GA SB259

"Ridge's Law" grants parents or legal guardians the right to obtain an independent medical evaluation or pediatric specialty consultation at their own expense when a child is placed in temporary protective custody due to suspected abuse or neglect

Physicians holding a child in temporary custody must inform parents of the child's whereabouts and their right to seek an independent medical evaluation, and must report to DFCS whether a physical examination was conducted and what medical records were reviewed

Courts are required to consider results from independent medical evaluations or pediatric specialty consultations in dependency proceedings, though adjudication hearings cannot be delayed solely because those results are unavailable

"Pediatric specialty consultation" is defined as consultation with a Georgia-licensed, board-certified physician in relevant specialties (radiology, genetics, orthopedics, endocrinology, neurosurgery, child abuse pediatrics, gastroenterology, surgery, or forensic pathology) qualified to diagnose conditions like rickets, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, and vitamin D deficiency

Physicians, medical professionals, law enforcement, and DFCS must cooperate as reasonably necessary to facilitate independent evaluations unless prohibited by court order