63 STAT.]
81ST CONG., 1ST SESS.-CH. 672-OCT. 11, 1949
SEC. 3 . Any person in any of the places described in section 1 hereof
may, upon his written application, be admitted for observation and
diagnosis to Saint Elizabeths Hospital in the discretion of the Super-
intendent thereof for a period not exceeding 30 days. Any such person
expressing a desire for release from Saint Elizabeths Hospital shall
be released within 72 hours thereafter, unless proceedings for his
adjudication as a person of unsound mind shall have been instituted
as provided for in section 5 hereof.
SEC. 4. The Superintendent of Saint Elizabeths Hospital is hereby
authorized and directed to receive for observation and diagnosis any
person apprehended or committed as provided in sections 1 and 2
hereof for the periods therein prescribed, unless such person is sooner
discharged or returned to his home or to the State of his residence.
SEC. 5 . The Superintendent of Saint Elizabeths Hospital shall
promptly examine any person committed as provided in sections 1 and
2 of this Act and (a) if found to be of sound mind, shall forthwith
discharge said person, or (b) if found to be of unsound mind, shall
return such person to the State of his residence or to his relatives, if
practicable. Proceedings for the adjudication of such person, or of
any person admitted to the hospital pursuant to section 3 hereof, as a
person of unsound mind and for the appointment of a committee of
his person or property may be instituted in the United States District
Court for the District of Columbia by the Federal Security Admin-
istrator or by any party interested. The laws of the District of
Columbia shall be applicable to such proceedings. Nothing in this
Act shall be construed as imposing upon the District of Columbia the
expense of care and treatment of any person apprehended, detained,
or committed under this Act unless such person be a resident of the
District of Columbia as defined in section 8 of the Act entitled "An
Act to provide for insanity proceedings in the District of Columbia",
approved August 9, 1939.
SEC. 6. Any person belonging to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine
Corps, or Coast Guard arrested, apprehended, detained, or committed
under the provisions of this Act shall, upon the request of the head
of the department having jurisdiction over the service to which the
individual belongs, be transferred forthwith to the custody of such
department.
SEC. 7. If any person adjudicated to be of unsound mind under the
provisions of this Act is entitled to care and treatment in a Veterans'
Administration facility, he may be committed by the United States
District Court for the District of Columbia to the custody of the
Administrator of Veterans' Affairs for placement in an available
facility or may be transferred by the Superintendent of Saint Eliz-
abeths Hospital to any such facility: Provided,That nothing in this
Act shall limit, restrict, or deprive the courts of any State or the Dis-
trict of Columbia of jurisdiction to commit to the Veterans' Adminis-
tration any insane person entitled to care and treatment by the Vet-
erans' Administration in accordance with the laws so made and
provided by such States or the District of Columbia.
SEa. 8. The Superintendent of Saint Elizabeths Hospital is author-
ized to arrange for and pay the expenses of the transfer of any person
committed to his custody pursuant to the provisions of this Act or
admitted to the Hospital pursuant to section 3 hereof, to his relatives
or to a hospital in the State of his residence and in connection with
such transfer is authorized to pay the transportation and expenses of
attendants necessary to insure safe travel
Approved October 11, 1949.
761
Written application
for admission.
Release.
Examination, etc.
Adjudication pro-
ceedings.
Applicability of
D. O.laws.
53 Stat. 1296.
D. C . Code J21-315.
Transfer of custody
of armed services per-
sonnel.
Transfer to Veter-
ans' facility.
Travel, etc., expen-
ses.
Supra.
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