Funds OKd to Pursue Rising Child Support Cases : Unwed mothers: Supervisors approve $52,000 for blood tests to determine paternity.

The Ventura County district attorney’s office received $52,000 in county funds Tuesday to help handle a dramatic rise in the number of unwed mothers seeking child support.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved giving the office’s Child Support Division more money to run blood tests that determine paternity.

Half of the approximately 600 cases opened each month by the division involve unwed mothers, Director C. Stanley Trom said. Just two years ago the division handled only about 400 cases a month, and only 30% of the cases involved couples who had not been married, he said.

“It has surprised me,” Trom said. “I don’t know if it’s a temporary aberration in our experience.”

About 10% of the men contacted about supporting children born out of wedlock deny they fathered the child, Trom said.

In those cases, the division, which does not charge mothers for its services, starts a civil lawsuit against the man. As part of the suit, the man is asked or ordered to undergo a blood test, Trom said.

The results of the blood test are matched against blood samples of the mother and child to determine paternity, Trom said.

If the man is found to be the father, he is required to pay for all three tests, which cost about $300, Trom said.

The cost of the tests, however, often is the last expense to be recouped by the county, he said.

The father must first pay the court-ordered child support and then reimburse the division’s attorney’s fees, Trom said.

“Very often, blood-test fees aren’t paid for years,” Trom said. “We have to pay the bill today.”

If the father is unable to pay, the division will ultimately receive federal money for the blood tests, Trom said. All of the county money will be repaid, he said.

Trom attributes the recent increase in cases that require paternity testing to more children being born out of wedlock.

In 1988, 26% percent of the 3.9 million children born in the United States were illegitimate, according to the most recent statistics from the National Center for Health and Statistics.

That was an 8% increase from 1987 and a 51% increase from 1980, according to the center.

Trom said he believes that cases also have increased because women are more willing to come forward and seek money as the stigma surrounding giving birth to a child without being married lessens.

Also, Trom said, the Child Support Division recently began newspaper advertising of its free services and speaking to various community groups.

Anybody who wants to get child support can open a case with the division simply by filling out a form, Trom said. The division locates the absent father or mother.