ESTABLISHING PATERNITY

Establishing paternity is the legal term for determining the father of the child.  If the parents were married when the child was born, the husband is the legal father and that is noted on the child's birth certificate.

If the parents were not married, legal paternity must be established in order to:

• Obtain a support order for the child.
  
  
• Obtain health insurance, if it is available through an employer. .
  
  
• Protect the child’s rights to benefits if the father dies, such as money or property left in a will, veteran’s benefits or Social Security benefits.

It is also important to establish paternity as a link to the child's past.  Just the knowledge of the father's name and of his medical history can help the child in years to come.

When a father agrees that the child is his, he signs a document for "voluntary acknowledgement."  When he doesn't agree, the program will help you take steps, including genetic testing, to establish whether or not he is the father.