Nevada panel recommends more oversight of professional guardians
More changes could be coming for Nevada’s guardianship programs, including tighter restrictions on for-profit guardians and a new state officer charged with overseeing and investigating cases of fraud or abuse.
The proposals come amid a push for increased oversight and stricter rules in Nevada’s guardianship courts, which annually handle more than 3,000 cases across the state.
The Nevada Supreme Court commissioned a panel to analyze issues in the guardianship courts after a series of Review-Journal stories published in 2015 detailed a lack of oversight that left wards vulnerable to fraud while rarely having legal representation. A ward is person under guardianship who was deemed incapacitated unable to care for themselves.
Sen. Becky Harris, R-Las Vegas, and Assemblyman Mike Sprinkle, D-Sparks, were part of that panel and have brought some of the panel’s recommendations to the Nevada Legislature.
Assembly Bill 130, introduced by Sprinkle on Monday, would create the Office of the State Public Guardian. The state’s top guardian would be appointed by the state Supreme Court. The office would include two investigators and two auditors who could assist local courts in investigating cases where abuse or fraud are suspected.
“It will be a far more transparent and independent process when those audits or investigations need to occur,” Sprinkle said.
Sprinkle’s other bill, AB 150, would require for-profit guardians to be fingerprinted every five years and agree to undergo an FBI background check. He said several other bills are being drafted based on recommendations from the panel.
Senate Bill 168, a bill from Harris, establishes a ward’s “Bill of Rights.” The 17-point list includes ensuring every ward has an attorney is given copies of all the documents submitted to the court and is treated “with respect and dignity.”
Harris’ other bill, SB 158, would make it easier to remove guardians who violate a ward’s rights.
Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.
