Paternity Disestablishment 201

Course Description

This course is designed for conference officers, hearing officers, IV-D attorneys, and any other child support enforcement (CSE) worker involved in the paternity disestablishment process. It is recommended that participants complete Paternity Establishment 101 prior to attending this course.

Since 1999, an increasing number of paternity disestablishment actions have been brought to State courts because genetic testing is simpler, less evasive and expensive, as well as an equally accurate alternative to blood testing, which was performed in the past. The outcomes of these actions are varied and no national consensus on the issue has emerged. This increased activity is causing some states to promulgate laws that make paternity disestablishment consistent. In Pennsylvania, where approximately two-thirds of all children are born to married couples, the courts and the Pennsylvania legislature are reluctant to establish procedures that make it easier to disestablish paternity and rebut the presumption of paternity that a child born to a married couple is the child of the husband. As paternity establishment sets the foundation for future processing of the support case, if paternity is disestablished, many factors involved in the support case are impacted and must be addressed. The ever-changing and growing topic of paternity disestablishment continues to play a significant role in the future developments of the Title IV-D CSE Program.

This one-day course will explore the following topics surrounding support cases involving paternity disestablishment, including but not limited to:

• Effects on PA/CS 611 records when processing paternity disestablishment cases;
• Principles applicable to judicial paternity establishment, including but not limited to, presumption of paternity, estoppel, res judicata, default paternity, and genetic testing which may play a role in the challenges brought forth in paternity disestablishment;
• Procedures on handling paternity cases when the presumption of paternity is challenged;
• Interstate issues and other states reactions/trends in paternity disestablishment;
• Paternity fraud;
• Financial, enforcement, and case closure processing;
• Role and impact of significant Pennsylvania case law pertaining to paternity disestablishment;
• Federal impact of paternity establishment and disestablishment cases on performance measures; and
• Pennsylvania Child Support Enforcement System (PACSES) processing.

6 hours

Course Level

200 Level These courses provide instruction on emerging issues, new policies, and policy updates. In addition, the courses provide advanced instruction in specific subject areas relating to each of the child support enforcement (CSE) case management processes. The courses vary in length from one to three days and are designed for more experienced CSE staff.