I have heard cries of joy, eruptions of anger, and absolute silence to both possible results.  People constantly surprise me in their reactions. In these times I work to be as sensitive as possible to how impactful the next words out of my mouth will be for the customer.

At IDENTIGENE we are working to make this process as streamlined, accurate, and reliable as possible.  A long with the science side of things our client support team is always striving to be knowledgeable, understanding, and sensitive.  We hear many people’s stories of what brought them to this moment and where they may go from here.

We are now sponsoring a new website to provide a space for people to share stories of ALL kinds.  We have posted many stories so far of individuals who have dealt with the worries of adoption, those searching for their fathers through impossible odds, and many others.  We would like our customers to feel free to share their stories of DNA testing and how these moments have impacted their lives.

You can find this website at:  www.MyStoryRelated.com.  I hope that you enjoy the stories told there, and that maybe a few of you feel inspired to share a story of your own.

I hope that this is helpful to people.  Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.

Also, IDENTIGENE was recently featured on the NEWSWEEK.com blog.  You can view this article on their website at: http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/tipsheet/archive/2008/10/25/over-the-counter-paternity-tests.aspx

We are getting closer with the new fact sheets.  Also, while out surfing the web keep your eyes peeled for our new banner information advertising the eye color paternity test.  If you see it out there leave a comment here to say where you found it.

So much is changing around here, but we our continued desire to offer an inexpensive, fast, and reliable DNA Paternity Test has not.  If you have any concerns or questions regarding your testing please feel free to contact me.

Also, I have been finding many blogs out there about our test or paternity testing in general.  Hopefully, my comments have been helpful and insightful.  Many people writing these blogs have not dealt with paternity tests before, and they seem to have a lot of preconceived ideas on the subject.

My goal is to be helpful.  Really, its that simple.  If there are more ways I can be helpful to you my readers please let me know.

Arkansas News Affiliate KARK covers release:

http://arkansasmatters.com/content/fulltext/?cid=131801

South Dakota News Affiliate KDLT’s coverage

http://www.kdlt.com/news/1021n1.html

kstyer@identigene.com

So, when you are considering your options to purchase a DNA Paternity Test think about your local Walgreens and IDENTIGENE.  You can find more information on this exciting news on our website at:

http://www.dnatesting.com/about/dna-testing-news.php?A=54

Also, did you see our ad in your Sunday Paper?  If you haven’t thrown it away or better recycled it, check it out with the rest of the Sunday inserts.

Any questions about paternity tests or DNA feel free to email me at: kstyer@identigene.com or you can call me 801-462-1465.

Can I use my checking account to pay for the test?

Currently, we do accept credit/debit cards for payment or a money order.  We cannot process a check over the phone and we do not currently accept personal checks mailed with your DNA samples.

Will my insurance company pay for the testing?

Simplest answer for this question would be to ask your insurance company.  I have never heard of a health insurance company paying for this type of testing.  If they do it will likely be through a reimbursement program.

Can I use my flex spending account to pay for this testing?

My experience has been, no you cannot.  I have processed a few payments for customers that continually declined.  When I asked about the card the customers have mentioned it was a flex spending account.  When I researched our companies flex account DNA testing of any kind is not covered.  I would imagine it would be the same for any company.

If the results come back negative do I get my money back?

This question is often asked by the alleged father in a case.  Can anyone guess the answer?  No, we do not refund the money of your test if you are not the father.  If you would like to try and get the biological mother to pay you back for it that is something between you and her, IDENTIGENE will kindly stay out of that dispute.

As a government employee can I get them to pay for the DNA Test?

I honestly don’t know the answer to this question, but my guess is no.

These are a couple of most common payment questions we receive.  If you have a question that was not addressed here feel free to add it to our forum: http://www.dnatesting.com/dna-testing-forum or leave a comment on this blog.  Have a nice day!

The “Real” Meaning of DNA Test

Some of the confusion comes from misinformation due to media.  My favorite is the idea that DNA testing can be done in less than twenty-four hours like on our favorite crime shows.  I am sure that some testing can be performed quickly and results be returned in these time frames, but this is not inexpensive and not paternity testing. We work quickly and efficiently to ensure your results are available to you as soon as possible.

There are many other things that people simply may not know about DNA testing.  Over the next week we are going to start posting more information about DNA and DNA testing on our website.  We will also be putting up fact sheets about Legal DNA Paternity Testing and how to test without the father.  Look for this info soon, and feel free to email me with any additional questions or other info you would like to see on our site.  kstyer@identigene.com

An recent example of what I am speaking of.   I answer all email sent through our online form.  I received an email from a gentleman who wanted more information about the status of his case.  I advised him I would have to first verify his case password.  He replied with his password.  However, when the reply came the header showed a different name, and this name was not listed on the case as a participant.

Our policies state that we cannot give any case information to anyone not listed on the case.  Because, I could not truly verify this gentleman’s identity I was not able to provide him with any case information.  I advised him that he is more than welcome to contact our client support group for more information.  Looking at this from his perspective I can see how this may be frustrating and inconvenient.

However, it is my job to look at this from all perspectives.  While the individual emailing could provide the password I could not verify that they had the right to any information pertaining to this case.  The biological mother in this case, who was tested, has the right to have her and her child’s privacy protected.

My concern in this particular case was that the alleged father’s significant other had located the password and thought that by emailing I would give her case info or even results.  So, for those who would like to email for case status.  Please be advised that if you want information about your case you will need to use your own email address and not that of a friend or significant other.

I hope that everyone reading this can understand our perspective.  Paternity Tests and the results that are produced from them are senstive to those being tested.  We must do everything we can to protect every person in these cases even if they do not want our protection.  I apologize if it makes anything inconvenient for anyone being tested, but to me it beats the alternative.

First is the percentage listed as the ‘Probability of Paternity.’  This percentage is generally one of two numbers in a DNA Paternity Test 0% and 99% or higher.  This number is probably the most helpful when trying to interpret your DNA Testing results.

In other tests like Siblingship or Avuncular DNA Tests you will not have a percentage in your results.  Here the conclusion is based upon an index number which is calculated based on the DNA markers shared by the individuals being tested.  This number in this type of testing is anywhere between 0 and basically infinity. When the number is between 0 and 1 it is considered more likely that two people are unrelated.  If it is between 1 and 75 the relationship is considered to be favored but still the result is considered inconclusive.  If above 75 it is more likely that the individuals are related than not.  In this type of testing a result is rarely considered fully conclusive.

In a DNA Paternity Test or a Grandparent DNA test with both grandparents you will also have an index number.  This number is generally either 0 or 150 and above.  If this number is 0 it is considered an exclusion.  If the number is above 150 it means that the alleged father is that many times more likely to be the alleged father than an untested, unrelated, man of the same ethnicity.

Tomorrow I will tell you a little about all the other numbers on your report and how they relate to your results.  I know that the reports can be a little difficult to read.  I hope that my explanation has shed a little light on the matter, if not tell me and I can break it down a little farther.

When you are filling out your order form that you receive with your DNA Testing Kit, a portion will ask how you would like to receive your results.  One option to receive results is online.  Here you will enter a username and password.  We recommend using your email address as this username and you can choose ANY password.  I recommend writing this information down so that you do not misplace it as it will require additional paperwork to make changes.

After your samples arrive this log in information can be used to check the status of your testing and view your results.  On DNATesting.com there is a results login link on the top right hand corner of the page.  This will take you to the log in screen.  Remember your password is case sensitive so enter it exactly as you wrote it on the order form.

I hope this will help a few people make the online system a little easier.  Have a great weekend everyone.  As always you can contact me directly if you have questions about IDENTIGENE, DNA, or Paternity Testing.  KStyer@identigene.com or 801-462-1465.