Arizona Is Number One in Establishing Paternity. Here’s Why It Matters
With all the excitement of a child newly born, things like paperwork may be the last thing on parents’ minds. But a simple signature can make all the difference in making things easier for both the child and the parents down the road, and save a lot of time for everyone involved.
With the child's paternity established right out the gate, the child and parents get all the benefits of established paternity, such as a complete family medical history for the child, inheritance rights, retirement pension benefits, life insurance, unemployment compensation, and even lottery winnings.
How It Works
The Department of Economic Security (DES) Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) Hospital Paternity Program can easily establish paternity while a newborn is still in the hospital, at no cost. Through the program, parents sign a “Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity” form to add the father's name to the birth certificate. A hospital employee will either witness or notarize the form, and the signed form is sent to the Hospital Paternity Program, where the father's name is added to the Bureau of Vital Records database.
Save Yourself Time–and Money!
When they do this, the parents don’t have to go to court in order to establish paternity, and don’t need to pay for a court filing fee, genetic testing, or an attorney. It can take a minimum of three to four months to schedule a hearing, the first part of the process for establishing paternity. If both parties don’t show, the hearing will need to be rescheduled.
Establishing paternity in a hospital is as simple as filling out a form in front of a trained hospital employee. At that point, the parents are done.
Arizona is Number One for Establishing Paternity
Arizona’s process has been a model for other states. The state is number one in the nation for establishing paternity, and other states have reached out to the Hospital Paternity Program (HPP) team for information on best practices, according to HPP supervisor Melissa Vasquez. She credits having a specialized unit and, of course, “our awesome staff!”
The team works with the hospitals, midwives, and birthing centers; the Bureau of Vital Records; and other child support staff in DCSS to coordinate the paperwork, and with the four groups working together, the team is able to process an average of 2,200 applications a month.
HPP staffer Rosalinda Miranda is grateful for the collaboration with the other agencies and DCSS staff. “It’s because we have a good partnership with the four of us that we’re able to help each other,” she says. “Without those four groups, we wouldn’t succeed.”
Parents who conduct home births and midwives can also participate. Midwives can send the birth registration to the Bureau of Vital Records, and the acknowledgment to the HPP program staff. The HPP team also works with birthing centers in addition to hospitals.
Get Started
To learn more about the Hospital Paternity Program, ask a hospital employee during your hospital stay, or call 602-771-8181 or 1-800-485-6908.