Paternity In Pennsylvania
Birth Certificate:
Before a child’s father can be displayed on their birth certificate paternity must be established.
Medical History:
A child’s father’s medical history may be pertinent to his or her own medical history. When legal paternity between a child and their father is established the child can have access to their father’s medical records.
Child Support:
Once legal paternity is established between a father and child the father will be required by law to pay child support and possibly provide medical insurance.
Social Security:
When legal paternity has been established the child is entitled to social security benefits in the event of the father’s death.
Inheritance:
Legal paternity also establishes your child’s right to any estate inheritance of their father.
Life Insurance:
Legal paternity establishes your child’s right to life insurance benefits.
U.S. Military Benefits:
Legal paternity established between a member of the military and a child makes that child eligible for medical coverage, insurance benefits and a college education.
How does this benefit a child?
The welfare laws in the state of Pennsylvania require a mother to establish child paternity. The only exclusion of this is in cases of domestic violence or similar situations.
How to establish paternity?
Paternity can be established through voluntary acknowledgment or paternity testing.
Hospitals, Birthing Centers and County Assistance Offices
The forms necessary for establishing paternity through either volunteer or DNA can be obtained from any of these sources.
Why is establishing paternity important?
There are many reasons for establishing child paternity. First and foremost, statistics show that the father figure is an important role for children. Having a father figure may reduce the likelihood of a child becoming involved in drugs or crime.
Paternity can be established by contacting the Domestic Relations Office. They can help you file a petition to establish paternity and request child support. Compliance from the suspected father is not required.
The Domestic Relations Office will hold a support conference to allow the alleged father the chance to deny or acknowledge paternity. If he denies paternity a genetic test will be ordered. If he acknowledges it paternity is legally established at that time and a child support order is granted.