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BISMARCK - The Office of Guardianship and Conservatorship (OGC) is officially open and fully staffed, marking the launch of a new state agency dedicated to supporting vulnerable adults and families.
"Publicly launching our agency is an important step in making our services more accessible to people across North Dakota," said OGC Executive Director Rachel Sinness. "Our goal is to ensure individuals under guardianship and conservatorship, along with those who support them, have clear and dependable information at their fingertips. We want North Dakotans to know who we are, what we do and how we can help."
OGC was created after the 2025 passage of Senate Bill 2029 during the 69th Legislative Assembly, which recognized the need for an independent entity dedicated to serving individuals under guardianships and conservatorships.
As part of its official public launch, OGC also introduced its new website, www.ogc.nd.gov, to provide information about the agency’s services and responsibilities, as well as guardianship and conservatorship ethics, best practices, funding, resources, education, training and other support for families.
"We are grateful to ND Protection & Advocacy, Vulnerable Adult Protective Services, Supreme Court administration and Human Resource Management Services for helping us build an agency that reflects our commitment to transparency, independence and compassionate service," Sinness said.
The agency provides Guardianship Establishment funding, Public Administrator Support Services (PASS) funding and general supervision of guardianship and conservatorship management. It also investigates misconduct and abuse involving disabled and aging adults currently under a guardianship or conservatorship order. This approach standardizes the process for funding reimbursement to guardians and conservators and provides families and individuals with centralized support, education and resources.