Turning Data into Information: The

Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment

Program

VAPP OVERVIEW

A Month in the Life of VAPP

Enter approximately 1,500 affidavits per month

Respond to an average of 611 affidavit requests per month

An affidavit is located & faxed in 4 out of 5 requests

SSW Fax Back Service

444

1734

3891

5098

7242

8806

7348 7331 70217515

5981

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008*

Nu

mb

er o

f in

qu

irie

s

The number of callers steadily increased until 2003 & has been fairly consistent over the past few years.

In the first 9 months of 2008, SSW staff handled about 6,000 affidavit requests.

Source: Author calculations from SSW faxback database.

*Through September

SSW Fax Back Service

81% 81%81%75%71%

61%61%53%49%

55%

69%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

*

Not Found

Found

In most cases, an inquiry results in the location of an affidavit.

Source: Author calculations from SSW Fax Back database. *Through September

SSW Fax Back Service

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Alle

gany

Anne A

rundel

Balti

more

County

Calv

ert

Caro

line

Carr

oll

Cecil

Charles

Dorc

heste

r

Fre

derick

Garr

ett

Harf

ord

How

ard

Kent

Montg

om

ery

Prince G

eorg

e's

Queen A

nne's

St. M

ary

's

Som

ers

et

Talb

ot

Washin

gto

n

Wic

om

ico

Worc

este

r

% of inquiries % of affidavits

Jurisdictions vary in their shares of affidavits & faxback inquiries.

Source: Author calculations from SSW affidavit & faxback database. Data for births and faxback requests occurring between January 1, 2008 & June 30, 2008.

Baltimore City:

37.8% of inquiries

17.4% of affidavits

Trends in Non-Marital Births & Paternity Affidavits

70.6%

69.7%

65.7%

68.4%

17,59518,234

20,872

24,907

26,166

28,866

30,519

18,959

63.0%

64.0%

65.0%

66.0%

67.0%

68.0%

69.0%

70.0%

71.0%

2004 2005 2006 2007

Calendar Year

% o

f n

on

-mar

ital

bir

ths

wit

h a

pat

ern

ity

affi

dav

it

10,000

12,500

15,000

17,500

20,000

22,500

25,000

27,500

30,000

32,500

Affidavit success rate Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgments Non-marital births

Who Signs Paternity Affidavits?

28%

55%

71%76% 75% 76%

39%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

% of non-marital births with an affidavit

under 15

15-17

18-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35 & older

Source: Authors’ calculations from DHMH extract data for births in CY 2007.

Younger mothers are less likely to have a signed affidavit.

Mother’s age

4050

872034

10,9507155

3594

2323

Do Affidavit Children Become IV-D Children?

3 out of 5 affidavit children become IV-D children by their 5th birthday

57%

45%38%

70%

87%

24%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

% w/in 5 years of birth

Child Support

TCA

Food Stamps

MA

M-CHP

Any

Source: Ovwigho, Born, & Bouchet (2006). Do In-Hospital Paternity Programs Reach Future IV-D Clients? Child Support Quarterly.

Do Affidavit Children Become IV-D Children?

49%49%

58%57%52%

46%

60%56%

63%

49%50%54%

40%

57%

40%45%

60%57%

64%

54%57%

62%59%

78%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Allegany

Anne A

rundel

Baltim

ore

Calv

ert

Caro

line

Carr

oll

Cecil

Charles

Dorc

heste

r

Fre

derick

Garr

ett

Harf

ord

How

ard

Kent

Montg

om

ery

Prince G

eorg

e's

Queen A

nne's

St

Mary

's

Som

ers

et

Talb

ot

Washin

gto

n

Wic

om

ico

Worc

este

r

Baltim

ore

City

Local jurisdictions vary. In Baltimore City, 4 out of 5 affidavit children become IV-D children by their 5th birthday.

Source: Author calculations for children born in CY 2000.

How Many IV-D Children have a Paternity Affidavit?

Of all children born out of wedlock in 2001 who became known to the child support system by their 1st birthday, about half

had a paternity affidavit.

47%

53%

AffidavitNo Affidavit

Source: Ovwigho, Head, & Born (2007). Child support outcomes of Maryland’s In-Hospital Paternity Acknowledgment Program.

Children with a paternity affidavit are more likely to be coded as having paternity

established in CSES by their 4th birthday.

94.4%

41.4%

55.2%

3.3%

3.4%

2.2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

MD Affidavit Known toCSES (n=2,943)

No MD Affidavit (n=4,819)

Paternity NotEstablished

PaternityEstablished byCourt Order

PaternityEstablished byAffidavit

45.7%

32.2%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%

% w

ith

an

ord

er

for

cu

rre

nt

su

pp

ort

AffidavitNo Affidavit

Children with an affidavit are more likely to have an order for current support

established by their 4th birthday.

Source: Ovwigho, Head, & Born (2007). Child support outcomes of Maryland’s In-Hospital Paternity Acknowledgment Program.

Payment Rates are Similar Regardless of Affidavit Status

71.9%

79.2%79.8%

80.4%

77.1%77.1%

72.2%

76.3%

66.0%

68.0%

70.0%

72.0%

74.0%

76.0%

78.0%

80.0%

82.0%

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4*

Pe

rce

nt

pa

yin

g a

ny

su

pp

ort

AffidavitNo affidavit

among those owing any court-ordered support

Source: Ovwigho, Head, & Born (2007). Child support outcomes of Maryland’s In-Hospital Paternity Acknowledgment Program.

On Average, Those with Orders Receive the Same Amount of Support Regardless

of Affidavit Status

$778

$1,515

$1,840$1,967

$1,714$1,892

$848

$1,425

$0

$500

$1,000

$1,500

$2,000

$2,500

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4Av

era

ge

cu

rre

nt

su

pp

ort

re

ce

ive

d a

mo

ng

c

hild

ren

wit

h o

rde

rs

AffidavitNo affidavit

Source: Ovwigho, Head, & Born (2007). Child support outcomes of Maryland’s In-Hospital Paternity Acknowledgment Program.

Implications of our Study of Paternity Affidavits & Child Support Outcomes

• Benefits of voluntary paternity acknowledgment are many & long-lasting.

• Program is very good & could be even better.– Improvements in data matching– Reaching under-represented groups

Making Best Use of the Faxback Service

• Fax # 410-706-5202

• Voice # 410-706-3040

• Hours – 8:00am – 4:30pm

• Closed: Martin Luther King Day; Memorial Day; the 4th of July; Labor Day; the Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week; week b/w Christmas & New Year’s Day

• Please include the child’s name, date of birth, parents’ names, and mother’s SSN, if available.

If the affidavit is in our system, we will fax it to you as soon as possible!