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The Westchester
County Department of Social Services, under the auspices of New York State, has operated an Office of Child
Support Enforcement (OCSE) program since 1978. The aim of the
program is to get support for all children not being supported by
their legally responsible parents. If you are a custodial parent
or guardian of a child who is not getting full financial support,
the OCSE program can help you to collect all the support provided
by law.
Who
May Apply?
-
any
custodial parent, guardian, or caretaker of a
child
-
any
non-custodial parent of a child who lives with the
custodial parent, guardian, or caretaker
-
If
you are currently receiving Temporary Assistance for
needy Families (TANF),
Medicaid,
or Title IV-E Foster Care
or
Child Day Care Benefits for children in your
custody, you do not have to apply for child support
services as they are provided automatically upon
application for these benefits. However, you will
need to cooperate by completing the
application/referral form.
How
And Where Do I Apply?
If
you are not receiving Temporary
Assistance for needy Families (TANF), Medicaid or Title IV-E
Foster
Care, you
should call 1-888-208-4485 to make an appointment to apply
for child support services. Our office is located at
100 East First Street, 5th Floor, Mt. Vernon, N.Y.
10550-3488. When you
come to the office for your appointment, you will
complete an application, and be interviewed for more
information. If at all possible, a petition to the
Family Court will be prepared for your signature after
your interview.
What
Do I Need To Apply?
- your full name
- your
date of birth
- your
Social Security Number
- your
address and telephone number
- child(ren)'s
name(s)
- copy
of child(ren)'s birth certificate(s)
- child(ren)'s
Social Security Number(s)
- copies
of any child support orders
- copy
of your most recent paycheck stub
- information
regarding marital status at the time of the
child(ren)'s birth
- information
regarding any government assistance you have
received for you or the child
- information
regarding family health insurance coverage which
may be available
- information
regarding child care expenses
- information
regarding educational expenses
Also include non-custodial parent information
such as:
full legal
name
- date
of birth
- Social
Security Number
- present
and past addresses and telephone numbers
- present
and past employer names, addresses, and telephone
numbers
- copy
of most recent paycheck stub and tax return
- list
of assets
- driver's,
professional, business, or occupational license number(s)
- information
on friends/relatives
What
Will Happen at the
Interview?
When
you come for your appointment, a child support worker
will review the application and will gather
information to determine what action(s) should be
taken next. Possible actions include: locating the
absent parent, establishing paternity, and obtaining a
court order for child support. Additionally,
information from the application will be used to set
up a computerized case record to process and keep
track of the status of your case.
How Long Do I
Have to Wait for My Money ?
Once the Family Court has
established an Order of Support payable through the WC OCSE, it
will take several weeks before you begin receiving money.
The Family Court will prepare the court order, showing the amount
and frequency of the child support to be paid, and forward it to
the OCSE, where it will take a minimum of four weeks until the
account is opened. The OCSE will issue an Income Execution
to the non-custodial parent's employer, if one is known. The
money due will be deducted from that parent's salary.
By law the employer is required
to begin deducting the specified amount the first pay period that
occurs within fourteen days after it receives notice and mail it
to the NYS Child Support Processing Center in Albany. The
employer must forward the payments no later than seven days after
the non-custodial parent's wages are deducted, according to the
frequency of its payment.
A non-custodial parent is
obligated to keep payments current, making them directly until
they come out of the paychecks. It takes an average five to
seven days for the processing center to forward the money
received. If the sum is a thousand dollars or more, it must
wait until the check clears at the bank before it can send
out the support check.
For custodial parents who wish to receive
their support payments electronically, direct deposit is available
by calling the office. Customers may also look at their
account on line at
www.newyorkchildsupport.com
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