Public guardian and administrator describe guardianship, estate caseload pressures and alternatives

Sue, a staff member in the Washington County Public Guardian’s office, told the Citizen Advisory Board that guardianship is a court-ordered process for people judged unable to make their own decisions and said it can remove many civil rights. “Guardianship removes a person's civil rights. They remove their ability to make their decisions about a lot of stuff,” Sue said, adding that guardians sometimes lose the ability to vote, possess firearms or decide where to live.

Sue urged residents to use alternatives where possible, including powers of attorney for health care or finances, living wills, trusts and Nevada’s supported decision-making protections passed in 2018. “My biggest message is y’all do your paperwork. Do your paperwork,” she said, describing supported decision-making as a way to limit guardianship to only the issues that are necessary.

Separately, staff from the Washoe County public administrator’s office (identified in the meeting as Nicole and other office staff) described how the office is appointed to administer estates when no family can be found. The office said it operates under the statute recorded in the meeting as “NRS 2 53,” which staff said authorizes inspectors to enter decedents’ homes and safe-deposit boxes to locate wills, trusts and contact information for heirs.

The public-administrator presenters described a heavy caseload and the range of estates they handle. They said the office handled roughly 357 cases in 2024 and reported current open caseloads of about 320; the office is staffed by roughly 11 case managers plus supervisors and administrative personnel. Staff said most estates are small—many under $5,000—and that estates under $25,000 typically fall into streamlined administration categories. By contrast, they noted the office is also closing very large estates (an example given in the meeting was an estate with roughly $4.5 million in assets).

Staff emphasized the office’s statutory fee collection (the same statutory fee an independent administrator would collect), that estate costs are paid from the estate rather than county funds, and that the office takes steps to protect assets when abuse is suspected—freezing accounts, canceling cards and filing police reports when appropriate. “If we think there may be elder abuse involved, we will get our attorney involved,” staff said.

Both presenters urged residents to plan ahead—prepare powers of attorney, living wills and keep records accessible—so families are not left to navigate probate alone. The presenters also encouraged use of community resources, representative-payee programs and the state guardianship decision-making tools available through Nevada’s administrative offices of the courts.

The board did not take formal action on these presentations; members asked clarifying questions about case mixes, the role of spouses or powers of attorney in medical crises, and when the county will pursue legal remedies against caregivers suspected of exploitation.