FL H0511

The Department of Children and Families is not required to immediately forward criminal conduct allegations to law enforcement if a parent or legal custodian alleges the child has a preexisting diagnosis (such as rickets, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, or vitamin D deficiency) or is requesting a specified medical examination; allegations must still be forwarded if criminal conduct is still alleged after the investigation concludes.

Child Protection Teams must consult with a licensed physician or advanced practice registered nurse who has pediatric experience when evaluating reports involving medically complex children or children with a reported preexisting diagnosis of conditions known to mimic or be misdiagnosed as abuse.

Child protective investigators are required to inform parents or legal custodians of their duty to report any preexisting diagnosis specified in the bill and to provide supporting medical records in a timely manner.

Parents or legal custodians from whom a child has been removed may request additional medical examinations of the child, including a Child Protection Team exam if one was not initially performed, a second opinion from a licensed physician or APRN of their choosing, or an exam to rule out a differential diagnosis for the specified conditions.

Second-opinion and differential-diagnosis examinations must be paid for by the requesting parent or legal custodian, or covered by insurance or Medicaid, and no examination may be requested under these provisions for the purpose of obtaining a second opinion on whether a child was sexually abused. The act takes effect July 1, 2025.