A. Beginning November 1, 2019, and subject to the availability of funds, the Director of the Bureau of Vital Statistics shall, within seventy-two (72) hours of receipt of notice of any child death, forward the name, date of birth, date of death and other identifying information about the child who has died to the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth. The Commission shall submit the information for a child maltreatment medical review to a child abuse examiner or a child abuse pediatrician in the state.
B. The findings of the child maltreatment medical review shall be reported to the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, the Department of Human Services, the law enforcement agency and the child advocacy center or child abuse multidisciplinary team where the suspected maltreatment occurred and the Child Death Review Board. The findings of the child maltreatment medical review shall be considered prior to closing an investigation or assessment conducted by the Department of Human Services related to the child death.
C. Subject to the availability of funds, the Commission may provide stipends to child abuse examiners who perform child maltreatment medical reviews and report their findings pursuant to this section.
D. As used in this section, "child maltreatment medical review" means a review of information by a child abuse examiner about suspected child maltreatment with the intent to determine if maltreatment occurred. The review of information may include, but is not limited to, information obtained from law enforcement agencies, the Department of Human Services, medical records, forensic interviews and other relevant information.
Added by Laws 2019, c. 199, § 2, eff. July 1, 2019.