One of the most important reasons to establish legal paternity in Florida is to increase ways your child can inherit from you. With the law recognizing you as a legal father, your child will have the right to receive certain assets from you when you pass away. Even if your child is not automatically in line to receive assets like your retirement and pension benefits, establishing parentage will put your offspring in consideration for inheritance.
According to Pocketsense, many pension plans require a spouse of the pension holder to be named as a beneficiary. However, if you are an unmarried or divorced father, your child stands a greater chance of receiving the assets of the pension if you should die, although the terms of the pension may still complicate matters. One way to help ensure your child receives your pension is, if possible, to specifically name your child as a beneficiary on the pension.
Paternity also helps if a father gets hurt on the job. Workplace injuries can seriously impair the ability of a father to earn income and provide for his family. As FindLaw explains, with parentage established, a child stands a chance of benefiting from government assistance or workers’ compensation benefits if the father receives compensation for injuries. A child may also receive such benefits if the father dies as a result of workplace injury.
In addition, established paternity means that a child incurs legally recognized loss if a father is injured or passes away as a result of the injuries. This relationship entitles a child to sue the party that has caused injury or death to the father. If the litigation is successful, the child could reap legal compensation for the loss of the parent.
