Q. What if the father does not want to acknowledge paternity?
A. The mother may contact Child Support Services (CSS). Our office will open a child support case. There is no charge for these services. It is important that the mother complete the application with as much information as possible. Information about the father, such as a Social Security number, place of employment, and/or an address, makes it easier to locate him.
Q. What if the father does not believe the child is his?
A. The father should not sign a Declaration of Paternity if he wants DNA testing. He can request paternity testing. A court will look at the results of the paternity test and at other evidence that may link the father to the child.
Q. Who pays for paternity tests?
A. If there is a case file open with the CSS, we pay for the tests. If the tests do show that the man is the biological father of the child, he may be ordered to repay the costs of the tests. The father may go to a private lab.
Q. What if the father thinks that the child is his, but the mother won't sign the Declaration of Paternity with him?
A. The father can come to Child Support Services and open a child support case, our office will help the father to establish paternity.
Q. Should parents establish paternity if they are getting along and the father is helping support the child?
A. Yes. Even if the father agrees to help support the child now, he may change his mind, become disabled or even die. In most cases, unmarried parents can get benefits only if they establish paternity.
Q. What if the mother is married to someone else?
A. If the mother is married to someone other than the biological father, the biological father cannot sign the Declaration of Paternity form. When a child is born to a married woman (even she is separated from her husband), the law creates a presumption that the husband is the father. If the mother is married and wishes to establish paternity with a man other that her husband, she must go to court to obtain a judgment of paternity to overcome the presumption that her husband is the father.
If you have questions regarding amending a Birth Certificate or how to request a copy of the Birth Certificate, please visit the following websites:
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