Our case managers speak with fathers from all over the U.S. on a day to day basis. Many of these fathers have been taking care of their children financially and emotionally since the children were born. For many different reasons, they suspect they may not be the biological father of the child, so they ask the mother for a paternity test.

Most mothers in this situation refuse, either because they know the real truth, or because they are comfortable with the existing situation. In any case, the mother is not cooperative. The father has two options:

1) Get a DNA test without the mother knowing

2) Get a court order for a DNA test by filing a paternity action

Follow the link above for more information about option 1. Today’s entry focuses on the paternity action.

I am not an attorney, and I suggest obtaining a qualified family lawyer whenever you pursue a paternity action. This is largely due to the fact that paternity test laws very greatly from state to state. There are a lot of factors that go into the process of determining whether you, the father, will be authorized to get a DNA paternity test.

Factors include:

• Are you on the birth certificate?
• How old is the child?
• Were you married to the mother at the time of the child’s birth?
• Did you sign a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity?
• Are you paying child support?

You should speak with an attorney about all these issues and more. Be sure to obtain an attorney who practices in the state where the child resides, because that is where the paternity action must take place.

Oftentimes, option 1 is the easiest way to gain peace of mind. If that option is not available, get an attorney and do it right.

Good luck.

If you and someone you know believe you share a father, but you know you do not share a mother, then there are DNA tests that can help prove your theory. Here are your two options:

1. If you are both males, then a Y-chromosome DNA test can prove if you share a common male lineage. The Y-Chrome test does not prove if you have the same father, because all males from the same family share the exact same Y profile. Therefore, you share the same Y-Chrome profile as your father, your brother, your uncle, your grandfather, your son, and so on. With a Y-Chrome test you need to be certain that other family members are not potential fathers.

2. If your half sibling is a female and you are a male, or vice versa then a half vs. unrelated siblingship test may be right for you. Depending on your genetic makeup, the half sibling test can be extremely conclusive. There is also a chance that the results are fairly inconclusive. A situation where results would be very conclusive is when you and  your half sibling share very rare genetic markers. Since this is unlikely to happen, the probability of you being related is much higher.

One way to improve the conclusiveness of a half sibling DNA test is by including one or both mothers. This allows the DNA technicians to exclude the half of your DNA that is contributed from your mom, and isolate the half that was contributed by your father. Once it is isolated, it is easier to get a more conclusive result.

Our laboratory guarantees DNA test  results that are greater than 99.9% accurate for all paternity tests. Although we do not make the same guarantee for half sibling tests, there are many things we can do to improve the conclusiveness of your results.

Paternity testing is usually about gaining peace of mind. In 49 states, gaining peace of mind is very easy. Contact a DNA testing company, order a home test kid or schedule a test in their office. You should get results fairly quickly. The State of New York makes the process a bit more difficult.

In New York, paternity testing is considered a medical test. Any medical test requires a physician’s order. If you don’t want to talk to your doctor about your paternity testing needs, then you can talk to a judge instead. Court orders for paternity tests are also accepted. If neither of those two options work, your last option is an order from the U.S. government.

In addition to needing an order to take a paternity test, you will also need to come into a facility to have a professional collect your DNA sample. New York requires legal DNA testing. Home test kits are not permitted.

DNA testing can be done in New York, but it’s a bit more complicated. Give one of our case managers a call for more information about getting a DNA test in New York.

The large majority of our DNA testing clients are immigrant families. They call us because they want to prove relationships with family members who live overseas. DNA testing is the most accurate way to prove the relationship.

Our clients petition relatives with U.S. Immigration and wait long periods of time before getting a response. Many try to go it alone through the process, without the help of a qualified attorney. I highly recommend against this.

Every immigration case is unique and requires special care. It’s important you have quality representation to see you through the process. Lots of immigration attorneys are going online and gaining social media presence. Many offer complimentary Q & A guides on their blogs and websites.

One that recently caught my eye is the Immigration Answer Man on Facebook. Ari is an attorney at Siskind Susser, PC. He answers frequently asked questions on his immigration blog.

Boston Paternity is happy to provide immigration DNA testing services to clients. We are not able to provide legal assistance or make any recommendations regarding your immigration status. I highly recommend meeting with a qualified attorney like the Immigration Answer Man.

Every single day we get at least 10 calls from potential customers who ask us why our test isn’t $79 like the one being advertised online. This entry will discuss the answers to why $79 DNA tests may not be the best option. Here are the five reasons:

1. Accreditation – Laboratory accreditation goes a long way towards trustworthy DNA test results. The primary accrediting organization for DNA testing laboratories is AABB. Many labs that offer inexpensive testing are not properly accredited. Therefore, there is no oversight to ensure that your results are accurate.

2. Number of Genetic Markers – The more genetic markers that are tested, the more accurate the DNA test. Accredited laboratories will test between 16 and 22 genetic markers in a standard paternity test. Less expensive laboratories often test less in order to keep their costs low.

3. Turnaround Time – Standard turnaround time on a DNA paternity test should be 3-7 business days, depending on the lab. Some laboratories sacrifice turnaround time, giving results in 2-4 weeks.

4. Customer Service – When I call a company, I prefer to speak with a person instead of a machine. Unfortunately, customer service representatives cost companies money. In order to keep costs down, some labs require clients to leave a message after the beep.

5. Peace of Mind – DNA testing is more than just about proving relationships. It’s about peace of mind. It’s difficult to get that when you choose a discount DNA lab to complete your test. DNA testing is like many other products. You get what you pay for.

If you have an appointment scheduled for a legal DNA paternity test, it’s important to make sure you are prepared. This will ensure that your appointment goes smoothly, and that your results will be admissible in court if you ever need them.

The most important piece of information to bring to your appointment is government issued photo identification. A driver’s license or passport photo will do just fine. If the child is a minor, you should bring in the birth certificate. Both mother and father will need to present photo ID. Proper identification is critical to court admissible results.

Make sure you have social security numbers available, as this is used as a second form of identification. Lastly, check to see if the clinic you are visiting has a camera. If not, you will need to bring in a passport sized photo of each participant.

Quality laboratories will go above and beyond what is necessary to verify identity. Keep in mind, everything during this process is kept strictly confidential.

Most of the time it will take about 20 minutes to collect the father and child’s DNA sample. You should be in and out fairly quickly.

There are a number of reasons why home DNA testing is the best option for gaining peace of mind when it comes to paternity. The testing is confidential, since it can be done in the privacy of your home. Secondly, home DNA testing is usually less expensive than other options, because there are no collection fees. Finally, a home DNA test is convenient, because you can complete the test whenever you have the time. Those factors aside, people who want peace of mind should always consider legal paternity testing options.

Legal DNA test doesn’t mean results are sent to court. It doesn’t mean child support requirements are automatically issued after results come out. The term “legal DNA test” means only that your DNA test results will be admissible in court IF you ever need them. Here are a few reasons why you may consider legal testing instead of a home DNA test.

1. Accuracy – Mistakes can be made when you collect samples yourself. The collection process itself isn’t super complicated, but an experienced collector will make sure samples are taken and stored properly. After all, accuracy is the most important feature of a paternity test.
2. Cost – Although the cost of a home DNA test is generally less than a legal test, the long term cost can be much higher. If you get a home test and then decide you want to use the results in court, you’ll have to start over with a legal test. The cost of a legal test alone is much less expensive than having to do two tests.
3. Service – It’s always nice to know the job is getting done right. With a legal DNA test there’s no confusion. An experience collector takes the samples and transports them to the lab for you. You don’t have to worry about anything except showing up for your appointment.

Those are a few factors that should go into your decision on which type of DNA test to choose. As always, make sure you choose an accredited and experienced laboratory to do your test, or you risk results that are not accurate.

For more information check out:

Home DNA Test

Legal DNA test

When paternity must be determined before a child is born, prenatal paternity testing is available. DNA testing while pregnant is more invasive than paternity testing after birth, so parents should weigh all options before deciding to move forward. Once you decide a prenatal paternity test is needed you have two options:

CVS - Chorionic Villus Sampling – Usually completed between weeks 8 and 14 of pregnancy, the CVS is an invasive procedure. During the procedure, a catheter is inserted into the cervix, and suction is used to collect a small sample of chorionic villi. Buccal swabs are collected from the inside of the cheeks of the mother and potential father. A comparison is made between the samples. CVS paternity testing is as accurate as testing done after birth.

Amniocentesis – Usually completed between weeks 14 and 20 of pregnancy, the amniocentesis is also invasive. A doctor uses a needle to transabdominally withdraw approximately 10ml of amniotic fluid. Again, cheek swabs are collected from mother and potential father and compared.

Not knowing paternity can be extremely difficult to families. After weighing the risks to the fetus many parents decide it’s important to know paternity before birth.

For more information about testing procedures visit prenatal paternity test page.

Today’s technology allows DNA testing labs to provide non-invasive DNA testing using buccal swabs. Buccal swab DNA tests have many benefits over blood samples. They are easy to transport, easy to store, painless to collect, and as accurate as any blood sample. The benefits are leading to decreasing prices to consumers because of more efficient shipping and testing methods. However, DNA collection using buccal swabs still raises concerns among many consumers.

Many people still feel that DNA testing using a blood sample is the only accurate way of testing for relationships. We receive calls from clients who have completed non-invasive buccal swab tests with us. They don’t believe the test results and want to do the testing again using blood samples.

Non-invasive DNA testing using buccal swabs is as accurate as DNA testing using blood samples.

There are a lot of mothers and potential fathers who want to complete a paternity test without the other parent knowing. If you are a parent who wants a confidential paternity test, then this post is for you.

Step 1

Collect the DNA samples. The most cost effective way to do this is with a buccal swab or    Q-tip. If you are the potential father, and the child is too young to know, then this is your best option. Use 4 Q-tips for yourself and 4 for the child. With a firm scraping motion, twirl the swab on the inside of the cheek. The purpose is to obtain skin cells from the inside of the cheek, not saliva. Scrape each swab for 20 seconds, making sure to cover the entire swab. Collect two swabs from each cheek. Place the swabs in a paper envelope. Label the envelope clearly with the name of the participant, whether the participant is the father or child, and what race the participant is.

*Note: Do not store swabs in plastic bags or other plastic materials. This promotes moisture and bacteria, which can damage the DNA.

If you are the mother and do not want to collect swabs from the father, or if swabs are not available, you can collect DNA using other methods. Look for something that is handled often by the person you want to test, and only by that person. Do not get a sample that is handled by more than one person, as this will cause a mixture. Again, put the samples in a paper envelope or bag, label the envelope clearly.

*Note: Good samples for private paternity tests can be a razor blade, toothbrush, cigarette butt, hat, or hair from the root. Cut hair will not contain DNA.

Step 2

Choose a laboratory to send the samples. You can choose the lab based on price, turnaround time, experience, accreditations, customer service, or a combination of those characteristics.

Different labs will have varying procedures for private paternity testing.

*Note: Private paternity testing is not allowed in New York State. You must get a legally admissible test if you live in New York.

Step 3

Ship the samples to the lab. Make sure to include contact information. Since you want the testing to be private, be careful what information you provide. You may want to speak with a customer service representative at the lab to discuss payment and results reporting.

Step 4

Wait for your results. Results are available anywhere between 1 business day and 8 weeks, depending on which company you hire to complete the paternity test. Keep in mind that the results you receive will NOT be court admissible since they were not collected by an unbiased third party.

Learn more about a private paternity test or legal paternity test.