Proposed Changes to Ohio Guardianship System

Currently, Ohio does not have codified statewide standards for the state’s guardianship system. Rather, standards that guardians must meet vary by county, and recent investigations in the state have exposed abuse of those in the guardian’s care and ineffective enforcement of existing standards.

To address these concerns, Rep. Dorothy Pelanda and Sen. Shannon Jones, are backing House Bill 624. The proposed legislation would create a ward’s bill of rights, and give those appointed guardians by the state’s probate courts rights such as being “treated with dignity and respect.” The text of the bill may be read here.

See Lucas Sullivan, Josh Jarman, & Mike Wagner, Bill Would Spell out Wards’ Legal Rights in Guardianship System, The Columbus Dispatch, Oct. 5, 2014.

Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.