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DNA Testing FAQs
What is DNA paternity testing and how does it work?What do I need to do to get a test?
Where is Health-Link located, and where do I go for a sample collection?
What if those tested are in different cities?
Is there an age limit to taking a DNA test?
Can I use your results to obtain child support?
How fast can I receive the results?
What do I need to bring to the appointment?
Can a paternity test be performed without the mother?
What if the father is missing or deceased?
Do I need a doctor’s order or attorney’s note to have the paternity test done?
How accurate is DNA paternity testing?
Does the buccal swab produce results that are as accurate as those produced using blood samples?
What do the results look like, and how do I interpret the results?
Where else can I turn for other pregnancy wellness education?
What is DNA paternity testing?
DNA paternity testing (sometimes called parentage testing) uses DNA, the biological basis of inheritance, to prove or disprove the relationship between a child and an alleged father. It is based on the fact that we inherit half of our DNA from our father and half from our mother.In a DNA paternity test, DNA samples are taken from the child, mother, and alleged father and sent to our lab. We purify the DNA and prepare it for testing with a battery of at least 16 DNA markers, producing a genetic profile for each tested individual. The child’s profile is compared with the profiles of the mother and alleged father to confirm that he/she has inherited DNA from the alleged father. We perform statistical analysis to calculate the probability of paternity.
What do I need to do to get a test?
Simply call 1-888-712-9639 to speak with one of our caring case managers. They will evaluate your unique situation and recommend the best DNA testing service to answer your paternity questions. They will also arrange for a sample collection appointment that is convenient for you.When you arrive at your appointment, you need to present proper identification required by the chain of custody procedure. The sample collector will collect DNA samples using a simple buccal swab—a cotton-like swab that he/she will rub against the inside of your cheek to gather loose cheek cells. The collector will send all samples to our laboratory; we perform testing when all samples for a paternity case have been received. We will send you the results within 5 working days or less of receiving all samples.
Where is Health-Link located, and where do I go for a sample collection?
Health-Link Paramedical is an international company with headquarters in Dothan, Alabama.. We have an extensive network of sample collection sites in all 50 U.S. states, and other countries around the world. When you call, our case managers will search our databases for local appointments that are convenient for all tested parties.
What if those tested are in different cities?
We can schedule separate appointments for the participants in the paternity test. We have thousands of collection sites all over the United States, and we usually can make a convenient appointment close to your work or home.
Is there an age limit to taking a DNA test?
No. Because DNA is set at conception and generally does not change, paternity tests can be performed even on a sample from an unborn child (called prenatal testing). At birth, blood from the umbilical cord can be taken for use as a DNA sample source, or a buccal swab may be collected from the newborn.
Can I use your results to obtain child support?
Because Health-Link follows a strict chain of custody, courts and other government agencies accept our results as evidence in a paternity case. Many of our clients use our results to obtain child support and to claim Social Security benefits or inheritance.
How fast can I get my results?
Once all samples have been received in the lab, we typically have results in as little as 48-72 hours. We also provide results immediately by telephone so that you don't have to wait on the mail. Original, notarized results will also be mailed to you by U.S. Mail within just a few days.
What do I need to bring to the appointment?
All test participants must bring a valid, government-issued ID such as a driver’s license, state ID, or passport. For minors, a birth certificate, social security card, or crib sheet is sufficient. The child’s legal guardian must sign the consent form allowing the minor to be tested.
Mothers who participate are guaranteed to receive a copy of the test results. Due to Health-Link’s strict confidentiality policy, we are only able to release results to those tested, their authorized representatives (such as an attorney), or to the tested child’s legal guardian.
Some courts require the mother to participate in the paternity test.
The mother’s participation aids in the analysis of unexpected results. Her participation is especially helpful in the few cases where mutation (a random change in the DNA) has affected the results.
Several testing options are available in situations where the alleged father is missing or deceased:
The first option that should be considered is viability testing of samples taken from the deceased, such as stored blood or a tissue sample (usually from a coroner’s or medical examiner’s office). If usable DNA is found in these samples, we can conduct a paternity test using this DNA as the alleged father’s sample.
If there are no biological samples from the father available, grandparentage testing is the next option to be considered. Both biological parents of the alleged father (paternal grandparents) are required to participate in a grandparentage test. Results of this test prove only the relationship of the child to the grandparents, but most government offices treat these results as indirect evidence of paternity.
If the paternal grandparents are not both available to be tested, other family relationships may be tested to indirectly determine paternity through genetic reconstructions, siblingship tests, and others. Please call 1-888-712-9639 to discuss your situation with one of our caring and knowledgeable case managers.
Many laboratories mistake the term accuracy for likelihood (or probability). The probability of paternity is a statistical measure of the likelihood of the biological relationship. In the case of an inclusion result (the alleged father is found to be the biological father), the probability of paternity could be as high as 99.999% and above.
All paternity tests will show a result below 100%—to produce a 100% probability, a laboratory would have to test every other man in the world. Instead, the paternity test uses a population database to calculate the probability of paternity. An exclusion result is always 0% because if the genetic profiles of the child and alleged father do not match, there is statistically no chance for the two to be biological related.
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