Oregon Money Management Program

Session #10 Guardians, Conservators, Death and Taxes, and Resources – revised 6/23/16

Welcome to session #10 of Oregon Money Management Program Volunteer Training. In this session we will discuss:

  • Guardians
  • Conservators
  • Taxes
  • Death of a Client
  • Resources

Guardians

Guardians are appointed by the court when a person is at risk of serious harm due to their inability to make important decisions for themselves. People with severe dementia or mental illness often need a guardian.

Typically, a guardian is a family member of the protected person. However, just like the OMMP Payee and ICT programs, there are people that do not have family members that are able or appropriate to help. Where available, County or State funded guardian programs may step in to help.

In Oregon,guardians havethe authority to make decisions regarding the protected person’s healthcare, where they live, and to pay their bills unless a conservator has also been appointed. For this reason, an individual that has a guardian usually does not also need a payee.

In some cases, an Oregon Money Management Program Payee client may also have a guardian. If this is the case, the guardian would fill the role of service partner and the Payee volunteer would work closely with the guardian.

Conservator

A conservator is like a guardian, but is limited to management of financial and property matters. Because conservators manage an individual’s money there would be no need for a Payee for Bill-Pay volunteer. Typically, conservators are appointed when the protected person has a significant amount of assets.

Death

If your client dies, be sure to notify your Program Coordinator as soon as you learn of your client’s death. Your Program Coordinator will provide you with instructions on how to proceed.

Income Taxes

Most program clients do not need to file income taxes because their incomes are under the threshold required by the IRS. Generally, individuals that have Social Security benefits as their primary source of income will not need to pay taxes if their income is under $25,000. However, if your client does need to file it’s not your responsibility to fill out the tax forms. You may help your client gather information needed for a tax preparer. There are free tax services available to seniors and low-income tax payers throughout the state. To find free tax services, consult the Adult and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) by calling 1-855-673-2372 or visiting

Two Online Resource/Referral Services

In Oregon there are two very good on-line resource and referral services. One is called 211 and the other is ADRC. Both of these resource centers have the most current information about resources’ offered in local communities as well as by county, state and federal governments. On both sites users are asked for their zip code and keywords so the system can search for services available in specific areas. With both services you can also speak to a real person that will help you or yourclient navigate the system and locate needed services.

Help is available by dialing 211 on your phone or visiting the Oregon 211 website. 211 has free information about more than 7,000 health, community, and social services, and is available in every Oregon County.

ADRC stands for Adult and Disability Resource Connection. You can access the system by phone or online. The program is also free but is focused on senior and disability services. In addition to being able to search for services in a specific area, ADRC offers options counselors, who work one-on-one with an individual to help guide them to needed services, acquire service application and, if needed, help filling out application forms. Visit call 1-855-673-2372.

This concludes session #10 of the OMMP volunteer training. For questions about information covered in this session, please contact your Program Coordinator or Team Leader.

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