222.78  Parents and others liable for support.
  The father and mother of any patient admitted or committed to a resource center or to a special unit, as either an inpatient or an outpatient, and any person, firm, or corporation bound by contract made for support of the patient are liable for the support of the patient. The patient and those legally bound for the support of the patient shall be liable to the county for all sums advanced by the county to the state under the provisions of sections 222.60 and 222.77. The liability of any person, other than the patient, who is legally bound for the support of a patient who is under eighteen years of age in a resource center or a special unit shall not exceed the average minimum cost of the care of a normally intelligent minor without a disability of the same age and sex as the minor patient. The administrator shall establish the scale for this purpose but the scale shall not exceed the standards for personal allowances established by the state division under the family investment program. The father or mother shall incur liability only during any period when the father or mother either individually or jointly receive a net income from whatever source, commensurate with that upon which they would be liable to make an income tax payment to this state. The father or mother of a patient shall not be liable for the support of the patient upon the patient attaining eighteen years of age. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent a relative or other person from voluntarily paying the full actual cost as established by the administrator for caring for the patient with mental retardation.
[C39, §3477.5; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, §223.16, 223.20; C66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §222.78]
93 Acts, ch 97, §27; 98 Acts, ch 1218, §70; 2000 Acts, ch 1112, §51