Editorial: Guardian rules offer better protection
11:00 PM, Jan. 29, 2012
New policies mean the men and women charged with handling the affairs of Outagamie County's more vulnerable residents face stricter oversight.
They also mean the county is sending a clear message to guardians that they must keep things above board. Officials won't tolerate another situation like that of Appleton's Jeffrey M. Schend, who is facing trial for theft charges stemming from his guardianship service business.
Outagamie County's new oversight rules require guardians to provide detailed financial records for their clients, who have been deemed incapable of handling their own affairs. The county will choose random cases for review.
The solution makes sense because it puts responsibility on guardians to show how they're spending their clients' money, and because it doesn't pile more work onto county employees.
In an ideal world, however, stricter oversight would stretch beyond Outagamie County's borders. State laws should be changed to allow better oversight of guardians, because right now the state doesn't require detailed audits.
And more information about guardians — who are actually approved by the state — should be shared between counties.
The Schend case provides an example of why that's necessary. Shawano County won a judgment against him in 2010 for mishandling a client's finances. A complaint from Waupaca County prompted a state investigation while Outagamie County was looking into his work.
While the majority of guardians work with their charges' best interests at heart, potential problems with guardians in Wisconsin are serious enough to merit stricter statewide regulations.
We don't need more frustrated families, and we certainly can't take the chance of seeing more ripped-off elderly and disabled Wisconsinites.
Please read complete article at link below:
http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20120130/APC0602/201300404/Editorial-Guardian-rules-offer-better-protection
Saturday, February 4, 2012
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