Washington Association of Professional Guardians

Proguard.org  A service of Guardianship Services of Seattle with detailed descriptions of guardianships, trusts and public entitlements.

Capitol Guardianship Services  Capitol Guardianship Services provides fiduciary services, trust and estate management, financial management assistance, case management and guardianship services in the South Puget Sound area. Capitol Guardianship Services is a registered trade name of Guardianship Services of Seattle.

Washington State Office of Public Guardian (OPG) was established in 2007 within the Administrative Office of the Courts to develop and administer a public guardianship program. 

Certified Professional Guardian Manual   WARNING: this is a very large pdf document. Long download time 

National Guardianship Association

Arizona Fiduciary Certification Program The only state other than Washington that certifies professional guardian

Revised Code of Washington   

Frequently Used RCW's

Summary of provisions for protective orders, no contact orders and restraining orders. 

Washington Administrative Code

Court Rules                                                                                        Top of Page

Federal                                                                                                   Top of Page

Washington State Bar Association Membership Directory. This is a good place to get the address, phone and e-mail address for an attorney. Excellent search function.

NAELA Directory  National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. This is the best source for finding qualified attorneys in other parts of the country for guardianship, trust disability and elder law issues. Can search by city or zip code.

Washington Law Help  Premier source of information about Medicare, Medicaid, COPES, and other government benefits; as well as information about housing, family law, consumer and debt issues,  domestic violence, and other important material for helping low-Income people find solutions to civil legal problems . 

Lawyer Referral Service is a public service of the nonprofit King County Bar Association.  Free or very low cost hour or 1/2 hour consultations. 

Municipal Research and Services Center One stop site to research all state and local stautues, case law, Washington Administrative Code, and other informations about state and local governance

King County Judges Courtroom assignments, contact info

King County Docket Information Lists documents that have been filed in a particular case file.

Statewide Docket Information search page

King County Bar Association Continuing Legal Education  KCBA provides the mandatory Initial Training for Certified Professional Guardians under a contract with Administrative Office of the Court; and provides several Continuing Guardian Education programs each year.

"DO IT YOURSELF" WASHINGTON GUARDIANSHIP  Free Washington Guardianship Forms & Instructions.  How to Create, Manage, & Terminate a Washington Guardianship & Have a Guardian Appointed, Removed, or Replaced Without An Attorney. Especially for the King County Courthouse, in Seattle

Instructional Video for Guardians  Most people who are appointed as guardians have a lot of questions about their new duties and responsibilities. Spokane Superior Court created a video to help answer those questions.

How to Modify or Remove a Guardianship  Washington Protection & Advocacy System

Guardianship, King County Legal Forms  These are 2002 Model Forms from WSBA Elderlaw Section.  This site does not have a complete set of forms.

King County Case Assignment Sheet  For filing wills and such.

Guardianship, Spokane County Legal Forms These forms are mandatory in Spokane County, and have been modified from the WSBA 2002 Model Guardianship Forms.

Washington State Bar Elder Law Section Website. Good elder law links.

Life Opportunities Trust. a pooled special needs trust for benefit of people with Developmental Disabilities to which the State of Washington contributes a partial match of funding from families. Managed by the ARC of Washington.

Access Washington Home Page

Foreign Consulates in Washington State  Australia through Uzbekistan. Accredited Consular Association roster members, foreign economic & cultural organizations, emeritus members & ex officio members, other diplomats & foreign dignitaries.

Washington Secretary of State, Corporations Division

Vital Records Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death All states. This is a page from Cyndi's List, the premier genealogical website.

Real Property Ownership Information Statewide  These are links to a number of Washington county real property websites

EMPLOYMENT AND BUSINESS FORMATION

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS: (pdf forms, requires Adobe Acrobat

Representative Payee Application  The Social Security Administration can select another person to receive SSI or Social Security payments on behalf of an impaired recipient. This is a good alternative to guardianship in many cases. The person receiving funds has a fiduciary duty and a reporting requirement.

 Physician's Statement  to be used to document incapacity to manage money . It speeds things up for the person seeking to be named representative payee to submit this  with the payee application.

Appointment of Representative An applicant uses this form to authorize an advocate to assist in making a claim.

Social Security Administration FAQs  Be sure to click on the desired category. For instance, the SSI FAQ is excellent. Click on "home" at the bottom of the page to go to SSA's main page.

Columbia Legal Services, Senior Bulletin re: Supplied Shelter Rules that affect how trustees or other helpful individuals may provide supplemental assistance to people on SSI.

Crisis Lines Statewide for County Designated Mental Health Professionals (CDMHP's) A county by county list of numbers to call if a person with a mental illness is demonstrating danger to self or others, or grave disability.

DSHS: elder abuse and child abuse reporting.  If you suspect a child or a vulnerable adult is being abused, or neglected, call DSHS Toll-Free 1-866-ENDHARM

Elder Abuse/Undue Influence.  Website promoting forensic services of Bennet Blum, MD. Contains concise information about undue influence, mental capacity and elder abuse.

Developmental Disabilities Life Opportunities Trust.  Sound financial planning is vital for families with children with developmental disabilities. And, the State of Washington made it easier when it established the Developmental Disabilities Endowment Trust Fund in 1999. Now called the Life Opportunities Trust, this public-private partnership creates a a stable resource to enhance the quality of life for people with developmental disabilities.

DSHS Forms Downloadable versions in many languages of most of the forms used by the programs of DSHS, including the Application for Benefits form 14-01

Savings Bond Calculator Treasury department site, provides present value of any US savings bond

IRS SS-4 Instructions  SS-4 Instructions The SS-4 is an IRS application for Employer ID number. It was revised in December, 2001. These links require Adobe.

Washington State Unclaimed Property Division  Did you know that the state of Washington is searching for the rightful owners of approximately $300 million in unclaimed property? Your chances are one in seven that you have unclaimed property with a cash value being held by the state. 

Affidavit of Successor pdf document  may be used if the decedent left no will and the estate was not probated.  

Department of Licensing: Autos
            Sellers Report of Sale 
            Affidavit of Lost Title
            Disabled Driver's Parking Applications
            Employers Request for Employee Driving Records
            Recommendation for Driver Re-examination

Washington State Hoarding Taskforce  Created by two Certified Professional Organizers to bring together the related professionals needed for those touched by hoarding.

AgingWellNet: Greater Seattle Website Listings of providers of service to elders and others with disabilities

Driving Rehabilitation Program  The Occupational Therapy Department at the University of Washington Medical Center conducts a program to evaluate and instruct individuals with disabilities for driving potential. Participants receive specialized drivers training, and if needed, assistance in the selection of adaptive equipment, and instruction in its use.

Mobility Support Systems. Manage accessible vehicle acquisition, maintenance, and vehicle disposal after the useful life of the vehicle or death of the trust beneficiary. A trust beneficiary and family has individualized selection of an appropriate accessible vehicle, bumper to bumper warranty, full maintenance program, road side assistance, and insurance coordination. This is accomplished under a lease option program in which the trust has no ownership interest and a single monthly payment to a single source.

Peoples Memorial Association  The People's Memorial Association is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization that has enrolled over 167,000 members in Washington.  At death, members are entitled to mortuary arrangements at member prices, provided by funeral homes contracting with People's Memorial Association. Discounts are also available at contracted cemeteries. 

King County Metro Regional Reduced Fare Permit (RRFP). Bus passes for people with disabilities

DECOD Dental Education in the Care of Persons with Disabilities. A  program of the UW School of Dentistry that treats persons with severe disabilities at considerably reduced cost.

Do Not Call Registry  Federal program to register phone numbers so that telemarketers are banned from calling.

V. Spino Bonding Good source for guardian and trustee (aka fiduciary and probate) bonds in Seattle. Click on "Rates" button to learn what bonds cost.

Peltzer and Associates Provides all the insurance services a fiduciary needs: real property, automotive, renters coverage, employee dishonesty bonds,  fiduciary errors and omissions insurance.

Clearinghouse on Abuse and Neglect of the Elderly (CANE), located at the University of Delaware, is the nation's largest computerized collection of elder abuse resources and materials. 

NAMI Greater Seattle's mission is to address the unmet needs of individuals with mental illness and their families through advocacy, public education, information and referral, and self-help support groups.

Trips Inc. Special Adventures provides travel outings to adults of various abilities in a safe, respectful and fun atmosphere. Our trips are designed for people with developmental disabilities and special needs who require staff assistance for a safe and  enjoyable vacation.

Adult Day Directory from the Washington Adult Day Services Association. Organized by region.

Washington State licensed residential facilities search pages
         Adult Family Homes         Boarding Homes         Nursing Homes

Mobility Aids: Sources for low-cost, free or loaned equipment.

National Empowerment Center Recovery is real and this website is filled with practical information that will help you recover if you have been labeled with a mental illness. 

Car Dealer Tricks of the Trade Most dealers are way, way better at selling than buyers are at buying. Note, this is an Australian site, the tricks dealers use are universal.

Washington Zip Code Maps County by county printable maps. Zip code map of US Google Maps Style 

Zip Codes within Radius of a Zip Code  Plug in a zip code and find other zip codes within a specified area.

Telephone Prefix Location List  Find out where a land line phone is located

Urban Legends "An urban legend: appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously in varying forms, contains elements of humor or horror (the horror often "punishes" someone who flouts society's conventions), makes good storytelling, does NOT have to be false, although most are."

Kelley Blue Book - New Car Pricing Bluebook Values  Kelley provides a general, not definitive, idea of the value of a car.

National and World Time Zones

Bedsores  aka decubitis, aka pressure sores. Not for the faint hearted. Graphic photos of bedsores in various stages.

Pest Control Articles A comprehensive list of household pests and ways to remove them.

Mold Dangers Toxic molds can grow in short times under the right conditions, causing health hazards. This is a particular problem in certain poorly maintained structures.

The Devil's Dictionary  by Ambrose Bierce "...those to whom the work is addressed - enlightened souls who prefer dry wines to sweet, sense to sentiment, wit to humor and clean English." "DICTIONARY, n. A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work."

Common Errors in English

Etymology on-line "It is often forgotten that (dictionaries) are artificial repositories, put together well after the languages they define. The roots of language are irrational and of a magical nature." -Jorge Luis Borges

Word Spy.  Devoted to lexpionage, the sleuthing of new words and phrases.

Flatchestedmama website for the media savvy performance artist whose alter ego is Amy Trefsger,  mild mannered case management assistant for a great metropolitan guardianship agency.

Be Independent Kind of radical media critic and GSS staff Cherish Willis' website

See Ya In Korea Literate and funny blog of Janaki O'Brien, former summer intern and current educator in Korea.

Why We Travel Documenting the travels of staff member Bill Jaback (and Cheryl Know). One long explanation of why he is going to miss a few days work.

Discovering The Lost Legacy of Jedediah Smith  Website of Jim Auld, GSS property manager and leading historian of Jedediah Smith, one of America’s greatest explorers. During the 1820’s, he was the first to travel to California by land and  he blazed the first trails to the Pacific Northwest as an owner of a fur-trapping enterprise.