Birth Certificate Scenarios

My name (father) is not on the birth certificate

Some form of documentation to establish the parent/child relationship is required. A court order, child support order, paternity acknowledgment will generally be available if the plan participant is providing health insurance and support.

The birth certificates in our state don’t include the parent’s names

All states have a certified birth certificate which will include this information. Some states provide a “short form” birth certificate or birth card when the child’s birth is recorded. This may not have the names of the parents, so the plan participant will need to order the full certificate.

The birth certificates in our state specifically state not to make copies or reproductions 

These statements generally refer to the use of copies for official purposes (passport, driver’s license, etc). The plan participant may send the document via fax; may send a copy with “Not An Original; Not for Official Use” written on the document.

The plan participant may also send the certified copy. They should mark it “Not for Official Use”.

I can supply the social security card or passport for my dependent, isn’t that enough?

While these documents are used to establish identity, they do not establish the dependent relationship that a marriage certificate and birth certificate do.