63 STAT.] 81ST CONG., 1ST SESS.-CH. 672-OCT. 11, 1949 SEC. 3 . Any person in any of the places described in section 1 hereof may, upon his written application, be admitted for observation and diagnosis to Saint Elizabeths Hospital in the discretion of the Super- intendent thereof for a period not exceeding 30 days. Any such person expressing a desire for release from Saint Elizabeths Hospital shall be released within 72 hours thereafter, unless proceedings for his adjudication as a person of unsound mind shall have been instituted as provided for in section 5 hereof. SEC. 4. The Superintendent of Saint Elizabeths Hospital is hereby authorized and directed to receive for observation and diagnosis any person apprehended or committed as provided in sections 1 and 2 hereof for the periods therein prescribed, unless such person is sooner discharged or returned to his home or to the State of his residence. SEC. 5 . The Superintendent of Saint Elizabeths Hospital shall promptly examine any person committed as provided in sections 1 and 2 of this Act and (a) if found to be of sound mind, shall forthwith discharge said person, or (b) if found to be of unsound mind, shall return such person to the State of his residence or to his relatives, if practicable. Proceedings for the adjudication of such person, or of any person admitted to the hospital pursuant to section 3 hereof, as a person of unsound mind and for the appointment of a committee of his person or property may be instituted in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia by the Federal Security Admin- istrator or by any party interested. The laws of the District of Columbia shall be applicable to such proceedings. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as imposing upon the District of Columbia the expense of care and treatment of any person apprehended, detained, or committed under this Act unless such person be a resident of the District of Columbia as defined in section 8 of the Act entitled "An Act to provide for insanity proceedings in the District of Columbia", approved August 9, 1939. SEC. 6. Any person belonging to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard arrested, apprehended, detained, or committed under the provisions of this Act shall, upon the request of the head of the department having jurisdiction over the service to which the individual belongs, be transferred forthwith to the custody of such department. SEC. 7. If any person adjudicated to be of unsound mind under the provisions of this Act is entitled to care and treatment in a Veterans' Administration facility, he may be committed by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to the custody of the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs for placement in an available facility or may be transferred by the Superintendent of Saint Eliz- abeths Hospital to any such facility: Provided,That nothing in this Act shall limit, restrict, or deprive the courts of any State or the Dis- trict of Columbia of jurisdiction to commit to the Veterans' Adminis- tration any insane person entitled to care and treatment by the Vet- erans' Administration in accordance with the laws so made and provided by such States or the District of Columbia. SEa. 8. The Superintendent of Saint Elizabeths Hospital is author- ized to arrange for and pay the expenses of the transfer of any person committed to his custody pursuant to the provisions of this Act or admitted to the Hospital pursuant to section 3 hereof, to his relatives or to a hospital in the State of his residence and in connection with such transfer is authorized to pay the transportation and expenses of attendants necessary to insure safe travel Approved October 11, 1949. 761 Written application for admission. Release. Examination, etc. Adjudication pro- ceedings. Applicability of D. O.laws. 53 Stat. 1296. D. C . Code J21-315. Transfer of custody of armed services per- sonnel. Transfer to Veter- ans' facility. Travel, etc., expen- ses. Supra.
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