Directory: Genetic Testing Laboratories

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 requires States to use genetic tests to resolve paternity disputes at the request of any party in a contested case. Federal regulations also mandate that the State agency identify and use laboratories that perform at reasonable cost, legally and medically acceptable genetic tests that tend to identify the father or exclude the alleged father.

To assist States in identifying laboratories that perform legally and medically acceptable genetic tests at competitive rates, the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) has compiled this updated Directory on genetic testing laboratories. This information will be useful to States for:

identifying, contacting, and selecting laboratories for genetic testing;
comparing services, costs, and quality of performance; and
arranging genetic testing for interstate cases.

The information is arranged in three sections. Section I is the costs and services provided by the laboratories which include: (1) whether the State or counties have a contract with the laboratory; (2) what tests are performed; (3) the cost of the tests; and (4) the expert witness. Section II is an alphabetical list of the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the laboratories. Section III is a list of the laboratories accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB).

Quality control procedures are essential to ensuring the validity and reliability of tests performed by laboratories. The AABB has established an accreditation process for laboratories as a means of ensuring the integrity of genetic testing. Laboratories voluntarily submit to this accreditation procedure which requires meeting the AABB standards for paternity testing and safeguarding of the test results.

A State may or may not choose to use an AABB accredited laboratory. A number of factors should be carefully considered before selecting a laboratory. The foremost considerations are:

the quality of a laboratory's performance;
whether the laboratory performs a sufficiently detailed series of tests which will exclude wrongfully accused men; and
whether the laboratory provides service at a reasonable cost.

A State may also want to determine the following:

the laboratory's ability to handle the required volume;
the laboratory's quality control procedures;
will they provide clear reports indicating the likelihood of paternity, if there is no exclusion; and
will they have an expert prepared to testify in selected cases.

In addition, a laboratory handling genetic testing for interstate paternity cases should have the expertise and experience in dealing with two separate jurisdictions. It should have the following:

the identification of collection sites (blood drawing centers) that are available and equipped to send blood drawings back to the laboratory while still maintaining strict chain of custody procedures;
the provision of telephone "hot lines" which can be used to inquire which collection site (blood drawing center) is the nearest and most convenient for a specific jurisdiction;
the provision of a carrier service to pick up blood drawings in remote areas;
the availability of expert witnesses who are familiar with various State Child Support Enforcement Programs, if a personal appearance to testify is necessary; and
a comprehensive chain of custody procedures so that there are no questions of identity in interstate cases. This is important since in most interstate paternity cases, blood drawings are not done at the same location for all of the parties.

Genetic testing is a crucial element in resolving contested paternity cases. Genetic tests provide reliable information helpful in determining a child's parentage or in eliminating the wrong man from consideration.

This Directory and other child support publications are available from the OCSE National Reference Center, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW, Washington, DC 20447. Any comments regarding this publication should be directed to Rayetta Byrd at Internet: rbyrd@acf.dhhs.gov.