(a) Special treatment programs shall provide programs to serve patients who have a chronic psychiatric impairment and whose adaptive functioning is moderately impaired. Special treatment program services are those therapeutic services, including prevocational preparation and prerelease planning, provided to mentally disordered persons having special needs in one or more of the following general areas: self-help skills, behavior adjustment, interpersonal relationships.

(b) To be eligible for special treatment program services, the patient's condition should be responsive to special treatment program services and prohibitive to placement in a skilled nursing facility.

(c) The facility shall not accept for care any mentally disordered patient who has an identified program need unless the Department of Health Care Services has approved the facility's specific special treatment plan.