Deadbeat Parents: Beyond the Court:
(Provided by: Divorce Source, Inc. Staff)
Child support cannot be avoided by crossing state lines. All states have now passed the Revised Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act (RURESA), which coordinates state efforts at enforcement of child support, and the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA), which provides for cooperation among the states in enforcement of support. Moreover, the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 authorizes the Department of the Treasury to withhold tax refunds to cover delinquent tax refunds or to pay delinquent child support.Go to: Deadbeat Parents Informational SectionOn a state level, one of the most commonly used resources is the Child Support Enforcement Unit (CSE). The CSE units are state agencies established under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act to collect information, establish parentage and collect child support. The IV-D agencies originally worked with welfare recipients, but the jurisdiction was later expanded to non-welfare cases. Although these units are often swamped with cases, they are very effective in the collection of child support. The CSE program works as a federal/state/local effort to collect support from parents who are legally obligated to pay. While programs vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, services are available to all parents who need them. The CSE agency can bring enforcement options that include reporting unpaid or late child support payments to credit reporting bureaus and thus damaging the deadbeat parents' credit rating; working toward the suspension of driver's and professional licenses; working to the assembly of criminal cases filed with the local district attorney against deadbeats who owe large amounts of money; working with banks and loan companies to freeze and seize accounts of deatbeats owing money. The U.S. State Department will also deny a passport to anyone who owes more than $5,000 in back support payments.
The CSE of each jurisdiction gathers information, establishes parentage and collects child support. This agency can help a custodial parent attach a wage garnishment to a former spouse's income, accept payments from a noncustodial parent and distribute them, track payment history, follow up on delinquent payments, insure that the child's health insurance is in place, monitor a spouse's employment efforts (when nonpayment results from job loss), and work with a spouse to make back payments. At a minimum, the CSE needs the date of birth, Social Security number, driver's license number, and a photograph of the delinquent parent.
Before enforcing the child support order, the CSE makes diligent efforts to locate the missing parent who is in arrears. To do this, the unit needs information that includes the child's birth certificate, the court support order, the divorce decree, the name and address or current and former employers, the names of friends, relatives and organizations he or she may belong to, information about income and assets, motor vehicle registrations, tax and employment records.
Go to: Child Support Informational Section
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