Mental health: the CARE Act.

Senator Stern's proposal to expand California's Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act would add bipolar I disorder to the list of qualifying conditions for court-ordered behavioral health treatment and support services. The CARE Act currently limits eligibility to adults diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders.

Under the existing program, qualified individuals can petition civil courts to create voluntary agreements or court-ordered plans for behavioral health care, medication, housing assistance, and other services delivered through county agencies. The bill maintains other eligibility requirements - participants must be 18 or older, not currently stabilized through voluntary treatment, and either unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision or at risk of serious harm to themselves or others. The law excludes psychotic symptoms caused by medical conditions like traumatic brain injury, autism, or dementia.

The expansion would increase responsibilities for county behavioral health departments, triggering state constitutional provisions requiring reimbursement of local agencies for state-mandated programs. The bill directs the Commission on State Mandates to determine whether the changes create reimbursable costs for counties and school districts. Any mandated expenses would be repaid through existing statutory procedures.