Tips for Getting the Child Support You Deserve
By: Linsey Knerl
Could this be you? Your son’s pants are three inches above his ankle bone. Your daughter needs $10.00 for a school field trip. You just checked the calendar and Christmas is only three weeks off. The child support check you rely on to barely get you by each week hasn’t arrived in three months. Are you aware of what your local child support enforcement agency can do for you?
If you are receiving financial aid from the Department of Health and Human Services you may already be eligible for the services the Child support Enforcement Office can offer. You can ask your case worker about them. If not you will need to call for an appointment to fill out an application. Some of the enforcement procedures they provide are; wage withholding, tax intercept, license suspension, passport denial and bringing the non-custodial party before a judge in a court hearing. If you aren’t sure where he/she is located they also have location services. The child support enforcement workers are experts at working with you to obtain the support due to your child.
Review and modification is another service available to you. If the financial circumstances have changed since your court order, you may be able to modify the order for a higher or lower amount of support. The agency will review financial records and inform you if this is a service that would be of value to you.
If there is not already an order for support filed in the courts, the agency can also help in obtaining one for you. Some circumstances where this would be appropriate are: you are separated but no divorce proceedings have been filed, you are the custodial parent of your child but not living with or married to the mother/father, or you have an order but no support was filed at that time. If you are not sure who the father of your child may be, genetic testing can be provided free of charge. The agencies are also proficient in working with other states and countries and are knowledgeable of current child support laws nationwide.
It should be mentioned that the child support enforcement authorized attorney does not represent you, but your child. Remember they do this free of charge and their case loads may be large. Some tips to remember are to be polite and patient but also feel free to give reminders to your worker that you are waiting for your support.
Linsey Knerl is a writer and homeschooling mother of three who enjoys parenting and all of life’s blessings with her husband in rural Nebraska. Her work can be see at http://www.LinseyBKnerl.com.