Section 3107.49. Birth parent or adult sibling may request assistance

(A) A birth parent, or birth sibling age twenty-one or older, may submit a request to the department of health for assistance in finding an adopted person's name by adoption. The department shall examine the adopted person's adoption file to determine the adopted person's name by adoption and provide the birth parent or birth sibling with the adopted person's name by adoption if all of the following are the case:

(1) The adopted person's adoption file contains a request submitted by the adopted person under division (A) of section 3107.48 of the Revised Code that the department assist the birth parent or birth sibling in finding the adopted person's name by adoption;

(2) The adopted person was the child of the birth parent or sibling of the birth sibling before the adoption;

(3) In the case of a request by a birth parent, the court that issued the adopted person's final decree of adoption sends the department, in accordance with division (B) of this section, a notice stating that the birth parent's parental rights concerning the adopted person were not involuntarily terminated pursuant to Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code;

(4) The request is in writing and includes the birth parent's or birth sibling's residence address and notarized signature, one or more items of identification of the birth parent or birth sibling, and the adopted person's name and date of birth as it appears on the original birth record;

(5) The department has an adoption file for the adopted person and is able to determine the adopted person's name by adoption from the file's contents.

(B) If a birth parent requests assistance from the department of health in finding an adopted person's name by adoption, the department shall request the court that issued the adopted person's final decree of adoption to determine whether the birth parent's parental rights concerning the adopted person were involuntarily terminated pursuant to Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code. The department shall provide to the court any information the department has and the court needs to make the determination. On request from the department, the court shall make the determination. After making the determination, the court shall send a notice to the department stating whether the birth parent's parental rights were so involuntarily terminated.

(C) If a birth parent or birth sibling does not know all the information about the adopted person that the department needs to be able to find the adopted person's adoption file, the department shall, if it is known which court issued the adopted person's final decree of adoption, ask the court to find the information about the adopted person from its records. The department shall provide to the court any information the department receives from the birth parent or birth sibling that the court needs to find the information. On the department's request, the court shall provide to the department any information the court has that will aid the department in finding the adopted person's adoption file.

(D) If a birth parent or birth sibling is denied assistance in finding an adopted person's name by adoption because the adopted person's adoption file does not contain a request submitted by the adopted person under division (A) of section 3107.48 of the Revised Code, the department shall inform the birth parent or birth sibling that it will notify the birth parent or birth sibling if the adopted person subsequently submits a request under division (A) of section 3107.48 of the Revised Code and the birth parent or birth sibling submits to the department a request to be notified. A birth parent or birth sibling who submits a request to be notified shall provide the department the birth parent's or birth sibling's address and shall notify the department of any change of address. A birth parent or birth sibling who subsequently decides not to be notified may submit a statement with the department for the department not to notify the birth parent or birth sibling. The department shall notify the birth parent or birth sibling if the adopted person submits a request under division (A) of section 3107.48 of the Revised Code and the birth parent or birth sibling has submitted a request to be notified and not subsequently submitted a statement not to be notified.

Effective Date: 09-18-1996