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Florida Statute 394.4781 - Full Text and Legal Analysis
Florida Statute 394.4781 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research
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The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title XXIX
PUBLIC HEALTH
Chapter 394
MENTAL HEALTH
View Entire Chapter
394.4781 Residential care for psychotic and emotionally disturbed children.
(1) DEFINITIONS.As used in this section, the term:
(a) “Department” means the Department of Children and Families.
(b) “Psychotic or severely emotionally disturbed child” means a child so diagnosed by a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist with at least 3 years of clinical experience, each of whom must have specialty training and experience with children. Such a severely emotionally disturbed child or psychotic child shall be considered by this diagnosis to benefit by and require residential care as contemplated by this section.
(2) FUNDING OF PROGRAM.The department shall provide for the purposes of this section such amount as shall be set forth in the annual appropriations act as payment for part of the costs of residential care for psychotic or severely emotionally disturbed children.
(3) ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM.
(a) The department shall provide the necessary application forms and office personnel to administer the purchase-of-service program.
(b) The department shall review such applications monthly and, in accordance with available funds, the severity of the problems of the child, the availability of the needed residential care, and the financial means of the family involved, approve or disapprove each application. If an application is approved, the department shall contract for or purchase the services of an appropriate residential facility in such amounts as are determined by the annual appropriations act.
(c) The department is authorized to promulgate such rules as are necessary for the full and complete implementation of the provisions of this section.
(d) The department shall purchase services only from those facilities which are in compliance with standards promulgated by the department.
(4) RULE ADOPTION.The department may adopt rules to carry out this section, including rules concerning review and approval of applications for placement, cost sharing, and client eligibility for placement, and rules to ensure that facilities from which the department purchases or contracts for services under this section provide:
(a) Minimum standards for client care and treatment practices, including ensuring that sufficient numbers and types of qualified personnel are on duty and available at all times to provide necessary and adequate client safety, care, and security.
(b) Minimum standards for client intake and admission, eligibility criteria, discharge planning, assessment, treatment planning, continuity of care, treatment modalities, service array, medical services, physical health services, client rights, maintenance of client records, and management of the treatment environment, including standards for the use of seclusion, restraints, and time-out.
(c) Minimum standards for facility operation and administration, fiscal accountability, personnel policies and procedures, and staff education, qualifications, experience, and training.
(d) Minimum standards for adequate infection control, housekeeping sanitation, disaster planning, firesafety, construction standards, and emergency services.
(e) Minimum standards for the establishment, organization, and operation of the licensed facility in accordance with program standards of the department.
(f) Licensing requirements.
History.ss. 1, 2, 3, ch. 77-287; s. 156, ch. 79-400; s. 16, ch. 82-212; s. 3, ch. 98-152; s. 99, ch. 99-8; s. 85, ch. 2014-19; s. 22, ch. 2024-15.

F.S. 394.4781 on Google Scholar

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Amendments to 394.4781


Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 394.4781

Total Results: 5  |  Sort by: Relevance  |  Newest First

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State, Dept. of Health & Rehab. Servs. v. Brooke, 573 So. 2d 363 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991).

Cited 22 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal

...t to determine where and with whom the child shall live... ." See In the Interest of K.A.B. In the present case, HRS' discretion in placing the dependent children was nonetheless constrained by the limits of legislative appropriations. Specifically, section 394.4781, Florida Statutes, requires the Department to administer a program to purchase mental health services for children diagnosed to be psychotic or emotionally disturbed. However, section 394.4781(3)(b) mandates that all therapeutic residential placements made by the Department be conditioned upon a monthly review of all applications therefore "in accordance with available funds." Additionally, as set forth above, section 409.165(1) clearly limits the Department's supervision to "funds appropriated." To implement the Department's review power under section 394.4781, and as authorized by section 394.4781(3)(c), the Department promulgated Rule 10E-10.020, Florida Administrative Code, to provide for the creation of a Case Review Committee in each district to review and approve referrals to programs for mental health treatment of psychotic or emotionally disturbed children....
...to be appropriate for a mental health program is merely eligible, not entitled, to such a placement. The function of the CRC, rather, is to provide uniform case review and to advise the Department as to the most beneficial treatment *369 available. Section 394.4781 then allows for placement of these children in accordance with available appropriations....
...child "in available placement as recommended" by the CRC. No order for placement in a specific institution was made as was done in K.A.B. and the language arguably is consistent with the discretionary authority granted to the Department pursuant to section 394.4781, insofar as the order may be interpreted so that the Department need not place the children as recommended by the CRC if there are neither funds nor facilities available....
...Again, we have no reservations in agreeing with appellants' general proposition made under Point II that the Department's administration of mental health programs for psychotic and emotionally disturbed children is expressly conditioned upon the availability of appropriated funds. See sections 409.165(1), 394.4781(2), and 394.4781(3)(b), Fla....
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Dept. of Hlt. & Rehabilitative Serv. v. Fla Psychiatric Soc'y, Inc., 382 So. 2d 1280 (Fla. 1st DCA 1980).

Cited 14 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal

...l and health care facilities. Statutory provision is made for licensing of nursing homes under Chapter 400, and for hospitals under Chapter 395. There is a provision for residential care for psychotic or severely emotionally disturbed children under Section 394.4781....
...The order appealed is therefore affirmed. BOOTH, J., concurs. ERVIN, J., dissents with opinion. *1286 ERVIN, Judge, dissenting. I disagree with the majority's narrow interpretation of the word "designate." I think, within the general context of Part I of Chapter 394 (Sections 394.451-394.4781), the word is synonymous with license....
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In Interest of LW, 615 So. 2d 834 (Fla. 4th DCA 1993).

Cited 8 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 1993 Fla. App. LEXIS 2875, 1993 WL 74290

...The Department appealed raising a similar argument as is raised in this case. The appellate court affirmed because the trial court's order did not require a placement in a specific institution and did not contravene the Department's authority, under section 394.4781, Florida Statutes (1991) not to place children in treatment facilities where there are no funds or facilities available....
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Dept. of Health & Rehab. Serv v. Vl, 583 So. 2d 765 (Fla. 5th DCA 1991).

Cited 7 times | Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 1991 WL 140874

...the requirement that V.L. be placed within ten days. We vacate that portion of the order imposing this time limitation but direct HRS to provide the placement when funds become available. VACATED in part. W. SHARP and COWART, JJ., concur. NOTES [1] § 394.4781(3)(b), Fla....
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State, Dep't of Health & Rehabilitative Servs. v. Brooke, 573 So. 2d 363 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1991).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1991 Fla. App. LEXIS 45

...o determine where and with whom the child shall live....” See In the Interest of K.A.B. In the present case, HRS’ discretion in placing the dependent children was nonetheless constrained by the limits of legislative appropriations. Specifically, section 394.4781, Florida Statutes, requires the Department to administer a program to purchase mental health services for children diagnosed to be psychotic or emotionally disturbed. However, section 394.4781(3)(b) mandates that all therapeutic residential placements made by the Department be conditioned upon a monthly review of all applications therefore “in accordance with available funds.” Additionally, as set forth above, section 409.165(1) clearly limits the Department’s supervision to “funds appropriated.” To implement the Department’s review power under section 394.4781, and as authorized by section 394.4781(3)(c), the Department promulgated Rule 10E-10.020, Florida Administrative Code,, to provide for the creation of a Case Review Committee in each district to review and approve referrals to programs for mental health treatment of psychotic or emotionally disturbed children....
...to be appropriate for a mental health program is merely eligible, not entitled, to such a placement. The function of the CRC, rather, is to provide uniform case review and to advise the Department as to the most beneficial treat *369 ment available. Section 394.4781 then allows for placement of these children in accordance with available appropriations....
...Again, we have no reservations in agreeing with appellants’ general proposition made under Point II that the Department’s administration of mental health programs for psychotic and emotionally disturbed children is expressly conditioned upon the availability of appropriated funds. See sections 409.165(1), 394.4781(2), and 394.-4781(3)(b), Fla.Stat....

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