Ch. 51 Cross-reference
Cross-reference: See s.
46.011 for definitions applicable to chs.
46,
48,
50,
51,
55 and
58.
51.001
51.001
Legislative policy. 51.001(1)(1) It is the policy of the state to assure the provision of a full range of treatment and rehabilitation services in the state for all mental disorders and developmental disabilities and for mental illness, alcoholism and other drug abuse. There shall be a unified system of prevention of such conditions and provision of services which will assure all people in need of care access to the least restrictive treatment alternative appropriate to their needs, and movement through all treatment components to assure continuity of care, within the limits of available state and federal funds and of county funds required to be appropriated to match state funds.
51.001(2)
(2) To protect personal liberties, no person who can be treated adequately outside of a hospital, institution or other inpatient facility may be involuntarily treated in such a facility.
51.001 History
History: 1975 c. 430;
1995 a. 92.
51.01
51.01
Definitions. As used in this chapter, except where otherwise expressly provided:
51.01(1)
(1) "Alcoholic" means a person who is suffering from alcoholism.
51.01(1m)
(1m) "Alcoholism" is a disease which is characterized by the dependency of a person on the drug alcohol, to the extent that the person's health is substantially impaired or endangered or his or her social or economic functioning is substantially disrupted.
51.01(2)
(2) "Approved treatment facility" means any publicly or privately operated treatment facility or unit thereof approved by the department for treatment of alcoholic, drug dependent, mentally ill or developmentally disabled persons.
51.01(2g)(a)(a) "Brain injury" means any injury to the brain, regardless of age at onset, whether mechanical or infectious in origin, including brain trauma, brain damage and traumatic head injury, the results of which are expected to continue indefinitely, which constitutes a substantial handicap to the individual, and which directly results in any 2 or more of the following:
51.01(2g)(am)
(am) "Brain injury" includes any injury to the brain under
par. (a) that is vascular in origin if received by a person prior to his or her attaining the age of 22 years.
51.01(2g)(b)
(b) "Brain injury" does not include alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease as specified under
s. 46.87 (1) (a) or the infirmities of aging as specified under
s. 55.01 (3).
51.01(3)
(3) "Center for the developmentally disabled" means any facility which is operated by the department and which provides services including, but not limited to, 24-hour treatment, consultation, training and education for developmentally disabled persons.
51.01(3g)
(3g) "Chronic mental illness" means a mental illness which is severe in degree and persistent in duration, which causes a substantially diminished level of functioning in the primary aspects of daily living and an inability to cope with the ordinary demands of life, which may lead to an inability to maintain stable adjustment and independent functioning without long-term treatment and support and which may be of lifelong duration. "Chronic mental illness" includes schizophrenia as well as a wide spectrum of psychotic and other severely disabling psychiatric diagnostic categories, but does not include infirmities of aging or a primary diagnosis of mental retardation or of alcohol or drug dependence.
51.01(3n)
(3n) "Community mental health program" means a program to provide community-based outpatient mental health services that is operated by or under contract with a county department of community programs or that requests payment for the services under the medical assistance program or under benefits required under
s. 632.89 (2).
51.01(3s)
(3s) "Community support program" means a coordinated care and treatment system which provides a network of services through an identified treatment program and staff to ensure ongoing therapeutic involvement and individualized treatment in the community for persons with chronic mental illness.
51.01(4)
(4) "Conditional transfer" means a transfer of a patient or resident to a less restrictive environment for treatment which is made subject to conditions imposed for the benefit of the patient or resident.
51.01(5)(a)(a) "Developmental disability" means a disability attributable to brain injury, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, Prader-Willi syndrome, mental retardation, or another neurological condition closely related to mental retardation or requiring treatment similar to that required for mental retardation, which has continued or can be expected to continue indefinitely and constitutes a substantial handicap to the afflicted individual. "Developmental disability" does not include senility which is primarily caused by the process of aging or the infirmities of aging.
51.01(5)(b)
(b) "Developmental disability", for purposes of involuntary commitment, does not include cerebral palsy or epilepsy.
51.01(6)
(6) "Director" means the person in charge of a state treatment facility, state or local treatment center, or approved private facility.
51.01(7)
(7) "Discharge" of a patient who is under involuntary commitment orders means a termination of custody and treatment obligations of the patient to the authority to which the patient was committed by court action. The "discharge" of a patient who is voluntarily admitted to a treatment program or facility means a termination of treatment obligations between the patient and the treatment program or facility.
51.01(8)
(8) "Drug dependent" means a person who uses one or more drugs to the extent that the person's health is substantially impaired or his or her social or economic functioning is substantially disrupted.
51.01(10)
(10) "Inpatient facility" means a public or private hospital or unit of a hospital which has as its primary purpose the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of mental illness, developmental disability, alcoholism or drug abuse and which provides 24-hour care.
51.01(11)
(11) "Law enforcement officer" means any person who by virtue of the person's office or public employment is vested by law with the duty to maintain public order or to make arrests for crimes while acting within the scope of the person's authority.
51.01(12)
(12) "Mental health institute" means any institution operated by the department for specialized psychiatric services, research, education, and which is responsible for consultation with community programs for education and quality of care.
51.01(13)(a)(a) "Mental illness" means mental disease to such extent that a person so afflicted requires care and treatment for his or her own welfare, or the welfare of others, or of the community.
51.01(13)(b)
(b) "Mental illness", for purposes of involuntary commitment, means a substantial disorder of thought, mood, perception, orientation, or memory which grossly impairs judgment, behavior, capacity to recognize reality, or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life, but does not include alcoholism.
51.01(14)
(14) "Residence", "legal residency" or "county of residence" has the meaning given under
s. 49.001 (6).
51.01(15)
(15) "State treatment facility" means any of the institutions operated by the department for the purpose of providing diagnosis, care or treatment for mental or emotional disturbance, developmental disability, alcoholism or drug dependency and includes but is not limited to mental health institutes.
51.01(16)
(16) "Transfer" means the movement of a patient or resident between approved treatment facilities or to or from an approved treatment facility and the community.
51.01(17)
(17) "Treatment" means those psychological, educational, social, chemical, medical or somatic techniques designed to bring about rehabilitation of a mentally ill, alcoholic, drug dependent or developmentally disabled person.
51.01(18)
(18) "Treatment director" means the person who has primary responsibility for the treatment provided by a treatment facility. The term includes the medical director of a facility.
51.01(19)
(19) "Treatment facility" means any publicly or privately operated facility or unit thereof providing treatment of alcoholic, drug dependent, mentally ill or developmentally disabled persons, including but not limited to inpatient and outpatient treatment programs, community support programs and rehabilitation programs.
51.01 Annotation
"Treatment" does not include habilitation. In Matter of Athans, 107 W (2d) 331, 320 NW (2d) 30 (Ct. App. 1982).
51.02
51.02
Council on mental health. 51.02(1)
(1) The council on mental health shall have the following duties:
51.02(1)(a)
(a) Advise the department, the legislature and the governor on the use of state and federal resources and on the provision and administration of programs for persons who are mentally ill or who have other mental health problems, for groups who are not adequately served by the mental health system, for the prevention of mental health problems and for other mental health related purposes.
51.02(1)(b)
(b) Provide recommendations to the department on the expenditure of federal funds received under the community mental health block grant under
42 USC 300x to
300x-9 and participate in the development of and monitor and evaluate the implementation of, the community mental health block grant plan.
51.02(1)(c)
(c) Review all departmental plans for services affecting persons with mental illness and monitor the implementation of the plans.
51.02(1)(d)
(d) Serve as an advocate for persons with mental illness.
51.02(1)(e)
(e) Submit annually to the department, the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the legislature under
s. 13.172 (2), and the governor a report on recommended policy changes in the area of mental health.
51.02(1)(f)
(f) Consult with the department in the development of a model community mental health plan under
s. 51.42 (7) (a) 9., and review and advise the department on community mental health plans submitted by counties under
s. 51.42 (3) (ar) 5.
51.02(1)(g)
(g) Promote the development and administration of a delivery system for community mental health services that is sensitive to the needs of consumers of the services.
51.02(1)(h)
(h) Review and comment on the human services and community programs board member training curriculum developed by the department under
s. 51.42 (7) (a) 3m.
51.02(2)
(2) The secretary shall submit all departmental plans affecting persons with mental illness to the council for its review. The council shall provide its recommendations to the secretary within such time as the secretary may require.
51.03
51.03
Department; powers and duties. 51.03(1)
(1) The department through its authorized agents may visit or investigate any treatment facility to which persons are admitted or committed under this chapter.
51.03(2)
(2) No later than 14 days after the date of a death reported under
s. 51.64 (2) (a), the department shall investigate the death.
51.03(3)(a)(a) Beginning on September 1, 1996, the department shall collect and analyze information in this state on each of the following:
51.03(3)(a)3.
3. The number of, cost of and paying sources for days of inpatient mental health treatment that result from the commitments initiated under
subd. 1. or ordered under
subd. 2.
51.03(3)(a)5.
5. The number of persons who are receiving care and treatment under community support programs voluntarily or under commitments ordered under
s. 51.20 (13).
51.03(3)(b)
(b) By April 1, 1997, and annually by that date for 3 years thereafter, the department shall submit a report to the legislature under
s. 13.172 (2) on the information collected under
par. (a).
51.032
51.032
Denial and revocations of certification or approval based on tax delinquency. 51.032(1)
(1) The department shall require each applicant to provide the department with his or her social security number, if the applicant is an individual, or the applicant's federal employer identification number, if the applicant is not an individual, as a condition of issuing any of the following:
51.032(2)
(2) The department may not disclose any information received under
sub. (1) to any person except to the department of revenue for the sole purpose of requesting certifications under
s. 73.0301.
51.032(3)
(3) The department shall deny an application for the issuance of a certification or approval specified in
sub. (1) if the applicant does not provide the information specified in
sub. (1).
51.032(4)
(4) The department shall deny an application for the issuance of a certification or approval specified in
sub. (1) or shall revoke a certification or approval specified in
sub. (1) if the department of revenue certifies under
s. 73.0301 that the applicant for or holder of a certification or approval is liable for delinquent taxes.
51.032 History
History: 1997 a. 237.
51.038
51.038
Outpatient mental health clinic certification. Except as provided in
s. 51.032, if a facility that provides mental health services on an outpatient basis holds current accreditation from the council on accreditation of services for families and children, the department may accept evidence of this accreditation as equivalent to the standards established by the department, for the purpose of certifying the facility for the receipt of funds for services provided as a benefit to a medical assistance recipient under
s. 49.46 (2) (b) 6. f., a community aids funding recipient under
s. 51.423 (2) or as mandated coverage under
s. 632.89.
51.038 History
History: 1987 a. 27;
1997 a. 237.
51.04
51.04
Treatment facility certification. Except as provided in
s. 51.032, any treatment facility may apply to the department for certification of the facility for the receipt of funds for services provided as a benefit to a medical assistance recipient under
s. 49.46 (2) (b) 6. f. or to a community aids funding recipient under
s. 51.423 (2) or provided as mandated coverage under
s. 632.89. The department shall annually charge a fee for each certification.
51.04 History
History: 1975 c. 224; Stats. 1975 s. 51.44;
1975 c. 430 s.
53m; Stats. 1975 s. 51.04;
1983 a. 27;
1985 a. 29,
176;
1995 a. 27;
1997 a. 237.
