OSWEGO – The Oswego County Child Support Collection Unit, a division of the County Department of Social Services, often receives questions from its customers about who is eligible to receive child support and what the child support program entails.
County Legislator Roy Reehil, chairman of the Legislature’s Human Services Committee, said the department is responsible for collecting child support payments from the absent parent and distributing that money to the custodial parent.
New York State law says both parents are responsible for the financial support of their child.
Although the Department of Social Services is responsible for enforcing the law, child support payments are paid by the non-custodial parent, not by county tax dollars.
“The support collection unit collects child support payments from the absent parent and distributes that money to the custodial parent,” said Legislator Reehil. “The unit helps custodial parents collect funds that they may not otherwise receive from the absent parent and provides a variety of services to help children receive the financial and emotional support they need from both parents.”
The County Legislature’s Human Services Committee oversees functions of the Department of Social Services, Office for the Aging, Veterans’ Services, and Oswego City-County Youth Bureau.
In addition to Legislator Reehil, District 5, committee members include Legislator Bradley Trudell, District 7, vice chairman; Thomas Drumm, District 16; Nathan Emmons, District 15; Daniel Farfaglia, District 24; James Karasek, District 22; and Tim Stahl, District 20.
“The child support collection program encourages responsible parenting and can be the crucial difference between poverty and self-sufficiency for children whose parents are not living together,” said John Ferry, Coordinator of Child Support Enforcement for the Department of Social Services. “When a parent is ordered to pay child support through the support collection unit, the unit keeps track of the payments and sends them to the custodial parent.”
In 2017, the unit helped approximately 8,000 Oswego County children per month collect and receive more than $13.9 million in child support payments from non-custodial parents.
Ferry said people often misunderstand how the program works.
Here are some of the most common misconceptions:
Myth: Child support is paid by local tax dollars.
Fact: New York State law says both parents are responsible for the financial support of their child. Child support payments are paid by the absent parent. Payments are not funded by county tax dollars.
Myth: Child support stops when the child turns 18 years old.
Fact: In New York State, both parents are financially responsible for their child until the child turns age 21, even if the child no longer resides with a parent.
Myth: Child support payments must be spent on the child.
Fact: Child support is intended to provide for a child’s well-being, so he or she may be healthy and successful. This means that child support can be spent on anything a child needs, such as food, clothing, housing and utilities.
Myth: The child support unit only helps people on public assistance.
Fact: The child support unit assists all families; there are no eligibility requirements. While families applying for public assistance are required to participate in the child support program to receive benefits, the child support unit strives to help all families assume responsibility for their child’s economic well-being.
Myth: I can’t get child support because I’m not sure who my child’s father is; he won’t admit that he is the father, and/or I don’t know where he is.
Fact: The child support unit can help locate the absent parent, assist in the establishment of paternity, and help obtain and collect on child support and medical support orders. Families who work with child support units are often more successful than families who do not.
Myth: I’m a non-custodial parent and a child support order will not leave me with enough money to live on.
Fact: The child support program strives to work with both parents to provide the financial and emotional support their child needs and deserves. The Child Support Standards Act prevents unfair child support orders that would interfere with a healthy and successful relationship.
Myth: The child support unit only benefits the custodial parent and child support orders cannot be changed.
Fact: With the child’s best interests in mind, the child support unit strives to aid both parents with their child support needs. The child support unit can assist either party with modification petitions when circumstances change and with violation petitions as needed. The child support unit keeps detailed records of court orders, charges, and payments to minimize confusion and conflict between parties in hope of fostering an effective co-parenting environment.
Myth: There’s nothing the child support unit can do if the non-custodial parent is jobless and/or does not pay.
Fact: When child support payments fall behind, the New York State and federal governments know that families suffer. Therefore, the state and federal governments have put into place automatic processes that allow the Child Support Unit to collect current and past due support payments.
Ferry explained that the child support unit’s most widely used automatic process is income withholding.
“When a child support order is issued, a notice goes to the non-custodial parent’s employer, asking for payment to be sent directly to the child support program,” said Ferry. “This allows both parents’ peace of mind that payments are being sent and received. Income withholding can reduce the number of disagreements over money and encourage successful co-parenting.”
Sometimes, income withholding is not sufficient and other processes are necessary for collection.
These processes include, but are not limited to, the suspension of driver’s, professional and recreational licenses, collection of tax refunds, lump sum awards, and/or lottery winnings as well as the seizure of bank accounts.
The child support unit can also assist with filing petitions for court-based enforcement measures.
For payment information or to update general information, please contact the Child Support Customer Service Helpline at 1-888-208-4485, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.
To contact the child support unit directly, email [email protected], or visit the Department of Social Services, 100 Spring St., Mexico NY 13114, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Additional information is available on the Oswego County website at http://www.oswegocounty.com/dss/support.html and the New York State website at www.childsupport.ny.gov.
Discover more from Oswego County Today
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.