Establishing paternity is the legal term for determining the biological father of a child. Legal paternity must be established in order to:
- Obtain a support order for the child;
- Obtain an order for health care coverage or cash medical support; and
- Protect the child's rights to benefits if the father dies, such as money or property left in a will, Veteran's benefits or Social Security benefits.
When parents are married to each other, the law presumes that the husband is the father. When parents are not married, paternity may be established by submitting a notarized Acknowledgment of Paternity form to DHHS Vital Records Management or through a court order.
Nebraska hospitals have Acknowledgement of Paternity forms available to be completed at the time of the child's birth. The completed form is filed with DHHS Vital Records Management.