Legal Paternity Test Archives - Page 8 of 10

What is a Home Paternity Test Kit?

by HOMEDNA on 05/18/2011

The IDENTIGENE home paternity test kit is for individuals in need of a paternity test for peace of mind; to answer their questions of paternity without going through the legal process.

Home Paternity Test Process

The home paternity test kit comes with all of the supplies needed to collect DNA samples for paternity testing, including the alleged father, the child, and the biological mother if she is available.

The home paternity test kit allows you to collect the DNA samples yourself in your own home. Participants collect the samples (collection materials are included in the kit), fill out the paperwork, and send the samples to the laboratory for paternity testing.
Included in the kit is an order form which is used to advise the laboratory how you would like to receive your results.
You may receive results online using a secure login and password that you create on that order form.
You may use the self addressed stamped envelope supplied in the kit to send the samples to the laboratory for testing, along with the processing fee.
Once all samples arrive at the laboratory, the paternity testing process is one (1) business day. You will then have the answers needed for your peace of mind.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The home paternity test collection kit is not for those who are interested in court-admissible paternity test results, which you may need for things such as child support, child custody, or social security benefits. Read on for details about the legal test or click here.

Legal Paternity Test Process

The legal paternity test process is different from the at-home “peace of mind” test.
The legal paternity test collection needs to be done by a disinterested third party; this test is arranged by the laboratory completing the paternity testing for you.
The client support team schedules your collection at an approved facility in your area.
You then go to the collection facility and they collect the DNA from all participants, verify ID, and in most cases take photos.
The Collector is then responsible for sending the collected samples directly to the testing facility to ensure the integrity of the samples. This is to establish a chain-of-custody in order to make the results court admissible.

If you have questions, feel free to contact our Client Support Team at 800-344-9583, M-F from 9 AM to 5:30 PM Eastern Time. You can get answers anytime online in our Help Center.

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

by HOMEDNA on 02/28/2011

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.

DNA Paternity Kits sold in New York: What do You Think?

by HOMEDNA on 02/16/2011

The overwhelming response to the IDENTIGENE DNA paternity test kit being sold over-the-counter in local retail stores in New York has brought on many conversations. Twitter and blogs everywhere are joining in the discussion about over-the-counter paternity testing.

The Talk About Paternity Testing

Gothamist.com has taken a humorous point of view on this. They bring up the fact that there is more to performing a New York paternity test than just picking up the paternity test kit at retail stores. This is true. New York does require authorization for DNA testing by a physician or an attorney, as well as a collection from a third party to establish an impartial “chain of custody.” IDENTIGENE is available to assist with the DNA testing process to help make it as easy as possible. With 2-business-day turnaround times, consumers consistently get results faster than ever.

IDENTIGENE DNA Paternity Testing

IDENTIGENE is a renowned name in DNA testing. With advanced techniques and automated systems, IDENTIGENE strives to offer the world’s most accurate DNA paternity test while providing higher quality, service and convenience for its customers.

Nationally and Internationally Accredited.