(a) If a party to any action or proceeding in any court or a person whose property rights may be affected by any such action or proceeding is confined by order of any court, or as provided in section 17a-502 or 17a-506, in any institution for persons with psychiatric disabilities in this state, a copy of all process, notices and documents required to be served upon such confined person by means other than personal service shall be sent by registered or certified mail to such confined person at the institution where such person is confined and, except as provided in this subsection, another copy thereof shall be sent by registered or certified mail to the superintendent of the institution where such person is confined. Such mailing and proof of delivery thereof shall satisfy any requirement under law for service of such process, notices or documents by means other than personal service and shall be deemed equivalent to any service of such process, notices or documents required under law by means other than personal service. Except as provided in this subsection, a copy of all process, notices or documents that are required to be served by means of personal service on such confined person shall be sent by registered or certified mail to the superintendent of the institution where such person is confined, in addition to being served personally on such confined person. If the institution where such person is confined is the party initiating the action or proceeding, a copy of all process, notices or documents may be sent by first class mail to the superintendent of the institution rather than by registered or certified mail. As soon as practical and reasonable after receiving a copy of any process, notice or document under this subsection, such superintendent or such superintendent’s representative shall deliver such copy of the process, notice or document to such confined person.

(b) No action or proceeding shall abate because of any failure to comply with the provisions of this section, but the court before whom any such action or proceeding is pending shall, upon finding noncompliance with any of said provisions, order immediate compliance with said provisions.

(1949, Rev., S. 2677; 1955, S. 1508d; 1957, P.A. 637; 1967, P.A. 314, S. 16; 897; P.A. 77-614, S. 70, 610; P.A. 07-148, S. 1; P.A. 14-103, S. 4; P.A. 17-136, S. 2.)

History: 1967 acts replaced welfare commissioner and department with commissioner of finance and control and added reference to confinement as provided by Sec. 17-183; section transferred from Sec. 17-20 to Sec. 4-68f in 1975; P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner of finance and control with commissioner of administrative services; Sec. 4-68f transferred to Sec. 4a-17 in 1989; P.A. 07-148 made technical changes, added reference to Sec. 17a-506, replaced “institution for the mentally ill or mentally deficient” with “institution for persons with psychiatric disabilities” and required copies of all process, notices and documents that would otherwise be served personally on or mailed to the home of a person committed to such institution to be mailed directly to the person at the institution; P.A. 14-103 designated existing provisions re service of process as Subsec. (a), made such provisions applicable to person whose property rights may be affected by action or proceeding and substantially rewrote such provisions, and designated existing provisions re abatement of action or proceeding as Subsec. (b); P.A. 17-136 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provisions re service of process if institution where person is confined is party initiating proceeding or action.