(a) If the Commissioner of Social Services finds that an elderly person is being abused, neglected, exploited or abandoned and lacks capacity to consent to reasonable and necessary protective services, the commissioner may petition the Probate Court for appointment of a conservator of the elderly person pursuant to the provisions of sections 45a-644 to 45a-662, inclusive, in order to obtain such consent.

(b) Such elderly person or the individual, agency or organization designated to be responsible for the personal welfare of the elderly person shall have the right to bring a motion in the cause for review of the Probate Court's determination regarding the elderly person's capacity or an order issued pursuant to sections 17b-450 to 17b-461, inclusive.

(c) The Probate Court may appoint the Commissioner of Social Services to be the conservator of the person of such elderly person pursuant to the provisions of section 45a-651.

(d) In any proceeding in Probate Court pursuant to the provisions of sections 17b-450 to 17b-461, inclusive, the Probate Court shall appoint an attorney to represent the elderly person if he or she is without other legal representation.

(P.A. 77-613, S. 7, 15; 77-614, S. 521, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 15-233, S. 6.)

History: P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced commissioner of social services with commissioner of human resources, effective January 1, 1979; Sec. 46a-20 transferred to Sec. 17a-436 in 1991; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of human resources, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17a-436 transferred to Sec. 17b-456 in 1995; P.A. 15-233 deleted “, if it deems appropriate,” and added reference to Sec. 45a-651 in Subsec. (c) and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2015.