20 July 2005: No 39/05

INCLUSION OF DEPENDANT FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES: NEW BORN BABY

What do you do when your baby is born?

When a baby is born, some of the hospitals will give you a form to fill in to enable you to register your baby with the Department of Home Affairs.

If this is not available at the hospital or place of birth, then it is your responsibility to go to the Department of Home Affairs and register your baby.

As soon as you are in possession of the birth certificate, you must go to your duty room with a certified copy of the birth certificate and request/ apply to register your baby on your strength for medical purposes.

If you do not apply at the duty room with the necessary documents, your child will not be on your strength and will not be treated at any Military Health facility. A child does not automatically come on strength.

After the required documentation has been submitted by the member and verified as correct by the personnel clerk, the following actions must be taken by the clerk at your unit (only for children born within a legal marriage):

• A computerized form is completed in respect of each dependant of a member. The Unit/Service Centre personnel clerk completing this form is called the compiler.
• The compiler hands the computerized form with the source document(s) over to the checker (also a personnel clerk).
• The checker signs the computerized form to confirm that all the required source documents submitted are correct in all respects.
• The computerized form together with the source document is handed back to the compiler for capturing the applicant’s information on the mainframe system.
• The compiler hands the computerized form and source document over to the approval officer for authorization as well as for approval on the system.
• The computerized form and source document must thereafter be filed on both the compiler’s file and the member’s personal file.

It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that his/her child is timeously brought on strength. He/she must also ensure that all the correct documentation is submitted.

Child born within a legal marriage

The process spelt out above must be followed to include your child.

Single Mother

As soon as you are in possession of the birth certificate, you must go to your duty room and complete the booklet ‘child born out of wedlock-single member’, attach a letter from either the doctor who delivered the baby or the hospital where the baby was born.

The letter must state the mother’s full names and ID number and give full particulars of the baby. 

The letter and the certified copy of the birth certificate must be handed in at your unit, which will forward it to Human Resource Support Centre (HR Sup Cen) for capturing and approval.

Single Father

As soon as you are in possession of the birth certificate, you must go to your duty room and complete the booklet ‘child born out of wedlock-single member’, attach a certified copy of the birth certificate as well as a court order that stipulates that you are responsible for the baby’s medical expenses as well as maintenance OR a DNA or tissue test to confirm paternity.

Tests are arranged and done at your own expense. 

If paternity is proved, the receipts and copy of the results must be submitted to the SAMHS for refund up to a maximum amount of R1 200. Hand in your application for the inclusion of the child in at your unit, which will forward it to Human Resource Support Centre (HR Sup Cen) for capturing and approval. 

For any enquiries contact Mrs Botha at (012) 339-5333 or Mrs Cross at (012) 339-5327