public Guardian protect vulnerable adults in Ventura For more information about the County of Ventura Public Administrator and County by helping Public Guardian, please call (805) 654-3141. them manage their affairs, or ensuring the fair dissolution of their he County of Ventura Human Services estates. Agency provides public services that promote self-sufficiency, safety, T health and well-being. Our programs and services help ensure the protection of Referral line for children, the elderly and dependent adults. health, human and We also provide a safety net for individuals community services. and families who need assistance with basic necessities, such as food, housing and health care. Additionally, we help people secure employment through education, training, job search skills, and job placement.

Programs for Special
(805) 654-5000 Populations
www.ventura.org

Toll-Free: (866) 904-9362
www.vchsa.org

HSA-079 3/12

A helping hand or developmental disabilities, who can no longer care for The Public Guardian themselves and have no one else to provide the necessary • Locates and takes control of the conservatee’s Pursuant to California care. Probate and Lanterman-Petris-Short are the two assets statutes and under main types of conservatorships. • Collects income due to the conservatee authority of the California • Creates a budget to show what the conservatee Probate Conservatorships Superior Court, the can afford Probate Conservatorships are for vulnerable adults, Ventura County Public primarily seniors, who lack the capacity to make decisions • Pays the conservatee’s bills • Invests the conservatee’s money Administrator and Public due to a health condition which is not expected to improve. • Protects the conservatee’s assets. Guardian’s office provides Appointed by the Superior Court, the Public Guardian may take care of the person, making medical decisions Services for all conservatee’s include collaboration an array of services to and deciding where the conservatee will live. The Public and consultation on the appropriate placement in adult residents who can Guardian may also act as a conservator of the estate, licensed residential facilities, access for mental health no longer provide for making financial decisions and protecting property. and medical treatment, protection of property, financial management and advocacy.their own care, safety and A Limited Probate Conservatorship cares for individuals financial stability, and have with developmental disabilities such as mental retardation, Fees for services are charged monthly to the client cerebral palsy, epilepsy, or autism. The conservator arranges per Probate Code guidelines and Court approval. no other alternative. for the client’s care and protection, determines where he For more information about the County of Ventura or she will live, and makes appropriate arrangements for Public Administrator and Public Guardian, please call healthcare, housekeeping, transportation and recreation. (805) 654-3141. Referrals to the Probate Conservatorship program may Public Administrator hospitals, nursing homes, mortuaries, and the Medical be made by any interested party. All alternatives to Examiner’s office. Fees for services are paid from the conservatorship must be investigated. Decedent Estates Decedent’s Estate per the California Probate Code. The Public Administrator investigates and administers the Lanterman-Petris-Short Conservatorships estates for deceased Ventura County residents when no The 1997 Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (LPS) provides for one else is w

Decedent’s Estate per the California Probate Code.

The Public Administrator investigates and administers the Lanterman-Petris-Short Conservatorships estates for deceased Ventura County residents when no The 1997 Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (LPS) provides for one else is willing or able to act on their behalf. The Public Administrator people who are gravely disabled as a result of a severe mental Public Administrator secures property and assets, locates Representative Payee Program for Social Security Benefits disorder or chronic alcoholism; incapable of providing for family members, oversees final disposition arrangements, The Representative Payee Program provides bill-paying their own food, clothing or shelter, and who do not agree and assists eligible families in making final arrangements. support to Ventura County Behavioral Health clients who to voluntary treatment. Working in collaboration with receive Social Security and other public benefits. Services Ventura County Behavioral Health, the Public Guardian Services include completion of the Probate process for include management of the client’s income and expenses, coordinates a client’s individualized treatment program in decedent estates, and distribution of assets to heirs. and preparation of periodic accounting reports to the Social a licensed facility, manages his or her assets, authorizes The Superior Court may appoint the Public Administrator Security Administration. This program ensures that client medical care when ordered by the Court, and coordinates when: benefits are used for basic needs such as housing, food, social services, if needed. LPS conservatorships expire in • No executor or administrator has been appointed medical care, clothing, and personal necessities. one year unless the Public Guardian seeks reappointment. • The estate is being wasted, uncared for, or lost Referrals to the LPS Conservatorship program originate • The will names the Public Administrator as the estate Public Guardian from the psychiatric hospital where a client is receiving administrator Conservatorship Services for those who need Protection treatment. For Ventura County, this means all LPS referrals • An heir wishes to have the Public Administrator The Public Guardian establishes conservatorships to protect come from Hillmont Psychiatric Center or Aurora Vista del oversee the estate. vulnerable Ventura County residents, including those with Mar Hospital. All alternatives to conservatorship must be Referrals to the Public Administrator are made by chronic mental illness, dementia, traumatic brain injury, and/ investigated.