Congress established the Child Support Enforcement Program in 1975 under Title IV-D of the Social Security Act to collect child support. Children raised in single parent or guardian families are entitled to child support. The program's goal is to ensure that all children are supported financially by both parents and to reduce the number of children receiving public assistance.

Child support is defined as the money that is ordered by law to be paid by a parent for the support of his or her (minor) child, when that parent does not live with the child. The amount of money to be paid is based on standardized guidelines that consider the incomes of both parents, the needs of the child, and whether or not there are other dependents. A parent may also be responsible for medical support by either providing health insurance for his or her child or making an additional payment toward payment of insurance coverage provided by the custodial party for medical expenses.

The rate of divorce, separation, and out-of-wedlock births has steadily increased over the last 30 years in the United States. Presently, there are nearly one million children in Ohio who are entitled to child support.

Ohio's child support program is a joint effort involving federal, state and local agencies.

• The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Support Enforcement, provides program funding, sets program standards, policy, and regulations, evaluates and audits the state/local programs, provides technical assistance and training to states, and operates the Federal Parent Locator System, a computer system that helps states find the newly hired employees reported by employers.
• The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of Child Support operates the automated child support computer system, processes payments at a single, centralized site, maintains a registry of all child support cases in the state (State Case Registry) and maintains a database of all newly hired employees in the state (New Hire Directory).
• The local County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) provides direct services to families, including locating non-residential parents, establishing paternity, and establishing, modifying, and enforcing child support orders.

All families may apply for child support services. Ohio families receiving public assistance must cooperate with the local CSEA in establishing paternity and collecting child support. If there is a serious threat of violence against the family, "good cause" may be determined and child support will not be pursued.

Ohio's child support program provides the following services:

• locating non-residential parents
• establishing paternity
• establishing child and medical support orders
• collecting and distributing child support payments
• enforcing child support through income withholding and other means
• reviewing and adjusting support orders

Centralized Collection

As of October 1, 2000, in response to the federal mandate associated with the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, all states were required to operate a centralized collection and disbursement operation, or a State Disbursement Unit (SDU). In Ohio, this operation is referred to as Child Support Payment Central (CSPC). Counties in Ohio no longer handle the collection and disbursement functions of the child support program, with the exception of infrequent over-the-counter payments.

Interstate Activity

The number of child support cases with parents living in different states continues to grow. There are over 300,000 interstate child support cases in Ohio. Keeping track of the interstate movement of parents with child support cases is a difficult task. The federal and state governments have policies and procedures in place to expedite enforcement of interstate child support cases.

Employers' Role and Responsibilities

Since 1987, employers have been a vital part of Ohio's success in increasing child support collections through income withholding. Almost three-quarters of the $1.9 billion collected by Ohio's child support program each year is received through income withholding.

Employers have four basic responsibilities in the child support operation. They are:

• reporting new hires and respond to employment verification requests
• withholding income and premiums for medical insurance
• sending payments to Ohio CSPC and
• reporting employment terminations with existing orders

These areas are covered in subsequent sections of this site.

1. What is a IV-D case?
2. Do all parents automatically have to pay child support if they don't live with their children?
3. How is the amount of child support determined?
4. How can I help my employees who need child support?

1. Q. What is a IV-D case?
   
   A. The term IV-D comes from the Social Security Act, Title IV, section D, which established the Child Support Enforcement Program in 1975.
   
   IV-D cases are opened for all public assistance (welfare) cases involving children not living with one or both parents. IV-D services are also available to non-welfare recipients who apply for child support services (i.e., locating parents, establishing paternity, establishing child support orders, collecting and distributing child support, and enforcing child support orders).
   
   
2. Q. Do all parents automatically have to pay child support if they don't live with their children?
   
   A. No. There must be a support order established in court or an administrative order that is recognized by the court.
   
   
3. Q. How is the amount of child support determined?
   
   A. Determinations are set by a court or administrative order. Ohio uses an income shares child support guideline that considers, among other factors:
   • the income of both parents
   • the work/education related child care expenses incurred by either parent
   • the standard of living the child would have had if the family were intact
   • the cost of medical care, including insurance
   
   
4. Q. How can I help my employees who need child support?
   
   A. For more information about child support services, your employees should contact the local CSEA office. The CSEA office can answer questions from your employees who are currently paying child support, employees who are owed child support or employees who may need to initiate the process to receive child support services. In addition, if your employee has a problem for which they have not obtained satisfactory resolution from their CSEA, they may contact the state's Customer Inquiry Call Center at 1-800-686-1556. This number is not appropriate for employer's questions.