? Child $upport

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-03-2006
? Child $upport
1
Wed, 07-25-2007 - 10:23pm

My XH is ordered to pay $480/mo hasn't done it. He is over $6,000 in arrearages, which i know some wonderful parents this may seem like chump change.

I have written to my case worker and asked her exactly what are you doing for me? Yes I undersand that I am not the only single parent in MI that is owed money and probably not the only parent with this amount owed hundreds of others are owed WAY hell of a lot more. What other options can your office offer me to obtain the money owed to our child? What happens if I apply and get accepted by SUPPORTKIDS? BUt I am not the parent to those other children I am only the parent to my DD. (still in the letter to my caseworker) You send my XH notices that he has an active bench warrant mail him notices and it does NOTHING. You mail him notices that he is due in court and it does NOTHING. He still gets to see our DD every other week and holiday and he still pays her nothing that he owes her. Our DD cherishes her dad and I won't take that away from her but what about what he takes away from her by NOT SUPPORTING HER? However he can have 2 more children with his GF that the STATE pays for but my child gets no enforcement for what she is owed. My XH is "self-employed" and you tell me he has a tax intercept IF HE PAYS TAXES. But my question to you (caseworker) is if he does pay taxes since he is on the birth certificate for these other 2 children (my child is the oldest) then does the STATE get his tax return (if he gets any) before our DD does? And regarding parenting time he gets a "discount" if he has our DD more than 6 days in a row (which in the summer he gets her every other week) does he still get that "discount" if he has NOT paid any support?

I wrote that on June 26th and JUST received an answer from caseworker that said re: child support we have no control on your XH since he is self employed and his payments go to another disbursement unit and if they receive any money they will forward to you. I have put his name in for suspension of his license. (which I looked online and only 13 states use this but claim it is a hassle and then the judges dont' enforce because the NCP says if they don't have a license they can't go to work but he hasn't been paying so what is the difference?) So more or less that is all my caseworker has done for me -- and she is paid by ME. I receive no assistance but XH does and pays nothing for our daughter.

CAN ANYONE HERE UNTIL THESE DAMN PEOPLE GET BACK WITH ME CAN ANY OF YOU LOVELY PEOPLE SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE TOPIC OF SUPPORT KIDS PROGRAM OR IF THE STATE GETS MONEY TO PAY BACK FOR WHAT THEY ARE PAYING FOR HIS OTHER 2 KIDS BEFORE MINE? PLEASE I AM LEAVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK WHILE THEY DONT' GIVE A DAMN ABOUT OUR DD. NOT COMPLAINING I WORK 2 JOBS AND LOOKING FOR A 3RD ON THE WEEKS/WEEKENDS THAT I DONT' HAVE DD TO GO HELP PEOPLE WHO REFURBISH HOUSES PICKING UP CRAP. SO I AM DOING MORE THAN WHAT I SHOULD FOR MY DAUGHTER AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO SOO!!!

TIA

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-11-2007
In reply to: nefer_tt
Thu, 07-26-2007 - 10:46am

First of all if you are in Michigan, I am not surprised by the run around. Go to the State of Michigan website, and then go to Attorney General Mike Cox's office, and see his program can do for you. Do NOT sign up with any of those "services" (support kids), as they take 30% or more of what is collected. They will hound you just from an inquiry! Your lazy caseworker, has options. If he is self employed, he has a business license, drivers license, and if he is a hunter of any sort, sporting licenses that can ALL be stripped from him! ALSO, this debt should be reported to the Credit Agencies as a bad debt. There are many ways to get his attention that will effect his everyday life to some extent.

I was owed $50,000 and the local FOC (Washtenaw/Washaway County) REFUSED to follow even the Judges orders, and I got Mike Cox office involved. I now get payments, and he is convicted FELON for evasion of child support. Is it a huge felony? NO! If I was a perspective employer, it would make me pause before I would hire someone who can't handle there responsibilities! Considering everytime they found him working he would quit before I could get payment number two from him, I don't feel bad about it! He didn't want to pay when he had the ability, running around foot loose and fancy free.

Let me clarify, I made NUMEROUS offers in COURT to settle for 1/2 the amount he owed when it was under $10,000, I didn't have to but was trying to get him to help out even minimally. He agreed then reneged more times than I can count! If he had cared enough to send $20 per week for milk, cereal and bread, I could respect him a little more. However since I was left to raise them with NO help financial or otherwise from him or his family, I have no warm feelings for him.

The State of Michigan ALWAYS gets there money first. I am owed as I said quite a bit, $45,000 NOW, but there is a $2,000 owed to the State from being on assistance over a decade ago. If they intercept his income tax, the State gets their money first. Which between you and me is very messed up. Who do you think would need it more? Not to mention look at the percentages owed, why can't they split it 50/50 at the very least?

Best of luck to you, tenacity and determination is what helped me get this far. Don't think anything is too petty to check into, the minute you turn your back, somebody out there drops the ball!