5685.5. (Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 948, Sec. 27.)

(a) A county may contract with the local office of the public guardian to receive and manage income and benefits for persons with a mental health condition, regardless of whether the persons are under conservatorship. The case management services described in this section shall be provided only with the consent of the client. The public guardian, under the contracts, may perform functions intended to meet the goals of the community support system listed in Section 5683, and may also include, but not be limited to, all of the following case management services:

(1) Outreach and casefinding to locate persons with a mental health condition in need of services.

(2) Establishing liaison with charitable organizations which serve persons with a mental health condition.

(3) Assistance in applying for and obtaining public assistance benefits for which they are eligible.

(b) Any office of the public guardian contracting with the county to provide these management services shall maintain a record of those individuals being assisted, including information about whether the individual is under conservatorship, the type of service assistance provided by the office of the public guardian, and any agency with which the office of the public guardian is coordinating efforts.