Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 74.djvu/350

 310 Transfers.

PUBLIC LAW 86-571-JULY 5, 1960

[74

ST A T.

(b) The Secretary is authorized at any time, when he deems it to be in the interest of the person or of the institution affected, to transfer any person hospitalized under section 4 from one hospital to another, and to that end any judicial commitment of any person so hospitalized may be to the Secretary, R e l e a s e, notice gj,(3 7 IJ^ ^j^e QQ^gQ of any person hospitalized under section 4 who to coiirt. has been judicially committed to the Secretary's custody, the Secretary shall, upon the discharge or conditional release of such person, or upon such person's transfer and release under section 3, notify the committing court of such discharge or conditional release or such transfer and release. Financial SEC. 8. (a) Any person hospitalized under section 4 or his estate, sponsibility. shall be liable to pay or contribute toward the payment of the costs or charges for his care and treatment to the same extent as such person would, if resident in the District of Columbia, be liable to pay, under the laws of the District of Columbia, for his care and mamtenance in a hospital for the mentally ill in that jurisdiction. The Secretary may, in his discretion, where in his judgment substantial justice will be best served thereby or the probable recovery will not warrant the expense of collection, compromise or waive the whole or any portion of any claim under this section. In carrying out this section, the Secretary may make or cause to be made such investigations as may be necessary to determine the ability of any person hosEitalized under section 4 to pay or contribute toward the cost of his ospitalization. All collections or reimbursement on account of the costs and charges for the care of the eligible person shall be deposited in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts. Any judicial proceedings to recover such costs or charges shall be brought in the name of the United States in any court of competent jurisdiction. /'C o s t s (b) As used in this section, the term "costs or charges" means, in charges". the case of hospitalization at a hospital under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, a per diem rate prescribed by the Secretary on a basis comparable to that charged for any other paying patients and, in the case of persons hospitalized elsewhere, the contract rate or a per diem rate fixed by the Secretary on the basis of the contract rate. Appropriation for SEC. 9. Appropriations for carrying out this Act shall also be availtransportation. able for the transportation of any eligible person and necessary attendants to or from a hospital (including any hospital of a State or political subdivision to which an eligible person is released under section 3), to the place where a relative to whom any person is released under section 3 resides, or to a person's home upon his discharge from hospitalization under this Act. SEC. 10. The following Acts are repealed, effective upon the date of enactment of legislation appropriating funds for carrying out this Repeals. Act: (a) The Act entitled "An Act to provide for the admission to Saint Elizabeths Hospital of insane persons belonging to the Foreign 65 Stat. 756. Service of the United States", approved October 29, 1941 (24 U.S.C. 191a). (b) The Act entitled "An Act to provide for the repatriation of certain insane American citizens", approved March 2, 1929 (24 U.S.C. 45 Stat. 1495. 196a). Effective date. SEC. 11. This Act shall, except as otherwise specified, take effect on the date of its enactment. Approved July 5, 1960.

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