The Office of County Adjuster is responsible for the scheduling of court hearings for anyone committed to a federal, state, county, private or special psychiatric hospital. Unless a client has private counsel, an attorney is assigned to represent the client at the hearing. These hearings, by law, must be held within 20 days of confinement for an adult and 14 days of confinement for an adolescent. Until the clients are discharged, they are afforded a review of their admission status on a regular basis.

Each county is financially responsible to cover the cost of care for its residents. The County Adjuster, acting as referee of the court, investigates the residency and ability to pay of those admitted to these hospitals and reports those findings to the Superior Court. The court then issues an order, which indicates the county financially responsible and also the amount, if any, the patient or relative is responsible for at this time.

Note: Anyone admitted to a state or county facility remains liable for their full cost of care. All records are confidential and are therefore not available to the public.