by Jake Pearson

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New York’s top judicial leaders are moving to reform the state’s troubled guardianship system after a ProPublica investigation found lax monitoring allowed court appointees to abuse and neglect the elderly and infirm New Yorkers they were supposed to protect.

The renewed attention will come from two newly created positions in the state court system: a special counsel for guardianship matters and elder justice, who, according to a spokesperson, will focus on “reform efforts of the statewide adult guardianship system”; and a so-called statewide coordinating judge.

More than 28,000 New Yorkers are under the care of court-appointed guardians, charged with managing the affairs of people deemed incapable of caring for themselves. Under state law, guardians can control their wards’ finances and health care and are paid for their services from their charges’ funds. But as ProPublica reported this year, court oversight of these officials is threadbare. In New York City, for example, there are just over a dozen judges and 157 court examiners responsible for overseeing the guardians and ensuring the welfare of 17,411 people.

Advocates say those most vulnerable to abuse and........

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