Conservatorships.

Assembly Member Quirk-Silva's conservatorship legislation expands placement options for Californians under conservatorship who have major neurocognitive disorders. The measure authorizes conservators to place conservatees in residential facilities, intermediate care facilities, and skilled nursing facilities that utilize secured perimeters or delayed egress locks, adding to existing placement authority in secured residential care facilities for the elderly.

The bill establishes specific requirements for these placements, mandating court approval based on clear and convincing evidence that the conservatee has a major neurocognitive disorder, lacks capacity for informed consent, would benefit from the placement, and that the facility represents the least restrictive appropriate option. Any subsequent transfer to a different type of authorized facility requires additional court approval, except in emergencies. The legislation maintains existing protections regarding medication administration and requires annual court investigator reviews of placement appropriateness.

By January 2027, the State Departments of Social Services and Public Health must update regulations to address all forms of major neurocognitive disorders and create consistent standards across facility types regarding secured perimeters and delayed egress locks. The departments may implement emergency regulations before this deadline if needed. The measure preserves current laws on emergency situations, conservatorship of estates, and medical treatment authorization for those without major neurocognitive disorders.