Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1944 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
i
on of this depart;-
metit an the above subject
rd hfm laterpret-
etanoe pqments my be
t thei applicants for aasist-
udgud lrm8ne and thRt the Court
spouse Coimanity swvmr of
the insane spouse, as prowlBed l.n
Chrough 3683, of the Revised Civil
statutes.
“Although It 1s recognized by the Depart-
ment that Old Age Assistance la not a wrt of
the comminity estate, the &‘epRx’tnenthss made
aesiatance vsrraute payable to the Cwaunitg Z&W-
vivor rather tb%a to require the a.ppointmentof
8 g~a~u~Pn to ``dl6 thy Old ABu Asef~te~?e ``~
rant vhma tim-0 va3 PlPcRdy 8 coz.tGlunity
StlFviv-
or galiflted to bmdlo tha estate. Thla action
wau hoad o:%Artfclo 56&5 of tfic Revised Civil
seat ucoa .
u~ks&m CdViSO us whothec or not the Stat-
utes eouet3``lace tlx eppatintmat of 63gLlmvJia.an
to hR*rndle,
t:aO FLC3y;l%‘aW.XtCe
~te of the tico?&pot&nt
whan cti:pe 1238 qmlii’ied l%x?mmltgauFv1v0r. If
your answer to th3 PfkSC gufsst%oniu in the n0@-
t%vuo,is the Cf``~itity Ywvivoi- Qui%ifiod undo~
llk?maa3t8tutoo to Ltct cm l>ehalf of the fnaampot-
ant upowe in mtters ~er’taiting to 038 @ As-
aisternae. . . .”
In our opiaion it Vi.11 be neacssrrrg to appoirtt Q
g~8rdFsn to receive tb Old Ago Asaintaaas w&&rranta. While
Gisapter 27, Title 54, of the Revised Cfvtl Statutes, 8tgled,
AGmministration of Cwii~ty Pro~Rspcy, provides for the ap-
poisatmentof tha srucvivfn3 spiwse to.ediiiinister the cm-
munity estate on the death or inwaltg of the husbmd or
Wife, it doos Ilot &ve the 8UPPlVOX’ the ~Watl’ol of tha 8tQ3-
8Mtd e8ttSte.
It 18 U811 8i3ttld etrat the I'i@&t8,&XWePS, iUX?
ll~biU$ies of t&a c#illfied comity s~awlv~or are fIxt?d
and detw~iasd by pertliMit @tatUtes. Bldelitg Union IIS.
Co. v. fiutahlns, 133 S. W. (26) 105.
A cursory esrir&sstlon of the many ca8ef1 vheroin
the86 statutan bavc been csa8tX’Ued bld8 Eir@O sug;port to
thf8 CWtt3fltiOLl. In the CEiae of &%'8t raati0na1 iSmk of 2ik?w
BGston Y. E‘Em~l, et sl., 172 3. W. 7@7, the court af Civil
A-18 heldr
“The survivor of 8 mrri6ige who Qunllfles
4s euch is not the repressntativa of the deceas-
ed 8p3um’8 Wt8tC9, but ia tile regre8eIlt~tiVcP
of only that psrt thereof held by stch decemmd
spouse in commonwith ths eurvivor.
rmer, the c~mi``iou of Appeals, ln an winion :
&dopted by ow Supi%~ CoWt, ClWk v- Pir8t i@4tiolL@l&Wk :.~
cas NW Boston, alo 3. w. 677, holdt
‘7nd0r an admPn&utratfon l-y olIrtu0 of this
chapter (CSptsr 27) the sumivor has a3 con-
trol OF power Go dia~poa~ of Cho sepwatc~ p~og-
ortg Of the docwneed 5gouse.H
In the fRCte-pra8~ntsd by you, l.t apwa~s that
(z ~u%lifLed arrrvivor 3.n cowmun%ty I.8 rece%vira Old Age Arr-
Slotam v%mRnts which you m3?ogsatrato be the fitcparate
property of th6 recipeont. Stnca, 8s poointc5 out above,
thS 8WViQOX' $0 UGt QW%lifiCd t-0 2?63CGiVOthOS@ WlSX'RQtS, 8
qSr5iua shoul5 be~ap~oI.msd In accoMa,nce v&th th;hrovi-
slots of A.rtic10 43x‘ oti SCF,., of 0'33 Ytatutes.
gwrd5an, duPg appoluteb, wouZd then bs coqmxmt to PB-
ce+m the OM Age kssletance imwmts a8 welk as msnsg@and
control the cow.mlty promrtg. Dmmson v. Dickmxmn,
167 3. W. (25) 238.
Your l&t&@ StRtOS that your de+rtnlsnt h*8 made
Old Age Asslstarme varrenta @igable to the camunity 8w-
vivor and that th9a action ws Used 0;1,Article XL33 of the
&N;i8’%.3 Gfvfl fh%tUtX8. This QPtfc14t reads 88 folloirs:
‘Persons now aotlrxg as gwrdlanr, of tb.e es-
tste of persong of uu.aomd mind -11 turn ovw
the sststoa of their waPds, WhWs t&a uards s+%ll
be cmrrled pm=sons, u@xa the qrrrlifdcation of the
Stall0 805u96, 8tf &W?Vid0d fn th&3 ~hRp2~.”
91hls 82%2c16i8 found ie Chapter 27 of the Ratvirsad
Civil Statuttm, styled, Adnltistratfon of CmunS.ty hop-
arty, aa5 must be eaantrued to man that the gumdlaa musrt
turn over only the coanruMty eotats upon'the ~guallficatlon
or the! tmie sgouas. It h8s bsen acoo``Unglg held by tbo
Court of Civil Appeals in Read w. Read@ 122 S. oi. (2d) 1110.
%%urustingt&t the Soregoing fully tm8ver8 yaw
*nguiry, ve im3 e---e..
Vmg truly yours
Iil’BDidb If. Bob Domhue