(a)(1) If no suitable conservator can be found after due diligence and the court finds that the health or welfare of the respondent is in jeopardy, the Commissioner of Social Services shall accept appointment within available appropriations, as conservator of the estate of any respondent sixty years of age or older found incapable under sections 45a-644 to 45a-662, inclusive, of managing his or her affairs, whose liquid assets, excluding burial insurance in an amount up to one thousand five hundred dollars, do not exceed one thousand five hundred dollars at the time of such appointment. (2) If no suitable conservator can be found after due diligence and the court finds that the health or welfare of the respondent is in jeopardy, the Commissioner of Social Services shall accept appointment, within available appropriations, as conservator of the person, of any respondent sixty years of age or older found incapable under said sections of caring for himself or herself, whose liquid assets, excluding burial insurance in an amount up to one thousand five hundred dollars, do not exceed one thousand five hundred dollars at the time of such appointment.

(b) The Commissioner of Social Services may delegate any power, duty or function arising from the appointment of such commissioner as either conservator of the estate or of the person respectively, to an employee of the Department of Social Services.

(c) When so appointed, such commissioner or designees shall have all the powers and duties of a conservator as provided in sections 45a-644 to 45a-662, inclusive. The department may contract with any public or private agency or person to assist in the carrying out of the duties as conservator of the estate or the person.

(d) During the term of appointment of the Commissioner of Social Services as conservator, if a suitable person or legally qualified person, corporation or municipal or state official is found to replace such commissioner as conservator, such person, corporation or official may be appointed successor conservator subject to the approval of the court of probate.

(e) The Commissioner of Social Services shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 setting forth the terms and conditions of the acceptance and the termination of appointment as conservator of the estate or person in accordance with this section.

(f) In any proceeding to appoint the Commissioner of Social Services as conservator, the court shall appoint an attorney to represent the person for whom such commissioner has been appointed conservator if such person is without legal representation.

(P.A. 84-271, S. 2; P.A. 88-206, S. 1; P.A. 93-262, S. 64, 87; P.A. 00-39, S. 1, 2.)

History: P.A. 88-206 authorized commissioner of human resources to accept appointment as conservator of the person in Subsec. (a), allowed the commissioner on aging and the commissioner of human resources to delegate their functions as conservators to an employee of their respective departments in Subsec. (b), made technical changes in Subsecs. (c), (d), (e) and (f) and required the appointment of legal representation when the person for whom a conservator has been appointed is without representation; Sec. 45-70g transferred to Sec. 45a-651 in 1991; P.A. 93-262 replaced references to commissioners and departments of human resources and aging with commissioner of social services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 00-39 amended Subsec. (c) to make a technical change, deleted former Subsec. (f) re recovery from assets of the estate for services of commissioner as conservator and redesignated former Subsec. (g) as Subsec. (f), effective May 1, 2000.