51.75 Interstate compact on mental health. The interstate compact on mental health is enacted into law and entered into by this state with all other states legally joining therein substantially in the following form:

THE INTERSTATE COMPACT ON

MENTAL HEALTH.

The contracting states solemnly agree that:

(1) Article I. The party states find that the proper and expeditious treatment of the mentally ill and mentally deficient can be facilitated by cooperative action, to the benefit of the patients, their families and society as a whole. Further, the party states find that the necessity of and desirability for furnishing such care and treatment bears no primary relation to the residence or citizenship of the patient but that, on the contrary, the controlling factors of community safety and humanitarianism require that facilities and services be made available for all who are in need of them. Consequently, it is the purpose of this compact and of the party states to provide the necessary legal basis for the institutionalization or other appropriate care and treatment of the mentally ill and mentally deficient under a system that recognizes the paramount importance of patient welfare and to establish the responsibilities of the party states in terms of such welfare.

(2) Article II. As used in this compact:

(a) “Aftercare" means care, treatment and services provided a patient, as defined herein, on convalescent status or conditional release.

(b) “Institution" means any hospital or other facility maintained by a party state or political subdivision thereof for the care and treatment of mental illness or mental deficiency.

(c) “Mental deficiency" means mental deficiency as defined by appropriate clinical authorities to such extent that a person so afflicted is incapable of managing himself or herself and his or her affairs, but shall not include mental illness as defined herein.

(d) “Mental illness" means mental disease to such extent that a person so afflicted requires care and treatment for the person's welfare, or the welfare of others, or of the community.

(e) “Patient" means any person subject to or eligible as determined by the laws of the sending state, for institutionalization or other care, treatment or supervision pursuant to the provisions of this compact.

(f) “Receiving state" means a party state to which a patient is transported pursuant to the provisions of the compact or to which it is contemplated that a patient may be so sent.

(g) “Sending state" means a party state from which a patient is transported pursuant to the provisions of the compact or from which it is contemplated that a patient may be so sent.

(h) “State" means any state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

(3) Article III.

(a) Whenever a person physically present in any party state is in need of institutionalization by reason of mental illness or mental deficiency, the person shall be eligible for care and treatment in an institution in that state irrespective of the person's residence, settlement or citizenship, qualifications.

(b) The provisions of par. (a) to the contrary notwithstanding any patient may be transferred to an institution in another state whenever there are factors based upon clinical determinations indicating that the care and treatment of said patient would be facilitated or improved thereby. Any such institutionalization may be for the entire period of care and treatment or for any portion thereof. The factors referred to in this paragraph include the patient's full record with due regard for the location of the patient's family, character of the illness and probable duration thereof, and such other factors as are considered appropriate.

(c) No state is obliged to receive any patient under par. (b) unless the sending state has given advance notice of its intention to send the patient, furnished all available medical and other pertinent records concerning the patient and given the qualified medical or other appropriate clinical authorities of the receiving state an opportunity to examine the patient if said authorities so wish, and unless the receiving state agrees to accept the patient.

(d) If the laws of the receiving state establish a system of priorities for the admission of patients, an interstate patient under this compact shall receive the same priority as a local patient and shall be taken in the same order and at the same time that the interstate patient would be taken if the interstate patient were a local patient.

(e) Pursuant to this compact, the determination as to the suitable place of institutionalization for a patient may be reviewed at any time and such further transfer of the patient may be made as seems likely to be in the best interest of the patient.

(4) Article IV.

(a) Whenever, pursuant to the laws of the state in which a patient is physically present, it is determined that the patient should receive aftercare or supervision, such care or supervision may be provided in a receiving state. If the medical or other appropriate clinical authorities having responsibility for the care and treatment of the patient in the sending state have reason to believe that aftercare in another state would be in the best interest of the patient and would not jeopardize the public safety, they shall request the appropriate authorities in the receiving state to investigate the desirability of affording the patient such aftercare in said receiving state, and such investigation shall be made with all reasonable speed. The request for investigation shall be accompanied by complete information concerning the patient's intended place of residence and the identity of the person in whose charge it is proposed to place the patient, the complete medical history of the patient and such other documents as are pertinent.

(b) If the medical or other appropriate clinical authorities having responsibility for the care and treatment of the patient in the sending state and the appropriate authorities in the receiving state find that the best interest of the patient would be served thereby, and if the public safety would not be jeopardized thereby, the patient may receive aftercare or supervision in the receiving state.

(c) In supervising, treating or caring for a patient on aftercare pursuant to the terms of this subsection, a receiving state shall employ the same standards of visitation, examination, care and treatment that it employs for similar local patients.

(5) Article V. Whenever a dangerous or potentially dangerous patient escapes from an institution in any party state, that state shall promptly notify all appropriate authorities within and without the jurisdiction of the escape, in a manner reasonably calculated to facilitate the speedy apprehension of the escapee. Immediately upon the apprehension and identification of any such dangerous or potentially dangerous patient, the patient shall be detained in the state where found, pending disposition in accordance with law.

(6) Article VI. The duly accredited officers of any state party to this compact, upon the establishment of their authority and the identity of the patient, shall be permitted to transport any patient being moved pursuant to this compact through any state party to this compact, without interference.

(7) Article VII.

(a) No person shall be deemed a patient of more than one institution at any given time. Completion of transfer of any patient to an institution in a receiving state shall have the effect of making the person a patient of the institution in the receiving state.

(b) The sending state shall pay all costs of and incidental to the transportation of any patient pursuant to this compact, but any 2 or more party states may, by making a specific agreement for that purpose, arrange for a different allocation of costs as among themselves.

(c) No provision of this compact shall be construed to alter or affect any internal relationships among the departments, agencies and officers of and in the government of a party state, or between a party state and its subdivisions, as to the payment of costs or responsibilities therefor.

(d) Nothing in this compact shall be construed to prevent any party state or subdivision thereof from asserting any right against any person in regard to costs for which such party state or subdivision thereof may be responsible pursuant to any provision of this compact.

(e) Nothing in this compact shall be construed to invalidate any reciprocal agreement between a party state and a nonparty state relating to institutionalization, care or treatment of the mentally ill or mentally deficient or any statutory authority pursuant to which such agreements may be made.

(8) Article VIII.

(a) Nothing in this compact shall be construed to abridge, diminish or in any way impair the rights, duties and responsibilities of any patient's guardian on the guardian's own behalf or in respect of any patient for whom the guardian may serve, except that where the transfer of any patient to another jurisdiction makes advisable the appointment of a supplemental or substitute guardian, any court of competent jurisdiction in the receiving state may make such supplemental or substitute appointment and the court which appointed the previous guardian shall, upon being duly advised of the new appointment, and upon the satisfactory completion of such accounting and other acts as such court by law requires, relieve the previous guardian of power and responsibility to whatever extent is appropriate in the circumstances. In the case of any patient having settlement in the sending state, the court of competent jurisdiction in the sending state has the sole discretion to relieve a guardian appointed by it or continue the guardian's power and responsibility, whichever it deems advisable. The court in the receiving state may, in its discretion, confirm or reappoint the person previously serving as guardian in the sending state in lieu of making a supplemental or substitute appointment.

(b) The term “guardian" as used in par. (a) includes any guardian, trustee, legal committee, conservator or other person or agency however denominated who is charged by law with power to act for or responsibility for the person or property of a patient.

(9) Article IX.

(a) No provision of this compact except sub. (5) applies to any person institutionalized while under sentence in a penal or correctional institution or while subject to trial on a criminal charge, or whose institutionalization is due to the commission of an offense for which, in the absence of mental illness or mental deficiency, said person would be subject to incarceration in a penal or correctional institution.

(b) To every extent possible, it is the policy of states party to this compact that no patient shall be placed or detained in any prison, jail or lockup, but such patient shall, with all expedition, be taken to a suitable institutional facility for mental illness or mental deficiency.

(10) Article X.

(a) Each party state shall appoint a “compact administrator" who, on behalf of that state, shall act as general coordinator of activities under the compact in that state and who shall receive copies of all reports, correspondence and other documents relating to any patient processed under the compact by that state either in the capacity of sending or receiving state. The compact administrator or the duly designated representative of the compact administrator shall be the official with whom other party states shall deal in any matter relating to the compact or any patient processed thereunder.

(b) The compact administrators of the respective party states shall have power to promulgate reasonable rules and regulations to carry out more effectively the terms and provisions of this compact.

(11) Article XI. The duly constituted administrative authorities of any 2 or more party states may enter into supplementary agreements for the provision of any service or facility or for the maintenance of any institution on a joint or cooperative basis whenever the states concerned find that such agreements will improve services, facilities or institutional care and treatment in the fields of mental illness or mental deficiency. No such supplementary agreement shall be construed so as to relieve any party state of any obligation which it otherwise would have under other provisions of this compact.

(12) Article XII. This compact enters into full force and effect as to any state when enacted by it into law and such state shall thereafter be a party thereto with all states legally joining therein.

(13) Article XIII.

(a) A state party to this compact may withdraw therefrom by enacting a statute repealing the same. Such withdrawal takes effect one year after notice thereof has been communicated officially and in writing to the governors and compact administrators of all other party states. However, the withdrawal of any state shall not change the status of any patient who has been sent to said state or sent out of said state pursuant to the provisions of the compact.

(b) Withdrawal from any agreement permitted by sub. (7) (b) as to costs or from any supplementary agreement made pursuant to sub. (11) shall be in accordance with the terms of such agreement.

(14) Article XIV. This compact shall be liberally construed so as to effectuate the purpose thereof. The provisions of this compact are severable and if any phrase, clause, sentence or provision of this compact is declared to be contrary to the constitution of any party state, or of the United States or the applicability thereof to any government, agency, person or circumstance is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this compact and the applicability thereof to any government, agency, person or circumstance shall not be affected thereby. If this compact is held contrary to the constitution of any party state thereto, the compact shall remain in full force and effect as to the remaining states and in full force and effect as to the state affected as to all severable matters.

History: 1981 c. 390; 1983 a. 189; 1991 a. 316.

This section does not apply to individuals found not guilty of criminal charges by reason of mental disease or defect under s. 971.17. State v. Devore, 2004 WI App 86, 272 Wis. 2d 383, 679 N.W.2d 885, 03-2323.

While s. 51.15 (7) does not authorize contractual agreements with counties outside of Wisconsin, ss. 51.75 (11), 51.87 (3), and 66.30 (5) [now s. 66.0303] each contain legal mechanisms through which financial or other responsibility for care and treatment of individuals from such counties may be shared under certain specified circumstances. 78 Atty. Gen. 59.