Paternity
Paternity can be established
when the man and mother sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity form at the
hospital, CSEA or health department stating the man is the child’s
father or the man, child and mother submit to DNA testing and there is
at least a 99% chance the man is the child’s father, or the parents go
to court to determine paternity. Ashtabula County has an establishment
rate of 93.54% while the state has an establishment rate of 100.93%.
After paternity has been established, a support order is established
using the Ohio Child Support Guidelines. The Ohio Child Support
Guidelines are based on the Income Shares Model. The Income Shares Model
is predicated on the concept that the child should receive the same
proportion of parental income that he or she would have received if the
parents lived together.