Paternity Establishment Percentage (PEP)

Hospital Paternity Establishment Performance Data

Hospital Paternity Acknowledgment Guide

Child Support Program Partner Guide

Links

Hospital's Role in Paternity Establishment

Establishing paternity provides a child with a legal  father. A completed and notarized Affidavit of Parentage (AOP) form is legal proof of parentage and must be sent to the Michigan Department of Community Health ( DCH) for filing. The paternity of a child must be established if a child is born to an unmarried mother or a mother who has not been married within the past 10 months.

State law ( MCL 333.21532)  requires hospitals to participate in the completion of the AOP form. This form can be completed by the child's mother and father to acknowledge paternity. State law ( MCL 55.285 ) requires a notary public must verify the identity of the person(s) who appear before them when completing an AOP form; therefore parents must provide identification - such as a driver's license or identification card containing their photograph and signature.

Hospital staff must provide parents with information on the voluntary acknowledgment of paternity process at the time of a child's birth. When both parents are available at the hospital after the child's birth, they are more likely to sign an AOP. Parents can complete an AOP after a child leaves the hospital, but there is a fee to add a father to a Michigan birth record. When the AOP is completed and notarized at the hospital, at the time of birth, the father's name appears on the initial birth record without a fee.

Parents can speak with a Department of Community Health representative regarding a change or correction to a birth or death record, by calling the Changes Unit at 517-335-8660 or sending a general e-mail to sopocyc@michigan.gov .

Hospital staff can provide a mother or father with the following toll free numbers 1-866-661-0005 or 1-866-540-0008 if they need assistance in establishing paternity or obtaining a child support order.

Hospital staff with questions on paternity establishment should contact DHS-OCS-PEP@michigan.gov or call (517) 373-9202.

Instructions for completion of the Affidavit of Parentage

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Paternity Establishment Percentage ( PEP )

Hospital staff play a vital role in the state's PEP performance by assisting parents in completing and notarizing the Affidavit of Parentage (AOP) form. The PEP is one of five performance factors for which the state's IV-D Child Support program receives federal incentive funding. The minimum threshold to receive maximum federal incentive funding and to avoid penalties to the state is a 90% or better.

In 2003 Michigan's PEP rate was only 84%. Michigan was then required to increase the PEP by 2% each year until 90% or better was reached. With the required PEP increases attained, approximately $7-$14 million dollars in penalties to the state were avoided.

Statewide PEP performance from fiscal year (FY) 2003 to FY 2008:

• FY 2003: 84.0% (federal requirement to improve PEP by 2% begins)
• FY 2004: 86.1% (2% increase met - full incentives, no penalties)
• FY 2005: 88.7% (2% increase met - full incentives, no penalties)
• FY 2006: 90.7% (90% threshold reached)
• FY 2007: 95.9%
• FY 2008: 95.4%

Over the last few years, Michigan has maintained the required PEP rate, however, it is difficult to meet or exceed the required PEP rate as there are an increasing number of children born to unwed parents each year.

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Hospital Paternity Establishment Performance Data

The hospital Paternity Establishment Percentage (PEP) data is obtained from the Department of Community Health, including total births, unwed births, and numbers/percentages of paternity establishments. The hospital PEP is determined by comparing the number of paternities established in a given year to the number of births to unwed parents for the same year. The PEP goal for birthing hospitals is 75% or better. Hospital data is imperative in reaching the state's required PEP rate, along with court orders and AOPs completed outside the hospitals. The Office of Child Support (OCS) tracks the PEP data for the hospitals and provides outreach services to help increase their PEP statistics.

The PEP Liaison has regular contact with the hospital medical records and birthing staff to discuss paternity establishment issues. The PEP Liaison provides guidance, support and reliable information to any agency assisting in paternity establishment, including hospitals, Prosecuting Attorney and Friend of the Court offices, county clerks, Adult Education, Clinics, Health Departments and the Department of Human Services (DHS).

To assist with paternity establishment, OCS provides:

• Free PEP and Office of Child Support publications through DHS Office Services;
• A Hospital Paternity Acknowledgment Guide to provide procedures and answer questions;
• Letters of appreciation;  
• Quarterly Hospital PEP updates ; and
• Hospital PEP performance statistics

To contact the PEP liaison regarding paternity establishment, send an email to DHS-OCS-PEP@michigan.gov or call (517) 373-9202.

Hospital Paternity Acknowledgment Guide

OCS developed a Hospital Paternity Acknowledgment Guide to assist hospital staff. The guide includes an overview of information regarding:

• Requirements
• Benefits
• Penalties
• Compliance
• Answers to frequently asked questions
• Notary public
• Prison procedures
• Genetic testing 
• Best practices
• Legal issues and
• Contacts.

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Links :

Affidavit of Parentage

Michigan Public Health Code(MCL 333.21532)

Michigan Notary Public Act(MCL 55.285)

Application to add a father to a Michigan birth record:

Office of Child Support publication order form

Child Support Program Partner Guide

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