Guide to Guardianship - For Lay Guardians Appointed Under Article 81 of the New York State Mental Hygiene Law 

• What is a Guardian?
• From Court Hearing to Guardianship Commission
• The First 90 Days
• The Guardian for Personal Needs
• The Guardian for Property Management
• The Initial & Annual Reports
• Ending a Guardianship

Sia Arnason, MSW
Julia Spring, MSW, JD
Guardian Assistance Network
Vera Institute of Justice

Debra Sacks, LPN, JD
Sadin Institute on Law, Aging and Public Policy
Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College

Acknowledgments

The Guide to Guardianship for Lay Guardians Appointed under Article 81 of the New York State Mental Hygiene Law was prepared for lay guardians in New York State with support from the State Justice Institute.   Points of view expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the State Justice Institute.

Additional support has been provided by the Florence V. Burden Foundation, the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, FJC, a Foundation of Donor Advised Funds. We are grateful for their encouragement and support.

The Guide was written and assembled by the coordinators of the Guardian Assistance Network, a spin-off of the Vera Institute of Justice, in collaboration with the staff of the Sadin Institute on Law, Aging and Public Policy of the Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College of the City University of New York. It has been approved by the Office of Guardianship and Fiduciary Services, New York State Office of Court Administration.

The Guardianship Assistance Network, located at Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn, is spin-off of the Guardianship Project of the Vera Institute of Justice, an independent nonprofit that works with leaders in government and civil society to improve the services and systems people rely on for justice and safety. The Guardian Assistance Network is now operated by the New York Unified Court System.

The Sadin Institute on Law, Aging and Public Policy of the Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College of the City University of New York is an interdisciplinary project that acts as a legal support program for professionals of all kinds who are engaged in providing advocacy assistance to the elderly poor in obtaining legal entitlements.