Paternity

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.