788                                  Laws of Maryland                          [Ch. 475

patient of such hospital. In making such investigation, the County
Welfare Board and the Department of Welfare of Baltimore City
shall require reports or statements to be made by such person, rela-
tives or other person upon such forms as may be prepared by said
County Welfare Board and the Department of Welfare of Baltimore
City, as the case may be. Public Assistance payments shall be taken
into consideration as financial resources.

(b)    If as a result of such investigation, the County Welfare
Board or the Department of Welfare of Baltimore City shall deter-
mine that such person, his or her relatives, or other persons shall
be required to pay for his or her care or a part thereof, it shall speci-
fy the amount of such payments to be made, which shall not exceed
the average per diem cost of maintaining a patient in such hospital,
and the times when the same are to be made. The County Welfare
Board and the Department of Welfare of Baltimore City shall have
the power to require the relatives of any such person or others legal-
ly chargeable with his or her care, to enter into appropriate and
binding agreements with respect to the making of such payments,
and may from time to time modify or change the terms thereof, as
the circumstances may justify.

(c)    All payments required to be made under the provisions of
this section shall be made to and collected by the County Treasurer
or Treasurer of Baltimore City, as the case may be, who shall ac-
count for same. Any amounts so collected shall first be applied
against the Seventy-five Cents ($.75) per day which the County or
Baltimore City are required to pay. Any amount collected over and
above Seventy-five Cents ($.75) per day from or on account of any
patient shall be paid by the County or Baltimore City to the State
Treasurer.

(d)     Upon the death of any person admitted to any chronic hos-
pital, the County Commissioners or the Department of Welfare of
Baltimore City, as the case may be, shall be entitled to make claim
against the estate of any such person for his or her care while in
such hospital, or for the balance due therefor if part has been paid.
Such claim shall be a preferred claim against the estate of any such
person, and all claims arising hereunder against the relatives and
other persons legally chargeable with the care of such person, shall
also constitute preferred claims. All such claims may be waived,
however, by the County Welfare Boards or Department of Welfare
of Baltimore City, as the case may be, in their discretion, if in their
judgment the enforcement of same will result in hardship to others,
dependent upon those against whom such claims exist. All payments
received as a result of the enforcement of such claims shall be ac-
counted for and paid as hereinbefore provided.

563. For each patient admitted to either of the chronic hospitals
from any county of the State or Baltimore City, the County Com-
missioners of said county and the Mayor and City Council of Balti-
more shall pay into the State Treasury the sum of Seventy-five Cents
($.75) per day, as long as said patient remains in such hospital. The
remaining cost of board, care and treatment, and the cost of opera-
tion shall be paid out of appropriations in the budget. Said charge
of Seventy-five Cents ($.75) per day shall be collectible by the State
Comptroller, and the Comptroller shall have the power to deter-
mine, in the event of any dispute as to residence, which one of two