Cal. WIC § 5972
This is the official text of Cal. WIC § 5972, part of California’s Welfare and Institutions Code — governs public social services, juvenile justice, and mental health/developmental disability services.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
An individual shall qualify for the CARE process only if all of the following criteria are met:
(a) The person is 18 years of age or older.
(b) The person is currently experiencing a serious mental disorder, as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 5600.3 and has a diagnosis identified in the disorder class: schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, or bipolar I disorder with psychotic features, except psychosis related to current intoxication, as defined in the most current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This section does not establish respondent eligibility based upon a psychotic disorder that is due to a medical condition or is not primarily psychiatric in nature, including, but not limited to, physical health conditions such as traumatic brain injury, autism, dementia, or neurologic conditions. A person who has a current diagnosis of substance use disorder as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 1374.72 of the Health and Safety Code but who does not also meet the required criteria in this section shall not qualify for the CARE process.
(c) The person is not clinically stabilized in ongoing voluntary treatment.
(d) At least one of the following is true:
(1) The person is unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision and the person’s condition is substantially deteriorating.
(2) The person is in need of services and supports in order to prevent a relapse or deterioration that would be likely to result in grave disability or serious harm to the person or others, as used in Section 5150.
(e) Participation in a CARE plan or CARE agreement would be the least restrictive alternative necessary to ensure the person’s recovery and stability.
(f) It is likely that the person will benefit from participation in a CARE plan or CARE agreement.
(a) The person is 18 years of age or older.
(b) The person is currently experiencing a serious mental disorder, as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 5600.3 and has a diagnosis identified in the disorder class: schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, or bipolar I disorder with psychotic features, except psychosis related to current intoxication, as defined in the most current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This section does not establish respondent eligibility based upon a psychotic disorder that is due to a medical condition or is not primarily psychiatric in nature, including, but not limited to, physical health conditions such as traumatic brain injury, autism, dementia, or neurologic conditions. A person who has a current diagnosis of substance use disorder as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 1374.72 of the Health and Safety Code but who does not also meet the required criteria in this section shall not qualify for the CARE process.
(c) The person is not clinically stabilized in ongoing voluntary treatment.
(d) At least one of the following is true:
(1) The person is unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision and the person’s condition is substantially deteriorating.
(2) The person is in need of services and supports in order to prevent a relapse or deterioration that would be likely to result in grave disability or serious harm to the person or others, as used in Section 5150.
(e) Participation in a CARE plan or CARE agreement would be the least restrictive alternative necessary to ensure the person’s recovery and stability.
(f) It is likely that the person will benefit from participation in a CARE plan or CARE agreement.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in California?
Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.