A. Whenever a probate judge is absent, incapacitated or unable to attend to the probate judge’s duties from any cause whatsoever, the probate judge shall enter a notice of unavailability and file the order with the clerk of the probate court; provided that if the judge is unable to prepare the notice due to incapacity, the clerk of the probate court shall prepare and file a notice of incapacitation.

B. Upon receipt of a notice of unavailability or after preparing a notice of incapacitation, the clerk of the probate court shall give written notice to the district court of the county in which the probate court is situate and the district court shall designate a district judge or another probate judge to hold court in the county and do all things that could otherwise be done by the probate judge of that county, without the necessity of having the matters or proceedings transferred from the docket of the probate court to the docket of the district court or the other probate court. If designating another probate judge, the district court shall give preference to probate judges serving within the same judicial district. Upon receipt by the clerk of the probate court of the designation by the district court, the clerk of the probate court shall send a copy of the designation to the parties or their counsel, to the designated district or probate judge and to the unavailable or incapacitated probate judge.

C. A probate judge acting in another probate district by designation as provided in this section shall include the cases heard by designation in the probate judge’s own reports to the district court, indicating on the reports that the probate court’s jurisdiction is by designation.

D. The board of county commissioners of the county of the unavailable or incapacitated probate judge shall reimburse the district judge or probate judge sitting by designation for expenses incurred pursuant to the Per Diem and Mileage Act N.M. Stat. Ann. § 10-8-1 to 10-8-8.