The NYSPA Report – The Fifteen-Month Clock: Substance Use Disorder, Recovery Timelines, and the Law’s Deadline for Parents

• By: Heidi Makhlouf, MS-4 Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Elie G. Aoun, MD Columbia University
• October 12th, 2026
• Adoption and Safe Families Act, child welfare, Fall 2026 Issue, family law, mandated reporting, parental rights, pregnancy, recovery timelines, substance use disorder
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The forensic dilemma at the intersection of substance use disorder (SUD) and family law appears at several junctures: pregnancy, child welfare, custody and divorce, juvenile justice, and education. Pregnancy is an especially telling case, a physical state that invites a future orientation toward...