Child Support Foots Bill For The National Deficit

Commonwealth of Virginia
Department of Social Services


OCTOBER 30,2007 UPDATE

I received this letter from Senator JOHN WARNER of VIRGINIA.

Dear Ms. Wilson:

          Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts on child support payments. I appreciate your thoughtful inquiry.

          Child support enforcement laws are primarily established and enforced by the states. There are problems, however, when a parent of a child flees across state lines to avoid child support payments. In this case, state laws are no longer effective and payments are neglected. Congress has therefore attempted to federalize some laws to enforce child support in recognition of the limitations faced by the states when applying their laws. The federal government has also made efforts to hold individual parents accountable for neglecting to pay child support. By withholding driver's licenses or by garnishing federal wages, the federal government has attempted to remedy this problem, and I have supported these efforts.

          Moreover, through the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the federal government, in partnership with the states, operates the Child Support Enforcement Program (CSE). The purpose of this program is to assure that financial and medical assistance is available to children through locating parents, establishing paternity and obligations, and enforcing those obligations.

             As you may know, on February 8, 2006, President George W. Bush signed the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (S.1932) into law (P.L.109-171). A provision of this legislation imposes a $25 fee in instances where a family has used CSE services to collect at least $500 annually. The fee does not apply to families that participate in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. As enacted, this fee may be: (1) retained by the state from child support collected on behalf of the custodial parent, but not from the first $500 collected in a given federal fiscal year; (2) paid by the custodial parent who is applying for child support assistance; (3) recovered from the noncustodial parent; or (4) paid by the state out of state funds. While I supported final passage of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, I did vote in support of an amendment that urged all child support provisions be struck from the measure. While the Senate-passed bill contained no such provisions, the final conference report did include them.

             You may be assured that I value your thoughts on this issue. I will be certain to keep your views in mind should legislation related to child support enforcement come before the Senate in the future.

          Again, thank you for contacting me.

          With kind regards, I am 

                                                     Sincerely,

                                                            John W. Warner 

                                                            United States Senator

August 2007

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO CUSTODIAL PARENTS ABOUT $25 FEE

Dear Child Support Customer:

A new federal law* required that the Commonwealth of Virginia amend 63.2-1904 of the Code of Virginia.  Effective October 1, 2007, this law requires the Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE) to impose an annual fee of $25 for each case in which DCSE has collected and disbursed at least $500 in child support.  This fee will be collected every federal fiscal year which runs from October 1 through September 30.  DCSE will deduct the fee each year from collections after you have received $500 in child support, either in current support or arrears.  If you have multiple child support cases, the $25 fee will be collected on each case.

If you have questions concerning this notice, please contact the DCSE customer call center at 1-800-468-8894

This letter that you have just read was sent to me as well as 45,000 other custodial parents in Virginia.  This charge was explained to a news reporter as to the reason for this.  We are being charged this fee to cover the national deficit.  I strongly advise anyone that is being charged this fee to sign this petition to stop the federal government from placing the burden and hardship on us.  We have enough to deal with like feeding, clothing, housing and providing for our children.

This is a update that was just published today with the associated press. 08/21/07.  Please pay close attention at who is not having to pay this $25 fee.

The state's Division of Child Support Enforcement is charging a $25 annual fee for the government's help in collecting past-due support payments.

About 130,000 Virginians are being notified of the fee in a letter. The fee goes into effect in October.

It is being charged to custodial parents who receive at least $500 a year in their child support cases. Parents who have received public assistance such as welfare payments are NOT charged the fee.

It is part of a federal change that was approved in the sprawling Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. The fee is estimated to raise two million dollars in Virginia. Two-thirds of that will go to the federal government to reduce the deficit.

Officials say that if a state doesn't apply the fee to custodial parents, Virginia will lose federal funding.

This website will allow you to contact these people who decided this was a good idea. 

This is who DCSE told me to contact about the 25.00 fee. Please everyone call or write them too.

Virginia's Congressional Delegation

http://www.soc-apps.state.va.us/Bluebook/PDFs/11_Vi
rginia%20Congressional%20Delegation.pdf

Thank you for your support.

A single mother who is concerned.

Monique E. Wilson

I would like to thank everyone who's  taking the  time out of their busy schedules to sign this petition.  My children thank you and every other custodial parent that does not have the money out of their child/children childsupport to support the national deficit.