Know Your Rights In Obtaining Non-ID

Part II

REQUEST FOR POST 1951 RECORDS

Persons eligible to request a copy of the adoption record:

•an adopted person 21 years of age or older •the adopted person's birth/adoptive/step or legal parent who is 21 years of age or older
•the adopted person's birth or adoptive siblings who are 21 years of age or older
•the adopted person's lineal descendants who are 21 years of age or older
•the legal representative of any person listed above

Contacting persons identified in these records:

All persons must sign a sworn statement agreeing he or she shall not contact or attempt to contact in any manner, by themselves or in concert with any other persons or entities any of the persons eligible to file a contact veto.

A Contact Veto Registry has been established by the Department of Children's Services for the purpose of permitting registration of the willingness or unwillingness for contact with persons who seek contact with them.

It is a violation, punishable by law, to contact these individuals without going through the provisions of the Registry, and to use the information obtained to cause harm or injury to any individual.

Service Fee:

•The Department does charge a fee to determine eligibility for this service. There is an additional fee for each additional record which is opened or for subsequent requests to have records opened.
•For an individual whose family unit currently receives Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Food Stamps, Medicaid (TennCare) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), no fee will be charged.
•The fee for service will also be waived if your income and that of your family, based upon its size, does not exceed the current Federal Poverty Guidelines.

Request must be in writing.

Request from adoptee and/or adoptive family member must contain certain information:

ADOPTEE

•Full name, including adoptive name and if married, married name.
•Birthdate.
•Full names of adoptive parents.


ADOPTIVE PARENTS, ADOPTIVE SIBLINGS AND LINEAL DESCENDANTS

•Adoptee's full adoptive name and if married, married name.
•Adoptee's birthdate.
•Full name of adoptive parents.
•Your full name and date of birth.
•Relationship to the adoptee.

Requests from birth relatives must contain certain information:

BIRTH PARENTS AND BIRTH SIBLINGS

•Adoptee's full birth name.
•Adoptee's birthdate and place of birth (county, city, state).
•Full name of birth parents.
•Your full name and date of birth.
•Relationship to the adoptee.


Request must be dated, contain address, telephone number, signed and returned to:


Department of Children's Services, Post Adoption Unit436, 6th Avenue, North 8th Floor, Cordell Hull Building, Nashville, TN 37243-1290
PH#:(615)532-5637

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Part III

State of Tennessee
Release of non-identifying information will be made available to:
•An adoptive person 18 years of age or older.
•Adoptive parents or guardian of an adopted person under 18 years of age.
•The adopted person's birth/legal/adoptive parent or step-parent.
•The adopted person's birth or adoptive siblings.
•The adopted person's lineal descendants.
•The adopted person's birth or legal grandparent of any degree. •The adopted person's birth or legal first cousin.
•The legal representatives or any person listed above.

Information Which May Be Released From The Record May Include:

•Adopted person's date and time of birth, weight and other physical characteristics at birth.
•Age of birth relatives at time of adopted person's birth.
•Nationality, ethnic background, race and religious preference of adopted person's birth relatives.
•Educational level, general occupation, talents of hobbies of adopted person's birth relatives.
•General physical description of adopted person's birth relatives.
•The above information regarding birth/legal siblings of the adopted person.
•Any available health history of the adopted person, or adopted person's legal or birth relatives.


Service Fees:

•The Department does charge a fee for non-identifying information.
•For an individual whose family unit currently receives Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Food Stamps, Medicaid (TennCare), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), no fee will be charged.
•The fee for services will be waived if your income and that of your family, based upon its size, does not exceed the current Federal Poverty Guidelines and yours and your family unit's non-exempt resources do not exceed $1,000.00.

Updated medical information may be requested or released with documentation from a licensed health care professional or licensed health care facility. No fee is charged for this service.

Submit requests to:

Department of Children's Services, Post Adoption Unit, 436 6th Avenue North, 8th Floor, Cordell Hull Building, Nashville TN 37243-1290.
PH#: (615)532-5637


Thanks to PSJohnson3@aol.com For This Information.