Guardianship Certification

Certification

1. What are the requirements to become a certified guardian?

   • For information on how to become a certified guardian, refer to the Initial Certification page of our website.

Exam

1. When will I know my exam results?

   Test results will be provided according to the timeline established in Rule 3.11 of the JBCC Rules. 

2. Where can I obtain forms for the exam?

   Applicants must apply using our online system. The link to this site is located on the home page of our website. 

3. What do I do if I need special accommodations under the American's with Disabilities Act?

   Accommodations are made according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Under section 3.10 of the JBCC Rules, you must submit written notification to the exam vendor within 10 days of the scheduled exam. It is recommended that you submit your registration paperwork as early as possible to allow time to research and make any necessary accommodations prior to the exam.
   Documentation from your physician relating to your disability will be required. This documentation must include the type of disability and the recommended accommodations.

4. Where is the exam held?

   Please refer to the Exam page of our website for dates and locations.

Continuing Education

1. How many hours of continuing education are we required to have?

   Certified guardians and provisionally certified guardians must complete twelve hours of continuing education during each two-year certification period. The twelve hours of continuing education must include two hours of ethics and one hour of legislative update. Certified Guardians can carry forward 4 hours of CE to their next certification period. Ethics and Legislative Update hours cannot be carried forward.

2. How do I know what courses have been approved? Where can I get a list of approved CE courses?

   To see a list of programs that have been approved by the Commission you must search for the courses via the online certification and licensing system located on our home page. It is not a complete list of all programs in the State of Texas. Rather, it is just a list of courses that have been submitted to and approve by the JBCC.

   Please refer to the “Guide to Using the Online System” for step-by-step instructions on how to search for approved CE courses. 

   If a course you want to take is not on the list, you must submit an application for course approval to the Commission. Your application will be reviewed to determine if, based on the rules, it would be approved and, if so, for how many hours. You must apply for course approval through the online certification and licensing system. 

3. How do I apply for course approval?

   Please refer to the Continuing Education page of our website for information on this process. Also, we strongly recommend viewing the pdf slideshow on our website for how to apply for CE online.

4. Once a course approval application is received by the Commission, how long before it is approved?

   Applications are processed as soon as possible. Also, please remember that course approvals must be submitted no later than 2 months before your certification expires.

5. How do I report the CE courses I've taken?

   You must report the JBCC approved CE courses you've taken when you apply for renewal of your certification. You must also submit copies of your certificates of attendance to your renewal application as well.

Criminal Histories

1. If I have a criminal history, can I be a certified guardian?

   Under section 3.5 (a) of the JBCC Rules, an initial or renewal application may be denied, and a regulated person may be disciplined, if the person's criminal history or other information indicates that the person lacks the honesty, trustworthiness, or integrity to hold the certification, registration, or license.

   If there is an incident in your past that you are concerned may cause a problem with your becoming a Texas certified guardian, and you are planning to take the certification exam, you may first request a criminal history evaluation letter from the JBCC. Under section 3.5 of the JBCC Rules, you may request a criminal history evaluation letter by a written request in which you state the basis for your potential ineligibility. The Commission will notify you in writing of its determination. If you wish to sit for the exam before a determination has been made you may do so, with the understanding that even if you pass the exam a certification will not be issued until the Commission makes a determination on your eligibility status, and that a refund of the exam/application fees will not be issued. Also, if you take the exam and the Commission then determines you are not eligible, you will not receive a refund of the application and exam fees.

Complaints

1. How do I file a complaint against a guardian?

   If you would like to file a complaint against a guardian, please refer to the Complaints page of our website for instructions on how to file the complaint, to download the complaint form, and additional information such as how the complaint process works. 

Renewals

1. What are the requirements to renew my certification?

   Please refer to the Renewals page of our website for information on renewal requirements as well as what paperwork and documentation to submit when applying to renew an existing, or expired, certification. 

2. When can I renew my certification?

   Under section 3.2 of the JBCC Rules, it is due on or before the certification expiration date. Do not wait until the day before your certification expires to submit your renewal application. We strongly recommend submitting at least 45 days before expiration to allow ample time for processing and to remedy any (potential) insufficiencies prior to your expiration date.
   It is your responsibility to ensure, prior to serving any process under statewide certification, that your statewide certification remains in effect.

3. How do I renew my expired certification?

   A person whose certification has been expired less than 90 days may renew for 1½ times the normally required renewal fee. A person whose certification has been expired more than 90 days but less than one year may renew for twice the normally required renewal fee. You are strongly urged not to submit renewals at the last minute. The sooner you submit your renewals the more time you will have to correct any errors that may have been made. If your certification is expired for a year or more, you will be required to retest. Exceptions will not be granted and fees will not be waived, refunded, or transferred. Please refer to Rule 3.2 of the JBCC Rules for more information. 

4. Can I submit my course approval applications when I apply for renewal?

   Courses must be approved before you submit your renewal, as part of the renewal process is reporting the approved courses you took. 

Standards of Practice

1. The Estates Code now requires guardians to annually explain the bill of rights for wards and provide other information to a person under the protection of guardianship. Is it necessary to explain the bill of rights to a person whose incapacity is so extreme that they may not understand it? How is the guardian to know a person’s native language or mode of communication if incapacity makes the person unable to communicate?

   A guardian must make a reasonable, good-faith effort to communicate with the people under the guardian’s care. The guardian must do so in the native language or preferred mode of communication of a person under her or his care and in a manner which is accessible to them.  If you are unaware or unsure of a person’s native language or preferred mode of communication, it may be helpful to talk to family, friends or prior care-givers and seek other information until you get to know your ward’s preferences. Different people have different levels of capacity to comprehend the information given to them. Guardians must determine what is best for each person under the guardian’s care on a case-by-case basis. 

Miscellaneous

1. How do I find a certified guardian, or a provisionally certified guardian?

   You can search for licensees via our online certification and licensing system. For information on our system, please refer to the home page of our website in the section titled “New Online Certification and Licensing System”. Please refer to the “Guide to Using the Online System” for step-by-step instructions on how to search for licensees.

2. Have you received my paperwork? What is the status of my paperwork?

   Applications are processed as soon as possible, in the order of which they are received. Due to the volume of applications received, processing times can vary; therefore, we are unable to provide more specific timeframes.

   Applicants must confirm receipt of their applications, and the status of their applications, by referring to the View Pending Applications page of their online profiles. All applicants are sent automated email confirmations of successful application submission and when applications are approved. Applicants must check their inboxes (and spam folders) for this correspondence.

   Inquiries for application status checks or receipt confirmation will not be replied to unless determined by staff that there’s been a delay in processing your application, and you have not received prior notification. We receive many of these inquiries and each email takes time to research and respond to which delays the processing of applications. Thank you for your understanding.

3. How do I update my contact information with the Commission?

   You must update your information within 30 days of the change via our online licensing and certification system. To update online, please go to the online certification and licensing system on our home page. 

4. How do I change my name with the Commission?

   You must apply for a name change by via our online licensing and certification system. To apply online, please go to the online certification and licensing system on our home page. Additionally supporting documentation will be required (e.g., copy of marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order).

5. How do I order a replacement certification card?

   For instructions on how to order a replacement card, please refer to section V of the pdf Guide to Using the Online System on the home page of our website. The replacement fee is $5.

6. How do I update the ownership of my guardianship program?

   For ownership changes, you must submit an email to guardians@txcourts.gov. The specialist will advise you of the proper steps to take and send you any paperwork you must complete. The process must be determined on a case-by-case basis to allow for any and all pertinent factors to be properly evaluated.