Paternity Establishment is the legal determination of being named as a child's father. The establishment process is available at any time before the child attains 23 years of age. Paternity can be determined even if the other parent lives in another state or even in a foreign county. It can be established in the following ways:

* The voluntary acknowledgment process refers to completion of a form known as an "Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit." You can complete this at the hospital when you give birth by both parents before you leave the hospital. It can also be completed at your county's CSEA or vital Statistics Registrar.

* If there is some doubt as to the parentage of the child, either of the parties can request that the CSEA conduct genetic testing to determine the father of the child. The CSEA will order all parties to submit to genetic testing and will issue an administrative paternity decision based on the outcome of the genetic test. For a paternity order to be established, the test must result in a 99% probability of fatherhood.

* If paternity is established through genetic testing the CSEA will schedule a support hearing and issue a support order for the child(ren).

* If either party fails to submit to the test or fails to submit the child for genetic testing, the CSEA will request the court to find the party in contempt and determine the issue of paternity.

Guernsey County Department of Job & Family Services, Child Support Enforcement Agency
Last modified: 11/20/09
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