Connecticut closes 9,000 child support cases, 15,000 still pending

For divorced Connecticut parents who have primary custody of their children, child support is often a necessity. It can help put children through school, provide new clothes for them and can help put food on the table. While some parents who owe support make timely payments in full, many others throughout the state unfortunately do not. Connecticut Divorce Lawyer

The state has been cracking down on parents who have failed to make child support payments. Recently, the attorney general’s office reported that the state was able to collect more than $300 million in support payments. While some of these payments were made voluntarily, others came from various techniques used to gather delinquent payment.

If a parent stops paying support despite a court order, the state can take measures to retrieve the unpaid money. It can impose wage garnishments, claim federal or state tax refunds, gather a portion of unemployment benefits or even take lottery winnings. According to the attorney general’s office, $210 million of the $300 million collected went straight to the families who were owed payments. Custodial parents living in other states received $50 million, and $40 million went to the state.

This collection effort represents nearly 9,000 child support cases that are now closed. However, the problem is far from solved. More than 15,000 child support cases are still open in Connecticut, meaning much work is yet to be done. Hopefully the state will continue its efforts to collect delinquent support payments for the children that so often depend on them.

Source: Hartford Courant, “State Collected $300 Million in Child Support Payments In Fiscal 2011,” Aug. 24, 2011