Lawmakers Recommend Delay On New Guardianship Program

Indiana lawmakers Tuesday recommended a delay in implementation of a new program that would serve as an alternative to guardianships.

When someone is deemed incapable of making certain legal decisions, a guardian is chosen or appointed to help.

The General Assembly is weighing a program called supportive decision-making, in which guardianship becomes less of a binary decision. It’s designed primarily for young adults with intellectual development disabilities, many of whom advocates say should have more control than traditional guardianship allows.

Rebecca Pryor is a coordinator for WINGS, an adult guardianship task force. She says the program still provides help for those in it, in the form of a centralized team of consultants.

“The person remains autonomous, retains their rights to make their own decisions," she says. "When they have the capacity to do that, they should be able to do that.”

Pryor is helping to plan a pilot program in Wayne County.

The legislative study committee voted unanimously to recommend a delay in legislative action until data from that pilot is collected and studied, which is expected next year.