How do you complete an Annual Report on Ward in Illinois?

When an Illinois guardianship estate has been open for at least a year, the local guardianship court will typically require an annual status update on how the disabled person (Ward) is doing. In order to fulfill this annual status update requirement, the Guardian of the Person for a disabled individual must file an “Annual Report on Ward” in Illinois. So, what does an Illinois Annual Report on Ward look like, and how do you complete it for filing with the court? Let’s take a look at the Annual Report process to find out.

The Illinois Annual Report on Ward Form

To get a better understanding about what kind of information the guardianship court is looking for in an Annual Report on the disabled person, let’s first see what the standard Illinois form looks like:

ANNUAL REPORT ON WARD

Pursuant to the Illinois Probate Act, 755 ILCS 5/11a-17(b) (1995), ______________, plenary guardian of _________________, submits his/her annual report as follows:

1.      The Ward is now _________________ years of age.

The Ward’s mental diagnosis is:__________________________________________         

The Ward’s physical diagnosis is:_________________________________________         

The Ward’s social condition is:___________________________________________         

The Ward’s physical condition is:________________________________________         

The Ward’s mental condition is:__________________________________________         

2.      The Ward’s current address and appropriateness of such placement:

Other residences and length of stay at each since last report:

3.      Medical services given to the Ward:

Educational services given to the Ward:

Vocation and other professional services given to the Ward:

4.      Dates guardian visited and significant occurrences:

5.      Recommendations as to the need for continued guardianship:

6.      Other information considered useful in the opinion of the guardians:

____________________________________                                 

Guardian’s Signature and Date

Guardian’s Name:           

Guardian’s Address: 

City, State, & Zip:                 

Telephone No.:                       

As we can see, the information that the guardianship court will want regarding the disabled person is typically very basic. With the Annual Report, it is the Guardian’s responsibility to keep the court informed regarding the current mental, physical, and social condition of the disabled person, and the current living situation and related services for the disabled individual.

Tips for Completing the Illinois Annual Report Form

The Illinois Annual Report is meant to be a basic update to the guardianship court regarding the disabled person’s current status. Thus, the form does not usually need to have extensive information for every entry. Also, if an Annual Report form has previously been filed in the guardianship case and the information for a certain item has not changed, it is acceptable to simply duplicate the information from previous reports. It is therefore advisable to make a copy of the completed Annual Report form for your records each year.

In addition, every guardianship court in and around the Chicagoland area typically sets an annual status court date of some kind for guardianship reports. The Guardian of the Person must usually be present in court on that date, unless he/she has mailed his/her completed Annual Report on Ward to the court at least two weeks prior to the annual status date. If the Annual Report has been properly mailed to the court in time, the Guardian’s presence on the annual status court date is usually excused.

What if the disabled person has moved?

Under Item 2 of the Annual Report, the Guardian must give the court the current information regarding the disabled person’s living arrangements. If the disabled person has moved since the opening of the guardianship or since the last Annual Report, it is important to determine whether the guardianship case must be transferred to another court if the move was out of the county, or even out of the state. For more information on this issue, visit our page on how to transfer a guardianship case in Illinois.