Lassen County, CA, known for its natural splendor, is home to nearly 35,000 residents. Sometimes, as with people anywhere, those residents might grow older and need some help with everyday tasks. If you are looking into how to file for conservatorship in Lassen County, California, you’ve come to the right place.

There are many types and duration of conservatorship for different situations. Further, because of the risk of elder abuse, you have to jump through quite a few hoops to set up a conservatorship for a dependent adult with Adult Protective Services’ blessing.  Keep reading to get more information concerning the procedure and also how A People’s Choice can assist you.

What Is an Adult Conservatorship in Lassen County, CA?

An adult conservatorship in Lassen County, California, as with elsewhere in the Golden State, enables a competent adult to make legal or financial choices for an incapacitated individual. You can request the court grant you (the conservator) legal permission to care for the incapacitated person (the conservatee). Often, this involves an adult child becoming the conservator for an elderly, ailing parent. However, it can also involve conservators such as siblings, relatives, close friends, and even state-appointed professionals as well as conservatees including those with physical disabilities, mental illnesses, addiction, and the like.

There are three basic kinds of adult conservatorship in California: conservatorship of the estate, of the person, or both the estate and person. The type you need really depends on your loved ones and what kind of assistance they require. A conservatorship in Lassen County can be of both the estate as well as the individual, but here’s a description of each form of care individually.

Adult Conservatorship of the Person in Lassen County, CA

How to File for Conservatorship in Lassen County, CA

Are you hoping to become a conservator who can help with your loved one’s medical and personal choices? If so, you’ll need to apply to become a conservator of the person. A conservatorship of the person involves organizing food, shelter, apparel, personal care, and health care, including mental health treatment. It additionally allows the conservator to make lifestyle choices for the conservatee, such as arranging social outings.

Adult Conservatorship of the Estate in Lassen County, CA

When the Lassen County Court limits an adult conservatorship to an individual’s estate, the conservator just has control over the conservatee’s properties and funds. Simply put, with the conservatorship of the estate, the conservator can manage the conservatee’s financial resources and economic growth.

For example, this kind of lawful plan permits the conservator to utilize the conservatee’s earnings to pay their costs, real estate expenses, and investments; prepare and also submit the conservatee’s tax returns, and invest/manage real estate deals.

General vs. Limited Conservatorship

Along with the three variants of conservatorships of adults in Lassen County, California mentioned above, there are two different types of conservatorship. Here’s a description of each of these types of appointments for adults.

Limited Conservatorship

A restricted conservatorship in Lassen County allows the conservator to serve with minimal capability. This type of conservatorship is for an individual adult who needs some help but is relatively independent. For example, the court will provide a limited conservatorship in cases where an adult has permanent developmental disabilities.

In other words, this type of conservatorship permits the conservatee to remain to take care of their day-to-day life. However, it may restrict the conservatee’s authority to make economic transactions without the conservator’s support. For instance, a conservatee of this kind may need their conservator to be present if they want to purchase a house.

General Conservatorship

In contrast, the Lassen County court may give a basic conservatorship to someone who has badly jeopardized mental or physical ability due to age, mental deterioration, or injury. One scenario in which a general conservatorship is appropriate is if an individual has had a serious crash and, because of this, remains in a coma, needing constant adult life service systems to survive.

How Long Does It Take to File for Adult Conservatorship in Lassen County, CA?

Obtaining a conservatorship can be a prolonged procedure. Although it is feasible to request expedited short-term orders, in some situations, permanent orders can take between 6 to 12 months in California.

Why in the world does a conservatorship petition take so long? The conservatee, the individual who needs care, has to be examined by a physician to establish their incapacity. The procedure mainly includes submitting files with the court as well as making a couple of court appearances. The court needs extra evidence if the proposed conservatee has mental deterioration. Last but not least, there are multiple steps to this process, including a hearing, the issuing of letters, and recommended orders from the court.

What if your loved one needs urgent help and can’t wait a whole year? You can request a temporary conservatorship while waiting for a permanent conservatorship. Just submit a temporary adult conservatorship application along with the application for permanent conservatorship. You can get a temporary conservatorship hearing in as few as five days after filing the petition for conservatorship.

Lassen County, CA Court Details

Lassen County Superior Court is located at 2610 Riverside Dr., Susanville, CA 96130, United States. You can find parking and other information on their website or reach them by phone at (530) 251-8205. At the time of writing, the court is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Be sure to check with the court about the latest hours and COVID-19 restrictions (masking, social distancing, and the like) before planning your visit.

Forms Required to Declare Conservatorship in Lassen County, California

These are the types you’ll need to submit as a conservator. You can get affordable aid by filling out your conservatorship forms from A People’s Choice.

Petition, Hearing, and Form Serving

  • Petition for Appointment of Probate Conservator GC-310
  • Notice of Hearing-Guardianship or Conservatorship GC-020
  • Attachment to Notice of Hearing (Proof of Service by Mail) GC-020 (MA)
  • Citation for Conservatorship and Proof of Service GC-320

Personal Information

  • Pre-Move Notice of Proposed Change of Personal Residence GC-079
  • Confidential Supplemental Information (Probate Conservatorship) GC-312

Conservator Forms

  • Duties of Conservator and Acknowledgment of Receipt of Handbook GC-348
  • Confidential Conservator Screening Form (Probate Conservatorship) GC-314

Forms for Successful Petition

  • Order Appointing Probate Conservator GC-340
  • Letters of Conservatorship GC-350

Capacity Declaration

  • Capacity Declaration-Conservatorship GC-335
  • Dementia Attachment to Capacity Declaration – Conservatorship GC-335A
  • ATTACHMENT to Judicial Council Form MC-025

Should I Try to find a Conservatorship Attorney in Lassen County?

How to File for Conservatorship in Lassen County, CA

There is one situation in which you might want to consider hiring a lawyer: if the recommended conservatee or a member of the family officially challenges the conservatorship. In that instance, you need to attend a legal hearing, and both parties can retain an attorney for the legal process. Such situations can be rather difficult, yet a well-versed Lassen County conservatorship attorney can help.

Otherwise, a conservatorship attorney well versed in CA regulation can assist you with the overwhelming number of documents needed for conservatorship. For most folks, though, the price tag isn’t worth the extra help. You can probably deal with the documentation for a conservatorship for a lot cheaper with help from a legal document prep service like A People’s Choice.

Get Help with Your Conservatorship in Lassen County, CA

We hope you learned something concerning applying for conservatorship in Lassen County from our article. If you’d rather stay clear of a conservatorship lawyer, you can utilize a self-help center or online services like A People’s Choice as you wend your way through family court services. If your need is dire, check out our article about how to get an emergency conservatorship in California.

Completing the piles of paperwork needed to request an adult conservatorship in Lassen County, California can be frustrating. Contact A People’s Choice for additional information on getting assistance in filing via our conservatorship files prep work services. Our professional services can make it so much less complicated for you to get an adult conservatorship in Lassen County and improve your loved one’s quality of life as soon as possible. Call us today at 800-747-2780 to start your application today.