Everything you want to know about Ohio’s Child Support Program

Your Thoughts When you hear “child support” what do you think? – From a Custodial Parent perspective – From a Non-Custodial Parent perspective

Your Questions What questions do you have about Ohio’s Child Support program? What situations do you hear about that you would like clarified?

Agenda for the Session Some Statistics on Ohio’s Child Support Program Answering Your Questions Some major myths that we haven’t yet touched on

Ohio’s Child Support Program 1 in 3 children in Ohio are involved in the child support program On average, we collect and disburse $2 Billion annually 40% of the children born in Ohio are born to unmarried parents. A majority are receiving some form(s) of public aid For every dollar spent, we collect $7.34 in child support, which is 37% higher than the national average

Ohio’s Child Support Program 13% of our one million cases are currently receiving TANF/OWF – 44% have received benefits in the past – 43% have never received cash benefits Child support makes up 39% of the income in single parent households

Ohio’s Child Support Program Maximizing the administrative process for the establishment of paternity and support and enforcement of support, we save court docket time for contested cases and court enforcement. Due to the loss of employment, agencies have doubled the number of Review & Adjustments of Orders. The ability to respond to these requests timely is critical. We are currently able to utilize a variety of enforcement tools for collection efforts, both administrative and judicial.

Ohio’s Child Support Program Ohio retained $31 million in FFY10 – $27.7 million in support collections and $3.3 million in cash medical collections If we establish a child support order for a family receiving TANF, they will leave TANF three times faster than if we do not establish an order

Answering Your Questions

Basic Services Provided Establish Parentage Locate Parents & income sources Establish child support and health care orders Modify child support and health care orders Enforce child support and health care orders Terminate child support orders Collaborate to provide supportive services

Parentage Establishment is a Key Provides BOTH parents legal standing Provides benefits for medical history Genetic Testing is best method of establishment Genetic Testing is free in most counties – the cost is still very minimal if charged

Establishing Orders Method to the madness Uses both parents income Tables are developed with an economic basis – standard of living the child(ren) would have if the parents were together Some offsets – Other children – Health insurance and day care expenses – Business expenses Changes in income “through no fault of the parent” is critical Other expenses not included “the support isn’t spent on the children”

Enforcement Actions Mostly administrative actions – Driver License Suspensions – other suspensions Civil Contempt – Chance for Jail/incarceration How does it work in real world Felonies

Contacting the CSEA Staying in contact is important for both parents! – Contact information such as address and phone number need to be current so parents can be informed of important case updates – Non-Custodial parents need to update the agency with employment changes and notify us if their ability to meet the obligation has changed – Custodial parents can assist by providing information the the agency may not yet have. – Anyone with questions about their case should contact the CSEA

Jfs.Ohio.gov/OCS

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Questions? Ohio CSEA Directors’ Association – Kim Newsom Bridges, Executive Director – Amy Roehrenbeck, Sr. Policy Analyst Or, contact us via phone Fact Sheets –