County seeks statutory change to allow juvenile competency restoration reimbursements

County staff presented a legislative priority to amend statute to allow reimbursement for juvenile competency restoration services. Speakers said the recent statute addressed adult detention reimbursement but did not extend the same reimbursement to juveniles who require evaluation or restoration services and must be transported out of county for beds and treatment.

Rusty, who spoke for the legal team, said attorneys drafted bill language to revise the statute so counties are compensated for time and costs when juveniles await evaluation or treatment. He said Sedgwick County is the most impacted jurisdiction and that other counties and the Kansas County Commissioners Association have been engaged in the issue. The commission did not object to forwarding the proposal to the lobbyists in bill-ready form.