IC 12-30-4
    Chapter 4. Placement of Indigent in County Homes and Paymentof Indigent Expenses

IC 12-30-4-1
Receipt and support of indigents; contracting with other countiesor charitable institutions
    Sec. 1. Every county that maintains, in addition to any othercharitable institution permitted by law, a county home that providesfor the care of indigent individuals as provided by law:
        (1) shall receive and support in the county home indigentindividuals who:
            (A) are lawfully settled in the county; and
            (B) placed in the county home by the township trustee as theadministrator of township assistance, with the consent of theboard of commissioners of the county; or
        (2) may contract with other counties or with other charitableinstitutions located in Indiana for the relief and support ofindigent individuals maintained as a public charge of thecounty, and may levy taxes for that purpose.
As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.24. Amended by P.L.73-2005,SEC.156.

IC 12-30-4-2
Admission of individuals who have become permanent charges ontownship; temporary placement
    Sec. 2. (a) The township trustee as the administrator of townshipassistance shall periodically provide for the admission to the countyhome of indigent individuals who have become permanent chargeson the township.
    (b) Whenever an individual who is determined to be eligible fortownship assistance and is entitled to temporary relief is in atownship in which the individual does not have legal settlement, thetownship trustee as the administrator of township assistance mayplace the individual temporarily in the county home.
As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.24. Amended by P.L.51-1996, SEC.74;P.L.73-2005, SEC.157.

IC 12-30-4-3
Township trustee; investigation of individual; report to countyboard of commissioners
    Sec. 3. The township trustee as the administrator of townshipassistance shall, when seeking the admission of an individual as aresident of a county home, first investigate the individual and makea report to the board of commissioners of the county. The report mustcontain the following:
        (1) The name of the individual.
        (2) The birth place and date of birth of the individual.
        (3) The length of time that the individual has been legallysettled in the township.        (4) A statement of the health of the individual, which must becertified to by a competent physician.
        (5) A statement of the income, property, or property rights ofthe individual.
        (6) A list of the individual's relatives who, in the opinion of thetownship trustee as the administrator of township assistance, arecapable of making contributions for the support of theindividual.
As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.24. Amended by P.L.73-2005,SEC.158.

IC 12-30-4-4
Recommendation by township trustee; consideration andinvestigation by county board of commissioners; terms andconditions of admission; delegation of investigation
    Sec. 4. (a) The board of commissioners of the county shall, uponreceipt of a recommendation by the township trustee as theadministrator of township assistance, immediately consider therecommendation and make further investigation that the board ofcommissioners considers best. The board of commissioners of thecounty shall admit the individual on the terms, conditions, andcontract that the board of commissioners considers just and fair byrequiring the individual sought to be admitted, or other persons oragencies, to pay the money, within the rate lawfully establishedunder section 8 of this chapter, at the times that the board ofcommissioners considers proper.
    (b) The board of commissioners may delegate the investigation tothe superintendent of the county home or to other agencies or personsthat the board of commissioners considers best. However, the boardof commissioners retains the right of determination, subject only tothe right of appeal.
As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.24. Amended by P.L.73-2005,SEC.159.

IC 12-30-4-5
Denial of admission; appeal to circuit court
    Sec. 5. If a board of commissioners finds that the individualsought to be admitted into the county home or other charitableinstitution should not, for any cause, be admitted, the individualdenied admission, or the township trustee as the administrator oftownship assistance, may appeal from the decision of the board ofcommissioners of the county to the circuit court of the county byfiling a transcript of the record before the board of commissionerswith the clerk of the circuit court of the county, who shallimmediately notify the circuit court. The court shall, as soon aspossible, proceed to hear and determine the matter. The court mayorder the board of commissioners to accept the individual in thecounty home or other charitable institution on the terms andconditions, within the lawfully established rate as provided in section8 of this chapter, as the court orders.As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.24. Amended by P.L.73-2005,SEC.160.

IC 12-30-4-6
Temporary admission
    Sec. 6. In case of an emergency and pending the decision by theboard of commissioners or the circuit court, an individual sought tobe admitted shall be admitted temporarily. If the final determinationis made that the individual should not be admitted, the trustee of thetownship of the individual's legal settlement, as the administrator oftownship assistance, shall immediately remove the individual fromthe county home or other charitable institution.
As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.24. Amended by P.L.73-2005,SEC.161.

IC 12-30-4-7
Public assistance recipients; voluntary admission; charge for careand maintenance; modification of welfare payments
    Sec. 7. If an individual sought to be admitted to a county home ona voluntary basis upon application to the board of commissioners isa recipient of public assistance from the county or other agencies, theindividual may not be deprived of the right to receive welfare orother payments because of the individual's admission to a countyhome. However, the amount of the welfare payments may be takeninto consideration by the board of commissioners in arriving at theamount, within the lawfully established rate as provided in section 8of this chapter, necessary for the support of the individual sought tobe admitted in the county home or other charitable institution. Thecounty office may, in fixing the amount of welfare or other paymentsfor the individual, take into consideration the fact that the individualis placed in the county home or other charitable institution and maymodify the amount of the payments as the county office considersproper under Indiana law governing public assistance.
As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.24. Amended by P.L.4-1993, SEC.227;P.L.5-1993, SEC.240.

IC 12-30-4-8
Charge for care and maintenance of individuals
    Sec. 8. The board of commissioners shall, each year at its Julymeeting, fix an amount to be charged for the care and maintenanceof each individual in the county home or other charitable institution.The charge must cover the total amount to be charged for board,room, medical and nursing care, maintenance, clothing, and all otheritems furnished within the county home. The items shall be madeavailable to all residents and patients on the same basis.
As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.24.

IC 12-30-4-9
Voluntary residents; ability to pay all or part of costs of care;charges    Sec. 9. In those cases in which facilities are available, the boardof commissioners may accept individuals in need of care who areable to pay all or part of the costs of care on a voluntary basis. Theboard of commissioners of each county maintaining a county homeshall periodically determine the reasonable cost of these services andfix charges for each voluntary resident on the basis of the cost of thecare and ability of the voluntary resident to pay.
As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.24.

IC 12-30-4-10
Appropriations; advancement of money to township trustees
    Sec. 10. The:
        (1) county council shall appropriate; and
        (2) the board of commissioners in each county shall advance;
to the township trustees as the administrators of township assistancethe money necessary for the relief and burial of the indigent in eachtownship, which shall be accounted for and repaid to the countytreasurer as provided in section 11 of this chapter.
As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.24. Amended by P.L.73-2005,SEC.162.

IC 12-30-4-11
Payments to county; maximum monthly amounts per individual;taxation
    Sec. 11. (a) Each township trustee as the administrator oftownship assistance shall pay to the county the amount fixed for eachindividual admitted into the county home or other charitableinstitution from the township, except those otherwise able to pay thecost of their care from their own resources or from other assistanceawards. Except as provided in subsection (b), the amount that maybe charged to the township may not exceed one hundred dollars($100) per month per individual.
    (b) This subsection applies to a county having a population ofmore than four hundred thousand (400,000) but less than sevenhundred thousand (700,000). The amount charged the township perindividual may not exceed forty-eight dollars ($48) per month ortwelve dollars ($12) per week.
    (c) Each township shall levy a tax sufficient to meet thoseexpenses.
    (d) Payment and settlement shall be made in July and Decemberof each year for the preceding year.
As added by P.L.2-1992, SEC.24. Amended by P.L.73-2005,SEC.163.