Learn about doctors' guidelines for jury duty caregiver disqualification letters

Find out who's eligible for a caregiver disqualification and what the requirements for the disqualification letter are.

Under Mass. General Law, Chapter 234A, section 4, a person may be disqualified from performing juror service if that person is "solely responsible for the daily care of a permanently disabled person living in the same household and the performance of juror service would cause a substantial risk of injury to the health of the disabled person."

Caregiver disqualification eligibility

For a caregiver to be disqualified from jury duty, they must be living in the same house as the disabled person. A caretaker who's regularly employed outside the home isn't eligible for this disqualification.

Disqualification letter guidelines

To write a caregiver disqualification letter, the letter must:

• Be on your office's letterhead
• Include the juror's Badge Number (which you can find on any Office of Jury Commissioner "OJC" mailing)
• Include the juror's address
• Include the name, address, and age of the disabled person, as well as a general description of the daily care provided by the caregiver

Use the sample primary caretaker disqualification letter (see additional resources below) for reference, which includes language that the requester is the primary caregiver of a permanently disabled patient of the physician, and in the physician’s opinion, the caregiver‘s presence at jury duty would cause a substantial risk of injury to the health of the disabled person. 

Caregiver disqualification letters can be submitted to the OJC in 1 of 2 ways.

• By fax — Fax the letter to [phone].
• By mail — Mail the letter to:

Office of Jury Commissioner
560 Harrison Avenue - Suite 600
Boston, Massachusetts 02118-2447

Additional Resources

Sample Letter - Primary Caretaker