Child Support

[klmno]

I just rec'd a letter from state Department of Juvenile Justice saying parents are required to pay child support while kids are turned over to them. I wonder if they base this on my income or if they have a set amount that has to be paid no matter what. Also, they said they expect it to be paid by both parents- I wonder how that works if paternity was not established. They have difficult child's father's name, but I never went after him and had blood tests taken. His name isn't on the birth certificate because in the state where difficult child was born, if the father doesn't show up at the hospital to claim the child and the mother isn't married, they only wrote the mother's name down- no matter what. If paternity is proven in the future, maybe they go back and change the birth certificate, I don't know. I was told though that if difficult child was ever turned over to dss, they would run newspaper ads for difficult child's father, even under these circumstances. He would have ignored them- otherwise he would have been hit with child support then. Of course, if they find him and he claims that he isn't the father, I think he has to take a blood test and then that proves he is. There is no question that he is- there was no way anyone else could have been.

 

[Star*]

Our situation may have been a bit different - because I was in hiding and did not want child support. I never got support when I was married WHY would I put myself through more future time off in court when I knew he would never pay? Plus if I got child support the courts told us that we would have to meet and that he would have more grounds for shared custody. NOT possible. The man should reside in a hole.

When the Department of Juvenile Justice send me that form I kinda laughed. I thought "Well if I'm not getting it - you aren't either." so I wrote that on the letter - in bold ink and mailed it back. I never got a reply - never got a bill.

Possibly not the best radical approach but sometimes they just have to cut parents a break. I felt that if they PUT him there - THEY could pay for it.

It'll work out klmno - and if not - feel free to use my take on it.

 

[klmno]

Thanks, Star! That's one reason I never went after difficult child's father- he would have gotten parental rights. But now that difficult child is older, really difficult child would be better off with his father than with my bro and I mean that whole-heartedly. So, they can go after his father all they want. And if they have a set amount that has to be paid in full by me unless they find difficult child's father, I will HELP them find him. LOL! I found him twice by phone but he still had no interest in acknowledging difficult child, much less speaking to him on the phone, so I let it go.

 

[CrazyinVA]

In VA child support is based on income.. the chart is in the VA Code. I was told that I would be charged for child support while Youngest was in partial DSS custody and in Residential Treatment Center (RTC), but I never got a bill. That was.. umm.. almost 4 years ago? I keep wondering if someday I'll get a bill out of the blue....

I don't now what they'd do about his dad, though, good question.

 

[klmno]

Thanks, Crazy. Does that income-base formula apply if he's in state Department of Juvenile Justice?

If it''s correct that difficult child is only going to get a few months in there, pretty soon they might as well not even bother. He's been held before transfer for about 2 weeks and he'll be in processing for 30-45 days, so if he got 3 mos, that would only leave one more month he would have doing actuall state Department of Juvenile Justice time. How much rehabilitation is that?

 

[CrazyinVA]

It was my understanding that the guidelines applied in the DSS situation, so I think it's safe to assume that it applies with Department of Juvenile Justice as well.

I hear you about the days/weeks ... things take SO long. Not at all the same situation, but it makes me think of how long it took to get a homebound teacher when Youngest needed one during unstable periods.. by the time they got one assigned to her (2-3 weeks), it was time to go back to school.

Bureaucracy!!