Office of Mental Health

Monitoring the Implementation of Kendra’s Law

To avoid harming themselves or others, certain mentally ill people living in the community may be required by court order to receive services that are prescribed in a written treatment plan. The Office of Mental Health (OMH) is required by law to approve and monitor the counties’ implementation of all such treatment plans. We examined the actions taken by OMH to comply with this requirement, which became effective with the passage of certain State legislation (Kendra’s Law) in 1999. We found that OMH had successfully overseen county efforts to prepare to meet this new requirement. However, improvements are needed if OMH is to have reasonable assurance that all treatment plans are implemented as intended. For example, our review of selected cases showed that OMH field offices do not have adequate information about the status of treatment plans, and the information that is available is not always accurate. We made recommendations that were aimed at improving this information.

For a complete copy of Report 2002-S-2 click here.