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Department of Child Support Services recommending the Board approve and authorize the Chair to sign the Agreement for Services 3613 with Barton Healthcare System for services to carry out the Paternity Opportunity Program with a three-year term retroactive to February 1, 2019 through January 31, 2022, for an amount not to exceed $5,000.
FUNDING: State and Federal Child Support Funds.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Pursuant to California Family Code (FC) Section 7571(a), hospital staff are required to provide unmarried parents with the opportunity to sign a voluntary declaration of parentage. Hospital staff are required to witness the signatures of parents signing the voluntary declaration of parentage and to forward the signed declaration to the Department of Child Support Services within 20 days of the date the declaration was signed. FC 7571(c) requires the local child support agency to pay the sum of ten dollars ($10) to birthing hospitals for each completed declaration of parentage that is filed. This ten dollar ($10) payment is contingent on the fact that the child support agency has a written agreement with the birthing hospital specifying the terms and conditions as required by federal law.
El Dorado County Child Support Services has had agreements in place with both Marshall and Barton hospitals since 1995 when the Paternity Opportunity Program legislation was first passed. The last agreement with Barton Hospital expired January 31, 2019 and although efforts to obtain a new agreement began in November 2018, there were numerous versions (edits) that took many months to resolve. Contract staff at Barton were not able to obtain approval from the necessary administrative hospital staff. County Counsel spent a great deal of time reviewing and editing the changes proposed by Barton. Risk Management also had discussions with Barton pertaining to the standard indemnity language which is required by our county. Contract staff at Barton also challenged...
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