Ohio R. Superi. Ct. 66

As amended through March 13, 2024

Rule 66 - Guardianships

(A) All applications for the appointment of a guardian on the grounds of mental incompetency shall be accompanied by either a statement of a physician or clinical psychologist or a statement that the prospective ward has refused to submit to an examination or the agent of the prospective ward or other individual has refused to consent to an examination.

(B) An Application for Authority to Expend Funds (Standard Probate Form 15.7) shall not be approved until an Inventory (Standard Probate Form 15.5) has been filed.

(C) An application for allowance of care and support of a minor shall allege, if such is the fact, that the parents are financially unable to provide the items for which the amount is sought.

Ohio. R. Superi. Ct. 66

Amended effective 3/15/2016; amended January 25, 2022, effective 7/1/2022.

Commentary (October 1, 1997)

This rule is analogous to former C.P. Sup. R. 34, and the title has been amended to be more inclusive in that the rule does not only apply to the guardian but also to all issues affecting the guardianship.

Division (A) has been deleted in that it described the parameters of the probate forms created under Sup. R. 51(D) and is therefore superfluous.

Former C.P. Sup. R. 34(B) has been relettered as division (A). The rule required the submission of a statement of a physician upon the filing of an application for guardianship or an application for dismissal of a guardianship or a declaration of competency. The rule has been amended to permit a clinical psychologist to complete the expert evaluation. This amendment recognizes that a psychologist's report is often more thorough than that of the physician and recognizes that the psychologist may complete the expert evaluation for the biennial report. The rule has not been expanded to permit the initial evaluation to be completed by a licensed clinical social worker.

The requirement for an expert evaluation for the dismissal or termination of a guardianship has been deleted due to statutory changes under R.C. 2111.49(C).

Former C.P. Sup. R. 34(C) has been deleted and incorporated in part in amended division (B), which continues the requirement to file an inventory prior to the authorization of any expenditure required in former C.P. Sup. R. 34(C).

Former C.P. Sup. R. 34(D) has been relettered as division (C). Division (C) has been amended to delete the term "parent-guardian" from the rule and to allow the application to be filed by the appointed guardian, who is not in all cases also the parent of the minor ward. With an application to expend funds for support of a minor ward, the rule formerly required a parent-guardian to state whether the parents had the ability to provide the support. The amendment expands the rule to require any guardian to state whether the parents can provide the support when requesting expenditure of the ward's funds for support.