When you love a child, you don’t much care what your specific relationship to one is beyond knowing who is family. This connection may be most common in biological parents in a marriage, but there are all sorts of modern ways that families come together or work together while they are apart.
- Why would a father need to prove paternity?
A biological determination that a man is a child’s father may be necessary for a claim of child custody. Biological and adoptive parents are the only people under Nebraska law that can apply for custody if they are alive and available, so proving that rule is important.
- Does paternity matter even if fathers aren’t seeking more rights?
There are some unforeseen circumstances in which paternity must be proven. One is if a father dies with benefits or assets that would be transferred to a biological or adopted child. No one can receive this help in a difficult time without proven parenthood. Veterans’ benefits, pension payments and Social Security dividends may be included.
- How can a father get help with proving paternity?
This application often must be made in the county which holds jurisdiction over the people involved in the case. The process also involves medical testing that must be done with a chain of custody approved by the court. An attorney can help guide the process of seeking to prove paternity. Legal representation may be very useful if a case gets unexpectedly complicated or even if fathers are not sure how to file the appropriate paperwork to prove their connections.