The Board of Supervisors directed staff to respond to a grand jury report that found Riverside County workers who manage the affairs of elderly and developmentally disabled residents are overburdened and operating under dated guidelines.
The board, without comment, voted 5-0 to receive and file the 19-member civil grand jury's report on the Public Guardian's Office and have the Executive Office address the jury's findings by March 11.
The grand jury completed an inquiry last fall that included interviews, an analysis of policies and procedures and inspections of numerous records in the Public Guardian's Office, a branch of the Department of Mental Health with a $1.5 million annual budget.
The office has 10 case workers, or deputies, three supervisors and a clerical staff of five, according to the grand jury.
Jurors noted that deputies are routinely called to investigate reports of abuse and to find suitable living arrangements for clients who have no assets and are dependent on Medicare or Medi-Cal.
The grand jury said it learned public guardian deputies carry caseloads as high as 196 conservatees.
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County to Respond to Report Citing Deficiency in Public Guardian's Office