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The Community, Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act - petitions for a voluntary CARE agreement or a court-ordered CARE plan for persons with untreated schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders; Merced County in Cohort 2, accepting petitions from December 2, 2024; the eligibility criteria (18 years of age or older; schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder under Section 5600.3 of the Welfare and Institutions Code; not clinically stabilized in ongoing voluntary treatment; unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision, or needing services to prevent a relapse or deterioration (Section 5150); the least restrictive alternative; likely to benefit); petitions accepted at the Civil Clerk's Office in Merced and the Clerk's Office in Los Banos, or by e-file; and CARE Act proceedings heard in Courtroom 10 on Fridays at 11:30 am unless otherwise ordered by a judicial officer.
California > Fifth Appellate District > Merced County > Superior Court of California, County of Merced
What is CARE Court? The Community, Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act authorizes specified adult persons to petition a civil court to create a voluntary CARE agreement or a court-ordered CARE plan that can include treatment, housing support, and other services for persons with untreated schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. When does it begin? The CARE Act took effect on January 1, 2023, and was implemented in a phased-in approach, with counties separated into two cohorts. Merced County is part of Cohort 2 and began accepting petitions on December 2, 2024. CARE Court Eligibility The CARE Act is for people with schizophrenia spectrum or other psychotic disorders and provides a less restrictive alternative to state hospitalization or an involuntary conservatorship. To be eligible, a person must meet the following criteria: Is 18 years of age or older. Is currently experiencing a severe mental illness, specifically schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 5600.3 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. Is not clinically stabilized in ongoing voluntary treatment. At least one of the following is true: The person is unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision, and the person's condition is substantially deteriorating OR The person needs services and supports to prevent a relapse or deterioration that would be likely to result in grave disability or serious harm to the person or others, as defined in Section 5150 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. Participation in a CARE plan or CARE agreement would be the least restrictive alternative necessary to ensure the person's recovery and stability. The person will likely benefit from participation in a CARE plan or CARE agreement. For more information about CARE Court eligibility, visit the CARE Court Eligibility page at the California Courts website. Where to File? Petitions are accepted at the Civil Clerk's Office in Merced and the Clerk's Office in Los Banos. Petitions may also be submitted by e-file. Where to attend court? CARE Act proceedings will be heard in Courtroom 10 on Fridays at 11:30 am unless otherwise ordered by a judicial officer. Where can I find information? California Courts CARE Act Self-Help Center California Health and Human Services CARE Act Resource CARE Act Resource Center Merced County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services
What is CARE Court? The Community, Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act authorizes specified adult persons to petition a civil court to create a voluntary CARE agreement or a court-ordered CARE plan that can include treatment, housing support, and other services for persons with untreated schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. When does it begin? The CARE Act took effect on Januar
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-10-15 (California T4 Merced build 2026-10-15) from BenchPath custody ca/t4/ca-merced/pages/general-information__care-court.html (the page as fetched 2026-10-15; 625036 bytes, sha256 158c2289d5dab9860237ef20df4748b7d603fae192f3ccbe0e3e30a27cb11cbb) with the Orange HTML composer (compose-site.py, the Judicial Council theme's area): the article's content sections (section.jcc-section), news bodies (div.jcc-news-full) and title banners (div.jcc-hero; the first banner's heading, the page title, is chrome) - the site header, menus, breadcrumb and footer lie outside them; each block starts a line and each table cell is set on its own line; chrome removed: 1 item (the page title, “CARE Court”); proof (the multiset of non-space characters equals the containers' text less chrome and scripts) passes.
6 verbatim requirements on divisional requirements in GIUSEPPINA MIRANDA's division.
4 verbatim requirements on divisional requirements in HILARY CREARY's division.