TN 24 (03-24)

PR 01210.005 Arkansas

A. PR 24-006 Use of Enumeration at Birth (EAB) Numident as Written Acknowledgment for a Child Born in Arkansas

Date: February 29, 2024

1. Syllabus

For a non-marital child born in Arkansas, in applying agency policy set forth in Program Operations Manual System (POMS) GN 00306.105C.3 to determine status as a child under section 216(h)(3) of the Act, the agency may presume that there has been a written acknowledgment of paternity for a father named on a non-marital child’s EAB Numident record.

There is support for the agency to determine that the effective date of the parent-child relationship is the child's date of birth.

2. Question Presented

For purposes of her application for child’s insurance benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act (Act) on the record of the deceased number holder (NH) V1~, you asked whether V2~ (Claimant) is the NH’s child in applying section 216(h)(2)(A) or 216(h)(3) of the Act. If so, you asked what the effective date is of their parent-child relationship. The Claimant was born on February XX, 1989, in Arkansas. The NH is named as the Claimant’s father on her Enumeration at Birth (EAB) Numident record, and the NH and the Claimant share the same last name. It is our understanding that the Claimant is a non-marital child in that she was born to parents who were not married to each other. The NH died domiciled in Arkansas on August XX, 2017.

3. Answer

Arkansas law has required a father’s written consent to be named as a non-marital child’s father during the birth registration and certification process since 1981. See Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-401(f)(2). Thus, for a non-marital child born in Arkansas, in applying agency policy set forth in Program Operations Manual System (POMS) GN 00306.105C.3 to determine status as a child under section 216(h)(3) of the Act, the agency may presume that there has been a written acknowledgment of paternity for a father named on a non-marital child’s EAB Numident record. See 42 U.S.C. § 416(h)(3)(C)(i)(I); 20 C.F.R. § 404.355(a)(3); POMS GN 00306.105C.2, 3, POMS GN 00306.120. This particular claim involves using an EAB Numident as evidence of a written acknowledgment per POMS GN 00306.105C.3. Because the same information collected by the State’s vital statistics office for the State-issued Arkansas birth certificate is also transmitted to SSA as part of the EAB process, the agency may also use this legal opinion as a precedent opinion in applying POMS GN 00306.120B.2 as to using an Arkansas birth certificate as evidence of a written acknowledgment for determining status as a child under section 216(h)(3) of the Act. See POMS GN 00306.105C.2, GN 00306.120B.2.

Here, given that the NH is named on the Claimant’s EAB Numident record as her father, we believe there is legal support for the agency to deem the Claimant to be the NH’s child pursuant to section 216(h)(3)(C)(i)(I) of the Act for purposes of determining her entitlement to child’s insurance benefits on the NH’s record. See POMS GN 00306.105C.3, GN 00306.120. Further, we believe there is support for the agency to determine that the effective date of the parent-child relationship is the Claimant’s date of birth on February XX, 1989. See POMS GN 00306.105F.

Please note that this legal opinion does not address Arkansas intestate succession law or status as a child under section 216(h)(2)(A) of the Act and should not be applied to determining status of a child under section 216(h)(2)(A).[1]

4. Background

The NH died on August XX, 2017, domiciled in Arkansas. You advised that on August XX, 2018, the Claimant protectively filed an application for surviving child’s insurance benefits on the NH’s record as a disabled adult child. The Claimant was born on February XX, 1989, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The Claimant’s EAB Numident record lists the NH as the Claimant’s father (FNA: V1~) and J~ as her mother (MNA: J~). The EAB Numident record also shows that the Claimant and the NH share the same last name of “T~.” The Claimant’s Numident has only ever listed the NH as her father (and no one else). You advised that the Claimant’s mother and the NH were never married, and we have no information that the mother was married to anyone else at the time of the Claimant’s conception and birth.

5. Analysis

Federal Law: A Natural Child under Section 216(h)(3)(C)(i) of the Act

Under section 216(h)(3)(C)(i) of the Act, the biological child of a deceased number holder may be deemed to be the number holder’s child if, before the deceased number holder’s death:

(I) the number holder acknowledged in writing that the child was his child;

(II) a court decreed the number holder to be the child’s father; or

(III) a court ordered the number holder to contribute to the child’s support.

See 42 U.S.C. § 416(h)(3)(C)(i); 20 C.F.R. § 404.355(a)(3); POMS GN 00306.100.

Here, the issue centers upon whether before his death, the NH acknowledged in writing that the Claimant was his child given that the Claimant’s EAB Numident record identifies the NH as her father. We next consider the criteria for status as a child under section 216(h)(3)(C)(i)(I) of the Act and use of the EAB Numident as evidence of the written acknowledgment. See POMS GN 00306.105.

1. Biological Relationship Required for Section 216(h)(3) Child Status – Using the EAB Numident Record to Show Evidence of Biological Relationship

To establish status as a child under section 216(h)(3), the child must be the number holder’s biological child. See 42 U.S.C. § 416(h)(3); 20 C.F.R. § 404.355(a)(3); POMS GN 00306.100A, GN 00306.105A. Of relevance here given the EAB Numident record evidence, the POMS instruct that the agency should not raise the issue of the child’s biological relationship with the number holder if the child’s Numident:

 

  • includes an iteration that shows a “6” in the form code (FMC) field of the INTERNAL line, indicating that it is an EAB record;

  • shows the number holder’s name is in the mother’s name at birth (MNA) or father’s name at birth (FNA) field of the EAB record (setting aside minor discrepancies);

  • does not show someone else listed in the same MNA and FNA field in iterations following EAB; and

  • the EAB record was established before the number holder died.

POMS GN 00306.105D; see also POMS GN 00306.105E (reasons to doubt biological relationship), GN 00306.125B.1.a (instructing when the agency may accept the child’s Numident record as evidence of the biological relationship when the parent-child relationship is based on other satisfactory evidence and living with or support evidence per section 216(h)(3)).

Under such policy, the Claimant’s EAB Numident record established before the NH’s death and listing the NH in the father’s name at birth (FNA) field (and J~ as her mother) is evidence of their biological relationship for section 216(h)(3) purposes.

2. Written Acknowledgment of Paternity Required for Section 216(h)(3)(C)(i)(I) Child Status – Using the EAB Numident Record as Evidence of Written Acknowledgment

To establish status as a child under section 216(h)(3)(C)(i)(I), the number holder must have acknowledged in writing that the child was his child before the number holder’s death. See 42 U.S.C. § 416(h)(3)(C)(i)(I); 20 C.F.R. § 404.355(a)(3); POMS GN 00306.105. The number holder’s written acknowledgment of his or her child must both: identify the child by name, or otherwise reference the specific child in an identifiable manner; and clearly acknowledge or identify the child as the number holder’s child. POMS GN 00306.105B. The acknowledgment may be signed or unsigned; in the number holder’s handwriting or recorded by someone else at the number holder’s express direction; be in any format or on any material; not necessarily be in line with State laws regarding written acknowledgment for intestacy purposes; or no longer be in existence or be unobtainable. Id. The POMS provides a list of evidence that the agency will consider to be evidence of the number holder’s written acknowledgment for purposes of section 216(h)(3), and the child’s EAB Numident record and full birth certificate are on this list. POMS GN 00306.105C. Here, we do not have the birth certificate, but we do have the Claimant’s EAB Numident record naming the NH as her father.

The EAB process is a program that allows parents to complete applications for SSNs for their newborns as part of the hospital birth registration process. 20 C.F.R. § 422.103(b)(2); POMS RM 10205.001B, RM 10205.005B, RM 10205.505. “When the hospital representative asks for information to complete the birth certificate, he or she also asks the parents if they would like the State’s vital statistics office to forward information to SSA to assign an SSN. If the parent agrees, the hospital representative checks a block on the form indicating that the parent wants an SSN assigned to his or her child. The hospital forwards this information to the State’s vital statistics office along with birth certificate information. The State vital statistics office then provides SSA with an electronic record used to assign an SSN and issue a card.” POMS RM 10205.005B; see also Social Security Numbers for Children, SSA Publication No. 05-10023 (Oct. 2022).[2] Thus, the same information collected by the State’s vital statistics office for the State-issued birth certificate, which includes the names of the child’s parents, is also transmitted to SSA as part of the EAB process. See POMS RM 10205.001B, RM 10205.005B, RM 10205.505.

POMS GN 00306.105C.3 instructs that the child’s EAB Numident record constitutes evidence of written acknowledgment of paternity for purposes of section 216(h)(3) when the following criteria are met:

The [child’s] Numident constitutes evidence of written acknowledgment if it:

 

  • includes an iteration that shows a “6” in the form code (FMC) field of the INTERNAL line, indicating an Enumeration at Birth (EAB) record;

  • shows the number holder’s name in the mother’s name at birth (MNA) or father’s name at birth (FNA) field of the EAB Numident, setting aside minor discrepancies as described in GN 00203.020A.2.C;

  • does not show a name other than the number holder’s name in the same field (MNA or FNA) in iterations following EAB; and

  • the number holder’s written consent was required by the State during the EAB process. Contact the State Bureau of Vital Statistics (BVS) or use a relevant precedent opinion to determine if written consent was required. For more information, see GN 00306.120 [setting forth agency policy on use of a birth certificate as proof of written acknowledgment or a court order].

POMS GN 00306.105C.3.

Here, the first three criteria are satisfied. The Claimant’s Numident record is an EAB record; the Numident identifies the NH in the (FNA) father’s field and the mother in the (MNA) mother’s field. No one else is named as the father in the Claimant’s Numident record. The final criteria is whether the NH’s written consent was required by the State of Arkansas during the EAB process.

In determining this issue, POMS GN 00306.105C.3 instructs the agency to use a relevant precedent opinion to determine if written consent was required by the State and refers the agency to POMS GN 00306.120 for more information. POMS GN 00306.120 sets forth agency policy on use of a birth certificate as proof of written acknowledgment or a court order for purposes of section 216(h)(3) child determinations. This provision instructs that the agency may use a birth certificate to presume that there has been a written acknowledgment or court determination of paternity if a precedent opinion shows that applicable State law requires the written acknowledgment or court determination of paternity in order for a father’s name to be listed on a non-marital child’s birth certificate. POMS GN 00306.120B.2. There is no published precedent legal opinion for Arkansas in POMS PR 01210, the POMS chapter with legal opinions addressing state law requirements for showing information about a father on a child’s birth certificate for section 216(h)(3) child determinations. Thus, in this opinion, we will set forth Arkansas law on the requirements for identifying a father of a non-marital child on the birth certificate. As noted above, the same information collected by the State’s vital statistics office for the State-issued birth certificate, which would include any father’s name, is also transmitted to SSA as part of the EAB process. See POMS RM 10205.001B, RM 10205.005B, RM 10205.505.

3. Arkansas Law Requires the Father’s and Mother’s Written Consent to be Named as the Father on a Non-Marital Child’s Birth Record

Arkansas law provides that a birth certificate must be filed and registered with the Arkansas Division of Vital Records of the Department of Health within 10 days after a child’s birth. Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-401(a). When a birth occurs in an institution, an authorized person must obtain the personal data; prepare the birth certificate; certify that the child was born alive at the place, time, and date stated on the certificate; and file the certificate with the State. Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-401(b). Following the birth of a child to an unmarried woman, the person responsible for providing birth registration information under section 20-18-401 must provide an opportunity for the child’s mother and natural father to complete an affidavit of paternity, provide written information to the child’s mother and natural father explaining the implications of signing an affidavit of paternity, and provide written information to the child’s mother of the benefits of having her child’s paternity established. Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-408.

For purposes of birth registration, the mother is deemed to be the woman who gives birth to the child, unless otherwise provided by state law or determined by a court prior to the filing of the birth certificate. Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-401(e). Information about the father shall be entered on the birth certificate in accordance with Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-401(f), which instructs:

(1) If the mother was married at the time of the child’s conception or birth or between conception and birth, the name of the husband shall be entered on the certificate as the father of the child, unless:

(A) Paternity has been determined by a court of competent jurisdiction; or

(B) The mother executes an affidavit attesting that the husband is not the father and that the putative father is the father, and the putative father executes an affidavit attesting that he is the father, and the husband executes an affidavit attesting that he is not the father...

(2) If the mother was not married at the time of either conception or birth or between conception and birth, the name of the father shall not be entered on the certificate of birth without an affidavit of paternity signed by the mother and the person to be named as the father. The parents may give the child any surname they choose.

(3) In any case in which paternity of a child is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, the name of the father and surname of the child shall be entered on the certificate of birth in accordance with the finding and order of the court.

(4) If the father is not named on the certificate of birth, no other information about the father shall be entered on the certificate.

Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-401(f) (effective April 13, 1995, to present) (emphasis added). Thus, per section 20-18-401(f)(2), a father will only be named on a non-marital child’s Arkansas birth certificate if the father and the mother both sign an affidavit of paternity.[3] This basic requirement in Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-401 for written consent of both the mother and father to name the father on a non-marital child’s birth certificate has been in effect in Arkansas law since 1981. See Acts of 1981, Act 120, § 7; Acts of 1989, Act 396, § 2; Acts of 1995, Act 1254, § 16.

Here, the Claimant was born in 1989. Our understanding is that the Claimant’s mother was not married to the NH (or anyone else) at the time the Claimant was conceived or born. As such, under Arkansas law, the NH could only be identified as her father as part of the Arkansas birth registration and certification process if the mother and the NH both signed an affidavit of paternity. See Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-401(f)(2). As explained above, the same information collected by the State’s vital statistics office for the State-issued birth certificate, which would include the name of any father, is also transmitted to SSA as part of the EAB process. See POMS RM 10205.001B, RM 10205.005B, RM 10205.505.

In summary, Arkansas has required a father’s written consent to be named as a non-marital child’s father during the birth registration and certification process since 1981. Because the NH is named as the father on the Claimant’s EAB Numident record established at the time of her birth in accordance with Arkansas law on birth registration and certification, the agency may presume that the NH completed a written acknowledgment of paternity to be identified as the child’s father as required by Arkansas law. See Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-401(f)(2). Therefore, we believe there is legal support for the agency to deem the Claimant to be the NH’s child pursuant to section 216(h)(3)(C)(i)(I) of the Act. See POMS GN 00306.105C.3, GN 00306.120.

4. The Effective Date of the Parent-Child Relationship for Section 216(h)(3) based on a Written Acknowledgment

Finally, if a parent-child relationship is established between the NH and the Claimant, you asked for the effective date of such parent-child relationship. The POMS instruct that the parent-child relationship based on a written acknowledgment for section 216(h)(3) purposes begins on the date of the written acknowledgment unless the evidence points to an earlier date. POMS GN 00306.105F. Similarly, the POMS instruct that the parent-child relationship based on a court order for section 216(h)(3) purposes begins on the date of the court order, unless the evidence points to an earlier date. POMS GN 00306.110F.

Here, we do not have the underlying written acknowledgment. Per POMS GN 00306.105C.3, the agency presumes the NH provided a written acknowledgment that the Claimant was his child at the time of the Claimant’s birth because the NH was named as the Claimant’s father as part of the Arkansas birth registration and certification and EAB Numident process. Thus, we believe it would be reasonable for the agency to find that the effective date of the parent-child relationship is her date of birth, February XX, 1989. See POMS GN 00306.105F.

6. Conclusion

Arkansas law has required a father’s written consent to be named as a non-marital child’s father during the birth registration and certification process since 1981. See Ark. Code Ann. § 20-18-401(f)(2). Thus, for a non-marital child born in Arkansas, in applying agency policy set forth in POMS GN 00306.105C.3 to determine status as a child under section 216(h)(3) of the Act, the agency may presume that there has been a written acknowledgment of paternity for a father named on a non-marital child’s EAB Numident record. See 42 U.S.C. § 416(h)(3)(C)(i)(I); 20 C.F.R. § 404.355(a)(3); POMS GN 00306.105C.2, 3, POMS GN 00306.120. Here, given that the NH is named on the Claimant’s EAB Numident record as her father, we believe there is legal support for the agency to deem the Claimant to be the NH’s child pursuant to section 216(h)(3)(C)(i)(I) of the Act for purposes of determining her entitlement to child’s insurance benefits on the NH’s record. See POMS GN 00306.105C.3, GN 00306.120. Further, we believe there is support for the agency to determine that the effective date of the parent-child relationship is the Claimant’s date of birth on February XX, 1989. See POMS GN 00306.105F.


Footnotes:

[1]

You asked about the status of the Claimant as the NH’s child pursuant to either section 216(h)(3) of the Act or section 216(h)(2)(A) of the Act and Arkansas intestate succession law. Based on the information we have been provided, we believe the agency would need to develop the record in order to consider the Claimant’s status as a child under Arkansas intestate succession law and section 216(h)(2)(A) of the Act. However, because the Claimant can establish the parent-child relationship with the NH under section 216(h)(3)(C), we have not asked the agency to further develop the record in order to consider whether the Claimant could also inherit from the NH as his child under Arkansas intestate succession law per section 216(h)(2)(A) of the Act. See POMS GN 00306.002A (“Except for a posthumously conceived child, develop the child’s relationship under any category in the chart in GN 00306.002F that will facilitate entitlement.... You may develop the child’s relationship under more than one category concurrently or consecutively, e.g., development under State law and section 216(h)(3).”).

[2]

More information on the EAB process can also be found in the agency’s Bureau of Vital Statistics State Processing Guidelines for Enumeration at Birth, SSA (August 2021), available on the agency’s website, The United States Social Security Administration | SSA (last visited Feb. 27, 2024).

[3]

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration’s website provides additional information on the affidavit of paternity and explains: “When a child is born to unmarried parents, there is no automatic legal relationship between the father and the child. The biological father’s name will not be placed on the birth certificate without filing an Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP). This is called paternity establishment, and it establishes the biological father as the legal father…. Birthing hospitals will provide information about and help completing the process before the mother and baby leave the hospital…. If the AOP is completed at the time of birth, the biological father’s name will appear on the birth certificate.” Paternity | Department of Finance and Administration (arkansas.gov) (last visited Feb. 27, 2024). “If unmarried parents sign the AOP form at the hospital when the baby is born, the father’s name will be shown on the baby’s birth certificate. The parents must tell the hospital staff what name they want for their child. If the mother agrees, the baby can have the father’s last name.” Id. Further, the website explains on a page related to “Hospitals and Birthing Entities” that: “The Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP) provides an opportunity for parents not married to each other to legally establish paternity for their child. If an AOP is signed by the parents, the biological father is established as the legal father, his name may be included on the birth certificate, and he has all the rights and duties of a parent. Birthing facilities provide vital information about the AOP to parents at the time of the birth of their child and can help with the documents needed to complete an AOP.” Hospitals and Birthing Entities | Department of Finance and Administration (arkansas.gov) (last visited Feb. 27, 2024). The Arkansas Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) includes a link to “Instructions for Hospitals, Midwives, and Other Birthing Facilities Completing the Affidavit Acknowledging Paternity,” which instructs: “You are mandated by federal law to present the Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment Program to all unwed parents under your care.” Id.


To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/1501210005
PR 01210.005 - Arkansas - 03/14/2024
Batch run: 03/14/2024
Rev:03/14/2024