Letter of Good Health - Obsolete

As of October, 1998, a letter of good health, which was acceptable in the past,  is no longer adequate for the CCAA's medical requirements. Instead, the CCAA requires that you fill out a standard Health Evaluation (medical) form.  Therefore, you will never actually fill out a separate letter of good health anymore.

As part of the that standardized form, there is a section labeled "Physician's Statement". Make sure your doctor writes a sentence or two under the heading "Physician's Statement" that is similar to the following:

(adoptive parent) is in good health and has a normal life expectancy. (adoptive parent) is free of all infectious diseases, and is capable, physically and emotionally, to adopt and raise a child.

Let's clarify this.  The Physician Statement above is included on the form, and should not be included as a separate letter/attachment.  Some families are providing a letter as well as the medical form, and that is not necessary.

You'll need a completed Health Evaluation form for each adoptive parent for your dossier.  As with everything else with your dossier, have it notarized, certified and authenticated.

Your home study will also require a medical. Ask your home study agency if the CCAA medical form is acceptable for them.  If so you can use that one form for both your dossier and the home study (check with your agency to see if they need a signed copy or if a photocopy will do).

If your agency requires you to use their medical form for the home study, then take both forms with you to your doctor and ask him to complete both at once; this will save you and your doctor some time. Ideally your doctor's signature should be notarized, but if that is really impossible you can attach a notarized cover letter signed by you, to your medical form.

If your homestudy requires that additional household members also have a medical, those DO NOT have to be certified or authenticated, since they are not required to be part of your dossier.