NEBRASKA STATUTES

Last updated January 2004

CHAPTER 83.  STATE INSTITUTIONS 

ARTICLE 10.  MENTAL HEALTH COMMITMENT AND RELEASE 

(a) NEBRASKA MENTAL HEALTH COMMITMENT ACT

§ 83-1001 Declaration of purposes.

It is hereby declared to be the public policy of the State of Nebraska that mentally ill dangerous persons be encouraged to obtain voluntary treatment.  If voluntary treatment is not obtained, such persons shall be subject to  lengthier  and more  restrictive  involuntary  custody  and treatment only after mental health board  proceedings  as  provided  by  the  Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act.  Such persons shall be subjected to emergency protective custody under limited conditions and for a limited period of time.  Procedures shall be changed to provide that while such persons are in custody or undergoing treatment, additional rights relating to restrictive conditions shall be instituted.    It is also declared to be public policy that all personal records required by the act shall be confidential except as otherwise specifically provided.

§ 83-1002 Definitions, where found.

For purposes of the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions found in sections 83-1003 to 83-1015 shall be used.

§ 83-1003 County attorney, defined.

County  attorney  shall  mean  the  county attorney, or any of  such  county  attorney's  deputies,  of  the county in which a subject of a petition under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act is found at the commencement of proceedings against such subject.

§ 83-1004 Mental health board, defined.

Mental health board shall mean a board created by section 83-1017.

§ 83-1005 Director, defined.

Director of a mental health center or state hospital, or director shall mean the administrator or other chief administrative officer of such facility, or person designated by him to act in such capacity.

§ 83-1006 Mental health center, defined.

Mental health center shall mean a facility which provides services as defined in sections 71-5001 to 71-5041 and the Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Addiction Services Act.

§ 83-1007 State hospital, defined.

State hospital shall mean a hospital as defined in section 83-305 or 83-306.

§ 83-1007.01 Outpatient treatment, defined.

Outpatient treatment shall mean treatment by order of a mental health board directing a subject  to  comply with   specified   treatment  requirements  that  are  reasonably designed  to  alleviate  or  reduce  the  subject's  illness   or disability  or  to  maintain  or  prevent  deterioration  of  the subject's mental or emotional functioning.  The requirements  may include,   but   are   not  limited  to,  (1)  taking  prescribed medication, (2) reporting  to  a  professional  or  facility  for treatment  or to permit monitoring of the subject's condition, or (3) participating in individual or  group  therapy,  educational, rehabilitation, residential, or vocational programs.

§ 83-1008 Indigent, defined.

Indigent  shall  mean  the  inability  of a subject of a petition under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act to retain legal counsel or  to  pay  the  other  expenses  of defending any proceeding without prejudicing his or her financial ability  to provide necessities of life for himself or herself or his or her legal dependents.

§ 83-1009 Mentally ill dangerous person, defined.

Mentally ill dangerous person shall mean any mentally ill person, alcoholic person, or drug-abusing person who presents:

(1) A substantial  risk  of  serious  harm  to  another person  or  persons  within  the  near  future  as  manifested by evidence of recent violent acts or  threats  of  violence  or  by placing others in reasonable fear of such harm; or

(2)  A  substantial  risk of serious harm to himself or herself within the near  future  as  manifested  by  evidence  of recent attempts at, or threats of, suicide or serious bodily harm or  evidence  of  inability to provide for his or her basic human needs, including food, clothing, shelter, essential medical care, or personal safety.

 § 83-1010 Mental health professional, defined.

Mental  health  professional  shall  mean a practicing physician licensed to practice medicine in this  state under   the   provisions   of  section  71-102  or  a  practicing psychologist licensed to engage in the practice of psychology  in this state as provided in section 71-1,206.14.

§ 83-1011 Peace officer, defined.

Peace officer shall mean a sheriff, coroner, jailer, marshal, police officer, or member of the Nebraska State Patrol.

§ 83-1012 Petitioner, defined.

Petitioner  shall  mean any person on whose information a verified petition is filed under  sections  83-1024 and  83-1025  alleging that the subject thereof is a mentally ill dangerous person and that neither voluntary  hospitalization  nor other  treatment  alternatives  less restrictive of the subject's liberty than a board-ordered treatment disposition are  available or  would  suffice  to  prevent  the  harm  described  in section 83-1009.

§ 83-1013 Sheriff, defined.

Sheriff shall mean the sheriff, or any of his or her deputies, of the county in which the subject of a petition under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act is found at the commencement of proceedings against such subject.

§ 83-1014 Subject, defined.

Subject shall mean any person against whom a certificate or petition has been filed under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act.    Subject shall not include any person under eighteen years of age unless such person is an emancipated minor.

§ 83-1015 Jail, defined.

Jail shall mean any jail in the state in which facilities separate and apart shall be maintained and used for persons detained under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act.

§ 83-1016 Clerk of the district court; duties relating to mental health board.

The clerk of the district court appointed for that purpose by the district judge or  judges  of  that   judicial district   shall   sign  and  issue  all  notices,  appointments, warrants, subpoenas, or other process required to  be  issued  by the mental health board, affixing his or her seal as clerk of the district court.   The clerk shall file and carefully preserve in his or her office all papers connected with any  inquest  by  the board  members  and  properly  belonging  to  his  or her office, together with all notices, reports, and other communications.  He or she shall keep separate books in which he or she shall enter the minutes of the proceedings of the board.   All notices, reports, and communications required may be sent by mail, unless otherwise provided for in the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act.  The fact and date that they are sent and that they are received shall be noted on the proper record.

§ 83-1017 Mental health boards; created; powers.

(2) The mental health board shall have the power to issue subpoenas, to administer oaths, and to do any act necessary and proper for the board to carry out its duties.

§ 83-1018 Mental  health  board;  members;  terms; qualifications; vacancy; alternate members; quorum; chairperson; training.

(1) The members of the  mental  health  board shall  be appointed for terms of two years by the presiding judge of the district court in the  district  in  which  the  board  is located.    The  board  shall  consist  of  a  lawyer licensed to practice law in this state, and any two of the following, but not more than one from each class: A  physician;  a  psychologist;  a psychiatric social worker; a psychiatric nurse; a clinical social worker;  or  a  layperson  with a demonstrated interest in mental health issues.  When a vacancy occurs, appointment to fill the vacancy shall be made for the balance of the term.  As the terms of the initial appointees to  the  mental  health  board  expire, succeeding  appointees  shall  be  appointed  to four-year terms.  Members whose terms have expired shall continue to serve until their successors have been appointed.

(2)  The judge shall appoint one alternate for each member of the board.  No hearing shall be conducted unless three members or alternates are present and able to vote.   Actions taken in a hearing shall be by majority vote.   The lawyer shall be the chairperson of the board.

(3)  If neither the member nor alternate is available, the judge shall appoint a second alternate.

(4) The Department of Health and Human Services shall provide appropriate training to the members and alternate members of the board on a yearly basis.   The department shall consult with consumer and family advocacy groups in the development and presentation of the training.   After June 30, 1995 , no person shall remain on the board or be eligible for appointment or reappointment as a member or alternate member of the board unless he or she has attended and satisfactorily completed such mental health board training within the past two years.    Members  and alternate members shall be reimbursed for their time and expenses incurred  in attending training in a manner and amount prescribed by the presiding judge of the district court in the  district  in which the board is located.  Second alternates may be temporarily appointed  for  no  longer  than  one  year  without  meeting the training requirements of this subsection only if no other  person who  has  received  training  is  available  in  the district for temporary appointment.

§ 83-1019 Facility or programs for treatment of mental illness, alcoholism, or drug abuse; voluntary admission; unconditional discharge; exception.

Any person may apply  for  his  or  her  own voluntary  admission  to  any  public  or private hospital, other facility, or program for treatment of mental illness, alcoholism, or  drug  abuse  in  accordance  with  the  regulations  of  such facilities  or  programs  governing  such  admissions. Any person admitted for voluntary inpatient or similar  custodial  treatment in   such  facility  shall  be  entitled  to  be  unconditionally discharged from  the  facility  within  forty-eight  hours  after delivery of  his  or her written request made to any official of such facility, unless action is taken under the  Nebraska  Mental Health Commitment Act to continue his or her custody.

§ 83-1020 Mentally ill dangerous person; custody prior to mental health board proceedings; physician or psychologist; limited privilege; where detained.

(1) Whenever any peace officer believes that any individual is a mentally ill dangerous person  and  that  the harm  described  by  section  83-1009  is  likely to occur before mental health board proceedings under the Nebraska Mental  Health Commitment   Act   may  be  invoked  to  obtain  custody  of  the individual,  such  peace  officer  may  immediately   take   such individual  into  custody,  cause  him  or  her  to be taken into custody, or continue his or her custody if he or she  is  already in  custody.    A physician or psychologist shall have a limited privilege to hold an individual until a peace officer arrives if such physician or psychologist has probable cause to believe such individual is a mentally ill dangerous person.   When a mental health center, a state hospital, or other government or private hospital has the capability to detain such an individual in the county in which the individual is found, the individual shall be placed in such facility.

(2) All counties shall contract with medical facilities inside or outside the county to provide a place where individuals subject to subsection (1) of this section shall be held.  Such individuals in such counties shall not be placed in a jail.

§ 83-1021 Individual   taken   into   custody;   peace   officer;   execute certificate; copy; contents.

At the time  of  the  admission,  the  peace officer  responsible  for taking an individual into custody shall execute a written certificate, as prescribed and provided by  the Director  of  Health  and Human Services, which certificate shall allege that such officer believes that the subject in custody  is a  mentally  ill  dangerous person and that the harm described by section 83-1009 is likely to occur  before  mental  health  board proceedings  under  the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act may be invoked to obtain custody of the  subject.    The certificate shall contain a summary of the subject's behavior supporting such allegations.    A copy of such certificate shall be forwarded immediately to the county attorney.

§ 83-1022 Mental   health board proceedings; when commenced; petition; certificate; subject, notified of rights.

Mental health  board  proceedings  shall  be deemed to have commenced when the county attorney communicates to the  sheriff  or  the  director  of  the  mental health center or government, private, or state hospital his or  her  intention  to file  the  petition provided for in sections 83-1024 and 83-1025. The time of, receipt of, substance of, and  name  of  the  county attorney  making  such  communication  shall  be  recorded on the subject's certificate by the sheriff or director  of  the  mental health  center  or hospital.  A true copy of the certificate upon which the subject is admitted shall be  made  a  part  of  the subject's  records.    Upon admission, he or she shall be given a list of the rights of subjects provided by sections 83-1047 to 83-1067, and if he or she is legally incompetent, the sheriff or director shall notify his or her legal guardian of his or her admission.

§ 83-1023 Subject admitted by certificate; evaluated; decision; discharged from custody; when.

The sheriff or director of the mental  health center   or   hospital   shall  have  each  subject  admitted  by certificate under sections 83-1020 and  83-1021  evaluated  by  a mental health professional as soon as reasonably possible but not later  than  thirty-six  hours  after his or her admission.   The examining mental health professional may not be a member of the mental health board that will preside over the petition hearing.  If, from such evaluation, it is the judgment of the mental health professional that the  subject  is  either  not  a  mentally  ill dangerous  person,  or that the harm described by section 83-1009 is not likely to occur before  mental  health  board  proceedings under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act may be invoked to obtain  custody  of  the individual, the director of the facility shall immediately notify  the  county  attorney  of  his  or  her conclusion  in  this  regard, and, unless proceedings are pending before the mental health board  or  are  instituted  before  such board  within  twenty-four  hours  after  such  notice  has  been received by the county attorney, the subject shall immediately be discharged from further custody under the certificate.

§ 83-1024 Person believes another to be a mentally ill dangerous person; notify county attorney; petition; when.

Any person believing that any individual is a mentally ill dangerous person may communicate his or her belief to the county attorney.  Should the county attorney concur that the individual is  a  mentally  ill  dangerous  person  and  that neither    voluntary    hospitalization   nor   other   treatment alternatives less restrictive of the  subject's  liberty  than  a mental-health-board-ordered  treatment  disposition are available or would  suffice  to  prevent  the  harm  described  in  section 83-1009, the county attorney shall cause a petition to be drafted and  acted  upon  as  provided  in  the  Nebraska  Mental  Health Commitment Act.

§ 83-1025 Petition; contents; filed; where; transfer of proceedings.

(1)  The petition provided for in section 83-1024 shall be filed:

(b)  With the clerk of the district court of any county within the judicial district where the alleged behavior of the subject occurred which constitutes the basis for the petitioner's allegation that the subject is a mentally ill dangerous person;  

          or

(c) With the clerk of the district court  of  a  county within  another  judicial  district  in the State of Nebraska if, upon a showing of good cause therefor, a district  judge  of  the judicial  district where  the  subject  is found authorizes such petition to be filed in such other  judicial  district.  In such event, all proceedings before the mental health board shall be conducted by the mental health board serving such other county. In the order transferring such cause to another county, the judge shall include such directions as are reasonably necessary to protect the rights of the subject under the circumstances.

(2) The petition shall include  a  description  of  the behavior   which  constitutes  the  basis  for  the  petitioner's allegation that the subject is a mentally  ill  dangerous  person and  that  neither  voluntary hospitalization nor other treatment alternatives less restrictive of the  subject's  liberty  than  a mental-health-board-ordered  treatment  disposition are available or would  suffice  to  prevent  the  harm  described  in  section 83-1009.    The petition shall allege where the county of legal settlement is for the subject of the petition, if it may be ascertained.

§ 83-1026 Petition; verified; county attorney statement; emergency custody under certificate; effect; how entitled; dismissal; when.

The petition provided for in section  83-1024 shall  be  verified  by the petitioner and approved by the county attorney, who shall state his or her belief whether the immediate custody of the subject of the petition is required to prevent the occurrence of the harm described  by  section  83-1009  before  a summons  could  be served and the subject required to appear at a hearing under sections 83-1027, 83-1035, and  83-1036.    If the subject is in emergency protective custody under a certificate filed pursuant to sections 83-1020 to 83-1023 at the time of the filing of a petition, such certificate shall be attached to the petition.  The petition and all subsequent  leadings and  filings under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act shall be entitled In  the  Interest  of  ........,  Alleged  to  be  a Mentally Ill Dangerous Person, inserting the subject's name in the blank.  The county attorney shall have the discretion to dismiss the petition at any time prior to the commencement of the hearing provided by sections 83-1035 and 83-1036, and upon such motion by the county attorney; the mental health board shall dismiss the petition.

§ 83-1027 Petition;  immediate  custody  not  required;  summons;  hearing; sheriff; duties; failure to appear; warrant for custody.

Upon the filing of the petition  provided  by sections 83-1025 and 83-1026 stating the county attorney's belief that the immediate custody of the subject is not required for the reasons  provided  by  sections 83-1025 and 83-1026, the clerk of the district court shall cause a summons  fixing  the  time  and place  for a hearing to be prepared and issued to the sheriff for service.  The sheriff shall personally serve upon the subject, as well as his or her legal  guardian,  if  he  or  she  is  legally incompetent,  the summons and copies of the petition, the list of rights provided by sections 83-1047 to 83-1067, and a  notice  of the  names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the mental health professionals in that locale by whom the subject may be evaluated prior to his or her hearing.  The summons shall fix a time for the hearing within seven days after the subject has been taken into protective custody.  Should the subject fail  to  appear  as required  after proper service upon him or her of a summons under this section, such  failure  shall constitute  grounds  for  the issuance  of  a  warrant  for  his  or her custody as provided by section 83-1028.

§ 83-1028 Petition; immediate custody required; warrant; sheriff to take subject into custody until hearing; duties; where detained.

(1) Upon the filing of the petition  provided by  sections  83-1025  and  83-1026 stating the county attorney's belief that the immediate custody of the subject is required  for the  reasons  provided  by sections 83-1025 and 83-1026 or if the subject has previously failed to appear as required after  proper service  upon  him or her of a summons under section 83-1027, the mental health board may issue a warrant directing the sheriff  to take  the  subject into custody.   When a mental health center, a state hospital, or other government or private hospital  has  the capability  to  detain  such  subject  in the county in which the subject is found, the subject shall be placed in  such  facility, where he or she shall be held pending his or her hearing.  At the time  of  execution  of the warrant, the sheriff shall personally serve upon the subject, as well as his or her legal guardian,  if he  or she is legally incompetent, a notice of the time and place fixed for the hearing and copies of  the  petition  and  list  of rights provided by sections 83-1047 to 83-1067.

(2) All counties shall contract with medical facilities inside or outside the county to provide a place where subjects described in subsection (1) of this section shall be held.   Such subjects in such counties shall not be placed in a jail.

§ 83-1029 Subjects admitted by warrant; evaluated; decision.

The  sheriff  or the director of the mental health center or government, private,  or  state  hospital  shall have  each  subject  admitted  by  warrant  under section 83-1028 evaluated by a mental health professional as soon  as  reasonably possible  after  his or her admission, but in no event later than thirty-six hours following  admission,  unless  the  subject  was evaluated  within the preceding twenty-four hours.  The examining mental health professional shall submit to the county attorney a signed statement concerning the subject’s mental state.   The examining mental health professional may not be a member of the mental health board that will preside over the petition hearing.  If, from such evaluation, it is the judgment of the mental health professional that the  subject  is  either  not  a  mentally  ill dangerous  person,  or that the harm described by section 83-1009 is not likely to occur  before  a  hearing  could  be  held,  the sheriff   or   the  director  of  the  mental  health  center  or government,  private,  or  state   hospital   shall   immediately communicate  this  judgment  to the county attorney, the subject, the subject's counsel, if he or she has counsel, and his  or  her legal guardian, if he or she is legally incompetent.

§ 83-1030 Repealed.  Laws 1981, LB 95, s. 30.

§ 83-1031 Repealed.  Laws 1981, LB 95, s. 30.

§ 83-1032 Repealed.  Laws 1981, LB 95, s. 30.

§ 83-1033 Repealed.  Laws 1981, LB 95, s. 30.

§ 83-1034 Repealed.  Laws 1981, LB 95, s. 30.

§ 83-1035 Hearing; mental health board; duties.

A hearing shall be held by the mental health board to determine whether there is clear  and  convincing  proof that the subject of a petition is a mentally ill dangerous person and that neither voluntary hospitalization nor other alternatives less    restrictive    of    his    or   her   liberty   than   a mental-health-board-ordered treatment disposition  are  available or  would  suffice  to  prevent  the  harm  described  in section 83-1009.   At the commencement of the  hearing  the  board shall inquire  whether  he or she has received the copy of the petition and list of rights accorded him or her  by  sections  83-1047  to 83-1067,  and whether he or she has read and understood them.  If he or she has not, the board shall explain to him or her any part of the petition or list of rights which he or she has not read or understood.  The board shall inquire of the subject whether he or she admits or denies the allegations of the petition.   If he or she admits them, the board shall proceed to enter an order of final disposition as provided by section 83-1037.

§ 83-1036 Hearing; subject denies allegations of petition; proceedings; suspension of proceedings; voluntary treatment alternatives; procedure.

§ 83-1037 Mental health board; hearing; determination that subject is a mentally ill dangerous person; order of final disposition; when.

If either the subject of the petition  admits or  the  mental  health  board concludes from the evidence at the hearing that there is clear and convincing proof that the subject is a mentally ill dangerous person  and  that  neither  voluntary hospitalization nor other treatment alternatives less restrictive of  the  subject's  liberty  than  a  mental-health-board-ordered treatment disposition are available or would suffice  to  prevent the  harm  described  in section 83-1009, the board shall so find and shall within  forty-eight  hours  enter  an  order  of  final disposition  providing  for  the  treatment of the subject of the petition.  The order of final disposition shall indicate whether the subject is a mentally ill dangerous person pursuant to either subdivision (1) or (2) of section 83-1009 or both.

§ 83-1038 Mental health board; final disposition; considerations.

The disposition ordered by the mental health board shall represent the alternative which imposes the least restraint   upon   the   liberty of the subject required to successfully treat the particular mental illness and prevent the particular harm which was the basis for the board's finding the person to be a mentally ill dangerous person.   The  board  shall consider  all  treatment  alternatives,  including  any treatment program or conditions suggested by  the  subject,  the  subject's counsel,   or   any   interested   person,  including  outpatient treatment, consultation, chemotherapy or any other program or set of conditions.   Full-time inpatient hospitalization or custody shall be considered a treatment alternative of last resort.  A subject, committed to any facility, shall be subject to the rules of that institution.

§ 83-1039 Subject in need of board-ordered treatment; custody pending entry of an order of final disposition; where detained.

(1) Following a subject's mental health board adjudication as a mentally ill dangerous person in need of board-ordered treatment and pending the  entry  of  an  order  of final  disposition, the mental health board may order the subject retained in custody upon  finding  that  the  harm  described  in section  83-1009 is otherwise likely to occur before the entry of an order of final disposition.  In the absence of  such  finding, the  board  shall  order  the  subject  released  from custody on whatever reasonable conditions may be imposed by the board  short of  total  custody  which  are the least restrictive alternatives required  to  assure  the  subject's  appearance   at   a   later disposition  hearing and to prevent the harm described by section 83-1009 from occurring before such later hearing.   If a  subject is  to be retained in custody and a mental health center, a state hospital,  or  other  government  or  private  hospital  has  the capability  to  detain  such  subject  in the county in which the subject is found, the subject shall be placed in such facility.

(2) All counties shall contract with medical facilities inside or outside the county to provide a place where subjects described in subsection (1) of this section shall be held.  Such subjects in such counties shall not be placed in a jail.

§ 83-1040 Subject  in  need  of  board-ordered  treatment;  determine  best treatment disposition; predisposition investigation;  report  and recommendations;   predisposition   assistance;  psychiatric  and psychological evaluation.

In order to aid the mental  health  board  in determining  the  best  available  treatment  alternative  for  a subject found to be a mentally ill dangerous person  in  need  of board-ordered   treatment,   the   board   may   request  that  a predisposition  investigation  be  conducted   by   a   qualified physician or a psychologist licensed to engage in the practice of psychology  and  report and recommendations be submitted to it by the program  administrator,  or  his  or  her  designee,  of  the comprehensive  community  mental  health  services program in the mental health region in which the proceedings against the subject were held under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act.    The board may also require the Director of Health and Human Services or such director's designee to provide such assistance as may be necessary to place the subject of the petition in an appropriate facility or program pursuant to section 71-5003.   The board may further request predisposition assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to section 68-1202 and any other statutory or other authority which it may have to provide such assistance.  The board may finally  obtain  assistance  from any  other  public  or  private  agency  or persons familiar with available  treatment  resources  and  qualified  to  render  such assistance.    The  board  may  require  the subject to submit to reasonable psychiatric and psychological evaluation calculated to assist the  mental  health  board  in  its  choice  of  the  best treatment disposition.

§ 83-1041 Subject in need of board-ordered treatment; board; issue warrant; contents.

If the mental health board finds the person to  be  a  mentally  ill  dangerous  person  and   in   need   of board-ordered  treatment,  it  shall issue a warrant in duplicate authorizing the director of the facility to receive and keep  the person as a patient.  The warrant issued shall state the findings of the board and the legal settlement of the proposed patient if found or, if not found, its information, if any, in regard thereto.

§ 83-1042 Involuntary treatment requiring confinement; subject taken to facility; procedure.

When   involuntary   treatment   requires confinement  within  a  facility,  the warrant, together with the findings of the mental health board, shall be  delivered  to  the sheriff  of  the  county  who  shall  execute it by conveying the subject of the  petition  to  the  facility  and  delivering  the individual  to the director of the facility.  The chief executive officer,  over  his  or  her  signature,  shall  acknowledge  the delivery  on the original warrant, which the sheriff shall return to the clerk of the board with his  or  her  costs  and  expenses endorsed  thereon.    If neither the sheriff nor such sheriff's deputy is available to execute the warrant, the chairperson of the board may appoint some other suitable person to execute the warrant.  The person appointed shall take and subscribe an oath or affirmation to faithfully discharge his duty, and shall be entitled to the same fees as the sheriff.   The sheriff, or the person appointed in his stead, may take with him such assistance as he may need to execute the warrant.  No female person shall be taken to the hospital without being accompanied by some other female or relative.    The  director  of  the  facility  in his acknowledgment  of  delivery  must  state  whether   any   person accompanied the patient, and give the name of such person.

§ 83-1043 Final order of mental health board; appeal; final order of district court; appeal.

The subject of a petition or the county attorney may appeal a final order of the mental health board to the district court.  Such appeals shall be de novo on the record. A final order of the district court may be appealed to the Court of Appeals in accordance with the procedure in criminal cases. The final judgment of the court shall be certified to and become a part of the records of the mental health board.

§ 83-1044 Final order of disposition; designate individual to prepare and supervise an individualized treatment plan; contents; copy; filed; treatment; when commenced.

As  part  of its order of final disposition under section 83-1037, the mental health  board  shall  designate one  of  the  officials,  agencies  or  other  persons who may be requested for predisposition assistance under section 83-1040, or the director or other representative of the treatment program  or facility  to which the subject is assigned, to be responsible for supervising   the   preparation   and   implementation   of    an individualized  treatment  plan, recording the subject's progress under the plan, and reporting such progress to the mental  health board and other interested parties.  The individualized treatment plan  shall  contain  a  statement  of the nature of the specific mental  and  physical  problems  and  needs  of  the  subject,  a statement of the least restrictive treatment conditions necessary to achieve the purposes of the board's order of final disposition and a description of intermediate and long-range treatment goals, with  a projected timetable for their attainment.  A copy of such plan shall be completed, filed with the mental health board for review and inclusion in the subject's board file, and served upon the county attorney, the subject, his or her counsel, if he or she has counsel, and his or her legal guardian, if he or she is legally incompetent, within five working days after the entry of the board's order of final disposition.    Treatment under such plan shall be commenced within two working days after the plan is completed.    At  the  request  of  the  mental health board, the treatment facility shall  inform  the  mental  health  board,  in writing,  as  to  all aspects of the treatment and supervision of persons committed to the facility by  the  mental  health  board. Such reports shall include information regarding the time and location of periods spent outside of the treatment facility.

§ 83-1044.01 Rights of subject; individualized treatment plan; notification.

A subject shall be entitled to know the extent of the individualized treatment plan developed pursuant to section 83-1044 and what the subject must do in order to meet the requirements of the plan.  A subject shall be notified when the mental health board has changed the treatment disposition or issued an order of discharge from commitment.

§ 83-1045 Person responsible for subject's individualized treatment plan; periodic progress reports; copies; filed and served.

The official, agency or   other   person designated by the mental health board under section 83-1044 to be responsible for the subject's individualized treatment plan shall submit periodic progress reports to the board, which board shall distribute copies to other interested parties.    Each  progress report  shall  summarize  progress  which has been made under the plan  and  shall  state  whether  the  treatment  plan  has  been modified.    Such  progress reports shall be filed with the board for review and inclusion in the subject's board file, and  served upon  the county attorney, the subject and his or her counsel, if he or she has counsel, and his or her legal guardian,  if  he  or she  is legally incompetent, within ten days of the submission of the individualized treatment plan of a  subject  whose  order  of final disposition requires full-time inpatient hospitalization or custody.   Such progress reports shall be so filed and served, in the cases of  all  subjects  undergoing  board-ordered  treatment pursuant to section 83-1040, no less frequently than every ninety days   following  the  filing  of  their  initial  individualized treatment plans for a period of one year from the  date  of  such filing and every six months thereafter.

§ 83-1045.01 Outpatient treatment provider; duties; investigation by county attorney; warrant for seizure of subject; when.

(1) If  (a)  the  subject  of  outpatient commitment  is  not following the treatment plan, (b) the subject is not following the conditions set by the mental  health  board, (c)  the treatment plan is not effective, or (d) there has been a significant  change  in  the  subject's   mental   illness,   the outpatient  treatment  provider  shall  notify  the board and the county  attorney  in  writing  forthwith.    The  report  may  be transmitted  by  facsimile  mail,  but the original of the report shall be mailed to the  board  and  the  county  attorney  within twenty-four hours of the facsimile transmittal.

(2)

(a)  The county attorney upon receipt of information indicating noncompliance with conditions set by the board shall have the matter investigated to determine whether there is a factual basis for the report.

(b) If the county attorney determines that there is no factual basis for the report or that no further action is warranted, the county attorney shall notify the person or program that made the report and take no further action.

(c) If the county attorney determines that there is a factual basis to believe (i) the subject is not following the treatment plan, (ii) the subject is not following the  conditions set  by  the board, (iii) the treatment plan is not effective, or (iv) there has been a significant change in the subject's  mental illness,  and  that board intervention is required to protect the subject or others, the county attorney  may  file  a  motion  for reconsideration of the conditions set forth by the board and have the matter set for hearing.

(d)  If the county attorney determines that there is a factual basis to believe that any of the   conditions   in subdivision  (2)(c) of this section are present, that the subject poses a threat of danger to himself or herself  or  others  as  a result  of  his  or  her  mental  illness,  and  that  there  are reasonable grounds to believe that the subject or others will  be injured  prior  to mental health board proceedings if the subject is not restrained, the county attorney may  file  an  application for  a warrant authorizing the seizure and holding of the subject supported by affidavit or sworn testimony.  The application for a warrant shall be supported by affidavit or sworn testimony by the county attorney, a mental health professional, or any other informed   person.    The  application  for  a  warrant  and  the supporting affidavit may be filed  by  facsimile  mail,  but  the original  shall  be  filed  with  the  board  within  three days, excluding holidays and weekends.  Sworn testimony in support of the warrant may be taken over the telephone at the discretion of the board.

§ 83-1045.02 Outpatient treatment; hearing by board; warrant for custody of subject; subject's rights; board determination.

The mental health board shall, upon the motion of the county attorney, or may, upon its own motion, hold a hearing to determine whether a subject committed to outpatient treatment can be adequately and safely served by the present treatment plan.   The mental health board may issue a warrant directing any law enforcement officer in the state to take the subject into custody.   The board  shall  order  the  sheriff  to transport  the  subject  to  a  mental health center or public or private hospital with available  space  specified  by  the  board where  he or she will be held pending the hearing.  No person may be held in custody pending the hearing for a period exceeding seven days except upon a continuance granted by the board.  At the time of execution of the warrant, the  sheriff  or  a  person designated  by the board shall personally serve upon the subject, the subject's counsel, and the subject's legal  guardian  if  the subject  is  legally  incompetent  a notice of the time and place fixed for the hearing, a copy of the petition, and a list of  the rights  provided  by  the  Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act.  The subject of the hearing shall be accorded all the rights guaranteed to a subject by the act.  Following the hearing, the board shall determine whether outpatient treatment will be continued, modified, or ended.

§ 83-1046 Mental health board; review hearing; order discharge or change treatment disposition; when.

Following  each  filing  of  the   periodic progress  reports  described in section 83-1045, the subject, the subject's counsel, or the subject's legal guardian if the subject is legally incompetent may request  a  review  hearing  and  upon request  shall  have  the right to a review hearing by the mental health board and to seek from the board  an  order  of  discharge from  commitment  or change in treatment disposition.  The mental health board shall schedule the review hearing to be held within fourteen days of receipt of the written request.   The mental health board may schedule such a review hearing (1) at  any  time pursuant  to  section 83-1079 or 83-1080, (2) upon the request of the subject, the subject's counsel, the subject's legal  guardian if  the  subject is legally incompetent, the county attorney, the official, agency, or other person designated by the mental health board under section 83-1044 to be responsible for  the  subject's individualized  treatment plan, or the mental health professional directly involved in implementing  the  subject's  individualized treatment plan, or (3) upon the board's own motion.

Whenever  it  is shown by any person or it appears upon the record of the periodic progress reports, to the  satisfaction of  the  mental  health board, that either cause no longer exists for the care or  treatment  or  a  less  restrictive  alternative exists for a person committed as a mentally ill dangerous person, the  mental  health  board shall order the immediate discharge of that person or change the treatment disposition.  When discharge or a change in disposition is in issue, due process protections afforded under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act shall attach to the subject.

§ 83-1047 Subjects' rights during proceedings against them.

In addition to the rights granted subjects of petitions  by  any other provisions of the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act, such subjects shall be  entitled  to  the  rights provided  in  sections  83-1048  to  83-1064  during  proceedings against them under the act.

§ 83-1048 Subject’s rights; written notice of the time and place of hearing; reasons alleged for board-ordered treatment; procedure.

The subject of a petition shall, in advance of the hearing, be entitled to written notice of the time and place of such hearing, the reasons alleged for believing that the person   is   a   mentally   ill   dangerous   person   requiring mental-health-board-ordered treatment, and all rights which such subject has under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act.  The notice requirements shall be deemed satisfied by personal service upon the subject of the summons or notice of time  and  place  of the  hearing  and  copies  of  the  petition  and list of rights, required by sections 83-1027, 83-1028, 83-1035, and 83-1036.   If the  subject  of the petition has counsel and if the physician or mental health professional  on  the  board  determines  that  the nature  of  the alleged mental disorder, if true, is such that it is not prudent to disclose the label of the  mental  disorder  to the  subject,  then  notice of this label may be disclosed to the subject's counsel rather than to the subject.   When the subject does not have counsel, the subject has a right to the information about his or her mental illness including its label.  The clerk shall issue the summons by order of the mental health board.

§ 83-1049 Subject’s rights; representation by counsel; appointment of counsel if indigent.

The subject of a petition shall have the right to be represented by counsel in all proceedings under the Nebraska Mental Health Commitment Act.  Counsel for a subject who is in custody shall have full access to and the right to consult privately with the subject at all reasonable times.  As soon as possible after a subject is taken into emergency protective custody under sections 83-1020 to 83-1023, or after the fi