Search Results for: legal paternity

Why isn’t the Personal Paternity Test Admissible in Court?

Reasons for a paternity may include for peace of mind or for support in legal issues such as child support, social security benefits, or child custody. Whatever the reason, obtaining a reliable paternity test is imperative.

Can a personal test be “upgraded” to a legal one after samples are taken?

No. Once a personal at-home paternity test is completed (samples are taken and/or submitted) it cannot be used for legal purposes. People may decide afterwards they want to “upgrade” to a legal DNA test only to find out that the process requires them to start entirely over. So why aren’t the results of a personal test admissible in court?

The difference between a legal and a personal paternity test

It’s important to understand the main difference between legal and personal paternity testing, and it’s really quite simple. A personal paternity test is self-collected. This means you purchase the IDENTIGENE paternity test kit at your local retail store, take the kit home, collect the DNA samples for all participants, and send samples to the IDENTIGENE testing laboratory and pay a processing fee.

For the legal paternity test, the collection of the DNA samples must be collected by a non-interested third party (usually at one of our collection sites). An unbroken, unbiased chain of custody is established because the third party is in control at all times and the identity of all participants are verified. The collector sends the samples to the laboratory as well, which assures participants have not tampered with the samples for the paternity test in any way.

Why is the personal paternity testing not accepted in court?

The collection process for legal paternity testing was established to prevent fraud. With self collection the lab cannot verify whose samples were sent in for DNA testing, so legal entities most likely will not accept results of the test.

The paternity testing process for both the legal and the personal paternity tests are identical once the samples arrive at the laboratory. It’s the chain of custody and verification of participants that establish the paternity test as a legal DNA test.

Personal paternity test results can not be turned into legal paternity test results

We cannot turn personal paternity test results into legal paternity test results once samples are collected and results are released. The paternity testing process needs to start over (and thereby establish a chain of custody) in order to follow the legal paternity test collection process. It’s essential to verify which test you need before starting the paternity testing proceedings. Contacting one of our remarkable client support professionals (888-404-4363) may help you determine which test is right for your unique situation.

IDENTIGENE Home Paternity Test Kits now sold in New York State

IDENTIGENE now offers convenient, low-cost paternity testing with kits on the shelf at CVS, Rite Aid and Walmart pharmacy locations in New York .

Before IDENTIGENE could offer DNA testing to New York residents, we had to meet the challenging testing requirements of New York State, and now Empire State residents can purchase a DNA paternity test kit at their local retail outlet. The kit has been available in local pharmacies in 49 other states since 2007.

New York State law requires authorization from a physician or an attorney to conduct a New York paternity test, which is not true in other states. New York also requires that all collections for DNA testing be witnessed by a non-interested third-party collector to establish a “chain of custody.” This is the same collection procedure used in legal DNA testing.

‘Now, there is a solution for New Yorkers seeking a fast and certain answer to their paternity question-and it reduces the cost by about two-thirds. Results are typically available in two days and can be viewed online by the physician and customer through a login ID and password.’ ~Steve Smith, IDENTIGENE Executive Director.

The IDENTIGENE paternity test kit can be purchased at retail locations for around $24.99-29.99. The entire New York paternity testing process costs consumers around $300, which is much less than traditional paternity testing.

New York residents may contact IDENTIGENE at 800-3444-983 Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-5:30 PM Eastern Time for clinic referrals.

Paternity Testing Basics

Scientific advancement has brought us the technology needed to perform accurate and affordable DNA Testing. IDENTIGENE offers DNA testing, including paternity testing, since 1993 and has become a leader in the industry.

What is DNA Exactly?

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) are materials found in the body that carry hereditary information. These materials can be used for paternity testing or any other relationship DNA testing to determine if individuals are biologically related. DNA can be found in the nucleus of a cell as well as in the mitochondria. The DNA found in the nucleus of the cell is used for a paternity test and other relationship DNA tests. This DNA gives information about inheritance from biological parents that is analyzed for matches to establish if there is, in fact, a biological relationship.

If a question of paternity arises, paternity testing is available to answer it. In fact, whether or not someone is a child’s father is a question only DNA can answer.

The WHYs and HOWs of DNA Testing

Paternity testing can not only give a sense of identity, but can also assist with establishing a family health history, settle disputed child support judgments and form the basis for an inheritance claim. DNA testing can be done as a personal collection for peace of mind or by legal collection to establish admissible results for court purposes. Either way, the DNA testing in the laboratory is identical. Buccal swabs (also known as cheek swabs) are used to collect and are just as accurate as blood testing – just less invasive and more affordable. The samples are sent into the laboratory and just one (1) business day after the samples are received you will have DNA test results. Results can be retrieved online, by mail, or over the phone. You may select all three options if you like.

DNA Test Laboratories

Reliable DNA testing laboratories are accredited by the AABB, formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks. Accredited laboratories follow strict guidelines to ensure accurate results, and are audited by the AABB on an annual basis. This is to ensure the strict guidelines are being adhered to.

IDENTIGENE paternity kits are available at retailers nationwide. Click here to locate a retailer near you and visit our Help Center for answers to more questions.

Search Results for: legal paternity

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