Miscellaneous

Funding (or Not) Probate Courts

By Anne Skove, Esq.

How are probate courts funded?

Morbid as it sounds, it would seem that as a sizable chunk of the population steps ever-nearer to the grave, probate courts would have no worries. But like everyone else today, probate courts have economic problems, too.

Connecticut, one of the wealthiest states in the Union, is having trouble funding its probate courts. Part of the problem is its scheme. Estate cases from the wealthy suburban courts fund the urban guardianship cases. Sounds like a plan, right?

Not when guardianship cases are through the roof. The estate cases can't keep up with the mental health crisis. The probate court loses $1 million every two months! (Go read that again. We'll wait...)

OK, now that we've recovered from sticker shock, what to do? A new funding system is the most obvious choice. Keeping costs down for guardianship cases would also help. An overall re-assessment of the mental health system couldn't hurt -- why are there so many guardianships needed?

See Report: State's Probate System Loses $20,000 Daily, AP/Newsday (October 9, 2008).

See also the fine work by George Coppolo, Chief Attorney for the OLR: Probate Court--Indigent People (July 25, 2008).

Full post as published by court-o-rama.org on October 14, 2008 (boomark / email).