J. MILLARD TAWES, GOVERNOR                         283

[600. Collection of cost of care.

In all cases admitted, there shall be collected from the patient or
his family as much of the actual cost of care as is reasonably possible,
but in no case shall payment be collected above the actual per diem
cost. This cost shall be determined at least once a year by the State
Board of Health and shall be calculated on the basis of the total
cost of running the hospitals.]

601. Determination of financial condition of patient; how pay-
ments made, collected and distributed; claims against estate.

(a) Collection Unit. The collection unit for investigating the
financial condition of the patient and his family, and for determin-
ing claims and collecting charges for the patient's care, all under
this section and any applicable laws, rules and regulations, is the
agency or program of the Department of Mental Hygiene responsible
for recoveries and collections of payments for maintenance charged
for patients in the several mental institutions under the jurisdiction
of the Department of Mental Hygiene. DEPARTMENT OF MEN-
TAL HYGIENE.

[(a)] (b) Investigation of financial condition—In General. For
the purpose of determining the amount to be paid for chronic hos-
pital care, it shall be the duty of the [county welfare board or the
department of welfare of Baltimore City, as the case may be,]
collection unit to investigate the financial condition of such person
and also the financial condition of any relative or other person who
may be legally chargeable with his or her care, in order to deter-
mine, in each case, the ability of any such person, or of his or her
relatives or other persons legally chargeable with his or her care,
to make payment, in whole or in part, for the care of such person
while a patient of such hospital. In making such investigation, the
[county welfare board and the department of welfare of Baltimore
City] collection unit shall require reports or statements to be made
by such person, relatives 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] collection unit.
Public assistance payments shall be taken into consideration as
financial resources.

[(b)] (c) Same—Determination that patient shall be required to
pay. If as a result of such investigation, the [county welfare board
or the department of welfare of Baltimore City] collection unit shall
determine 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 specify 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. Such
average per diem cost shall be determined annually by the State
Comptroller and the State Budget Director between September 1 and
December 1. The [county welfare board and the department of
welfare of Baltimore City] collection unit shall have the power to
require the relatives of any such person or others legally chargeable
with his or her care, to enter into appropriate and binding agree-
ments with respect to the making of such payments, and may from
time to time modify or change the terms thereof, as the circum-
stances may justify. In arriving at the amount to be paid, the col-