Oklahoma Child Support Services Keeping a Cut
Beginning on October 1, 2017, DHS’s Oklahoma Child Support Services will be keeping a share of the Oklahoma child support payments it collects for many custodians.
Previously DHS would only retain reimbursement for benefits provided (e.g. TANF) and disburse the remainder to the custodial parent or guardian. Now, DHS will take a 3 percent cut (to a maximum of $10 per child per month) where no benefits were provided, if DHS is handling collection services. Not all custodians need be concerned, though; DHS will be exempting those receiving TANF benefits and SoonerCare insurance.
To hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, see a copy of OKDHS’s September 15, 2017, press release pasted below:
News Release
For Media Inquiries, Contact:
Jeff Wagner, DHS Communications
Phone: (405) 308-7624
email: Jeff.Wagner@OKDHS.org
September 15, 2017Child Support Services to collect new fee
Beginning Oct. 1, many child support customers will see a new fee withheld from their child support payments. Child Support Services, a division of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, will charge 3 percent, up to $10 per month, on child support collections. The new fee is expected to generate about $1 million this year and is one of several measures taken by DHS to balance its FY 2018 budget.
Custodial persons currently receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or SoonerCare (Medicaid) will be excluded from the fee.
Child Support Services has collected nearly $1 million dollars a day for Oklahoma children and families. The program has recovered state funding spent on public assistance and has prevented the need for assistance for many families. While collections remain high for Oklahoma families, the program’s ability to operate has been impacted by several years of declining state revenue. Although Child Support Services has historically resisted the path of many states that pass fees onto their customers, the state budget situation has necessitated the fee to maintain a confident level of services.
For no more than $10 a month, Child Support Services remains quite a bargain for taxpayers and the people served. Customers benefit from vast available resources including new hire reporting; federal and state tax off-sets; income withholding through employers; and assistance with establishing, modifying, and enforcing child support orders.
For more information about Child Support Services, call 1-800-522-2922, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit www.okdhs.org and select “Child Support”.
Call an Oklahoma Child Support Services Attorney
If you need assistance in collecting child support and would like to avoid the bureaucratic delay and surcharges of DHS’s Oklahoma Child Support Services, contact the Oklahoma child support collection attorneys at Wirth Law Office. Call (918) 879-1681. You can also reach the Tulsa lawyers at Wirth Law Office using the form at the top of this page for a confidental strategy consultation.
