RCW 71A.20.100 Personal property of resident—Secretary as custodian—Limitations—Judicial proceedings to recover.

The secretary shall serve as custodian without compensation of personal property of a resident of a residential habilitation center that is located at the residential habilitation center, including moneys deposited with the secretary for the benefit of the resident. As custodian, the secretary shall have authority to disburse moneys from the resident's fund for the following purposes and subject to the following limitations:

(1) Subject to specific instructions by a donor of money to the secretary for the benefit of a resident, the secretary may disburse any of the funds belonging to a resident for such personal needs of the resident as the secretary may deem proper and necessary.

(2) The secretary may pay to the department as reimbursement for the costs of care, support, maintenance, treatment, hospitalization, medical care, and habilitation of a resident from the resident's fund when such fund exceeds a sum as established by rule of the department, to the extent of any notice and finding of financial responsibility served upon the secretary after such findings shall have become final. If the resident does not have a guardian, parent, spouse, or other person acting in a representative capacity, upon whom notice and findings of financial responsibility have been served, then the secretary shall not make payments to the department as provided in this subsection, until a guardian has been appointed by the court, and the time for the appeal of findings of financial responsibility as provided in RCW 43.20B.430 shall not commence to run until the appointment of such guardian and the service upon the guardian of notice and findings of financial responsibility.

(3) When services to a person are changed from a residential center to another setting, the secretary shall deliver to the person, or to the parent, guardian, or agency legally responsible for the person, all or such portion of the funds of which the secretary is custodian as defined in this section, or other property belonging to the person, as the secretary may deem necessary to the person's welfare, and the secretary may deliver to the person such additional property or funds belonging to the person as the secretary may from time to time deem proper, so long as the person continues to receive service under this title. When the resident no longer receives any services under this title, the secretary shall deliver to the person, or to the parent, person, or agency legally responsible for the person, all funds or other property belonging to the person remaining in the secretary's possession as custodian.

(4) All funds held by the secretary as custodian may be deposited in a single fund, the receipts and expenditures from the fund to be accurately accounted for by the secretary. All interest accruing from, or as a result of the deposit of such moneys in a single fund shall be credited to the personal accounts of the residents. All expenditures under this section shall be subject to the duty of accounting provided for in this section.

(5) The appointment of a guardian for the estate of a resident shall terminate the secretary's authority as custodian of any funds of the resident which may be subject to the control of the guardianship, upon receipt by the secretary of a certified copy of letters of guardianship. Upon the guardian's request, the secretary shall immediately forward to the guardian any funds subject to the control of the guardianship or other property of the resident remaining in the secretary's possession, together with a full and final accounting of all receipts and expenditures made.

(6) Upon receipt of a written request from the secretary stating that a designated individual is a resident of the residential habilitation center and that such resident has no legally appointed guardian of his or her estate, any person, bank, corporation, or agency having possession of any money, bank accounts, or choses in action owned by such resident, shall, if the amount does not exceed two hundred dollars, deliver the same to the secretary as custodian and mail written notice of the delivery to such resident at the residential habilitation center. The receipt by the secretary shall constitute full and complete acquittance for such payment and the person, bank, corporation, or agency making such payment shall not be liable to the resident or his or her legal representative. All funds so received by the secretary shall be duly deposited by the secretary as custodian in the resident's fund to the personal account of the resident. If any proceeding is brought in any court to recover property so delivered, the attorney general shall defend the lawsuit without cost to the person, bank, corporation, or agency that delivered the property to the secretary, and the state shall indemnify such person, bank, corporation, or agency against any judgment rendered as a result of such proceeding.

[ 1988 c 176 § 710.]