Children bring joy, love and hope into our lives. For unmarried couples, it also brings the added responsibility of establishing paternity for their child. Establishing paternity is one of the most important steps unmarried parents can take because it creates a legal relationship between a father and his child. Paternity establishment ensures that children are eligible for child support and possibly other benefits such as Social Security, veteran survivor benefits and health insurance. Legal paternity guarantees a father's parental rights should he and the mother ever separate. It also enables the father's name to be placed on the birth certificate.
This Office can assist with securing a court order that establishing parentage, secures a possession/access schedule and provides for child support/medical support. Applicants complete an application and are interviewed by a legal enforcement officer. In some cases, an attorney consultation may be necessary. Please call us to schedule an appointment.
Children bring joy, love and hope into our lives
If a parent has received medicaid or TANF assistance on behalf of the child, then the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has been assigned the right to establish parentage. Please contact the OAG at 800-252-8014 for this service.
