Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) is a Statewide program based on New York State's “Kendra’s Law” provides for either voluntary or court-ordered treatment for adults who have a mental illness and who may have difficulty living safely in the community without supervision. AOT assists with priority assignment to treatment, case management services, and when applicable, housing services.
NYS Mental Hygiene Law 9.60 requires that each Local Governmental Unit maintain an AOT program that identifies and monitors individuals with mental health challenges that are court-ordered into treatment.
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The Local Governmental Unit/DMH is responsible for ensuring that the New York State Office of Mental Health is aware of significant incidents with AOT ordered individuals while they are on order. These significant events can range from criminal activity to inpatient hospitalization.
Residents on an AOT order are at risk of being removed from the community under a 9.60 order if they are deemed noncompliant with their order. These individuals are transported to the emergency room by the police and receive a psychiatric evaluation.
If someone does not meet the threshold for the court order, or is successful on order and taken off, the Department can provide a “Service Enhancement Package” in which they continue to receive a higher level of support and service provision.
In 2024, New York State amended the Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) statute to allow the Director of Community Services to arrange a physician evaluation for individuals who were previously under an AOT court order that expired within the last six months. This evaluation can be arranged if the individual has experienced a significant increase in symptoms of mental illness that interfere with or limit one or more life activities, such as housing, family, or work. If the physician’s evaluation determines that court-ordered services are clinically necessary to ensure the individual’s ability to remain safely in the community, the case may return to court for a new court order. This addition to the statute allows for an individual to be given the opportunity to succeed in the absence of the court order, with the ability to have it reinstated if it is unsuccessful.