Child support

By World's Editorial Writers - 11/5/2009


O
ver the past several years the Department of Human Service's Child Support Services Division has nearly tripled its collections, proving once again it is possible to get blood out of a turnip. As a result, more state children than ever before are getting the support payments owed to them by deadbeat parents.

Oklahoma, in fact, has increased its child support collections 17 percent over last year. That is the highest rate of increase among the 50 states, and 2 1/2 times the national average.

This success story is not surprising. The division includes hard-working employees who place the needs of children first and foremost. That effort shows. A decade ago the division collected about $96 million. Last year collections increased to $299 million.

This is a success story for DHS but a greater success story for tens of thousands of Oklahoma children and for taxpayers.

The division has been aided by several events. The welfare reform of the 1990s encouraged increased support collections to reduce the needs for other social supports. Federal rules also changed that allowed child support enforcement agencies to capture funds from federal sources such as income taxes, tax refunds, Social Security and unemployment.

Last year the division reacted quickly to intercept economic stimulus payments paid to wage earners by Uncle Sam earlier that summer. That year DHS seized more than $50 million on behalf of children.

The Child Support Services Division, headed by former Tulsan Gary Dart, continues to be one of the most effective agencies in state government.

As effective as the agency is, however, Oklahomans must remember that $1.7 billion in child support remains uncollected. That's an enormous amount. The fact that it was not paid in a timely fashion means that too many children across this state got cheated out of what was rightfully theirs.


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Tulsa World Reader Comments
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Woofenburger, Hominy (11/5/2009 9:33:49 AM)
At last, something that Oklahoma is doing relatively well.

TLFKRF, Tulsa (11/5/2009 9:41:55 PM)
When they stop making child support a punishment for being a father then you will see less "deadbeat dads".

psychedelikrelik, Tulsa (11/5/2009 11:54:18 AM)
Sure, they've done a great job at getting the turnips to pay their child support, but why aren't they going after the rutabagas?

psychedelikrelik, Tulsa (11/6/2009 8:29:29 AM)
If you think it's tough and unfair paying child support, try raising a child when mom or dad dies. Count your blessings. It could always be worse.

M_Sizzle, Tulsa (11/5/2009 2:19:14 PM)
I pay my child support on time every month. Too bad my x-wife lives in New Mexico and won't let me see my kid. Makes me sick.

2ndjoyce, BA (11/5/2009 9:43:56 PM)
?

Corrupt System, (11/6/2009 1:37:25 AM)
Doing well but at what cost? Children are much more then a pay check. Children need both parents and both parents should be held accountable for financially supporting them and not just the Non custodial parent alone! that is BOTH parents! Child support reform is badly needed! Stop sending parents to debtors prisons especially in these economic conditions!

loudshirt, (11/5/2009 7:36:05 PM)
Yes I pay child support it is about 1/4 of my take home pay. My ex wife has a good job and I know as a fact she it doing a good job with my son. What makes me mad is that she make at least 3 times as much as I do. With the way that child support is figured I have to make almost twice as much to see any benefit and it will be a small benefit. Here is the real thing that shows what is wrong with child support in general. Person A pays person B child support. Person be has no job gets food stamps, WIC and welfare since person B has the kid. Person A make about $2000 a month pays about 1/4 of that for child support gets no WIC, food stamps or welfare. So with out a job person B has more "income" than person A. Then Person A gets custody and Person B pays very minimal child support since they have no job. Child support needs to be done as a national law. Every state should be the same. The person receiving the money should have to show how it is spent. I would also like to know if the percentage of deadbeat moms is higher than the percentage of deadbeat dads.

Carl, Henryetta (11/6/2009 9:08:17 AM)
archer: "...doing well? Lowering divorce rates, so that children have two-parent homes and the need for child support collection... would be the improvement needed..." . . . And just HOW do you suppose the State of Oklahoma is going to accomplish that? Create an Office of Divorce prevention?

archer64, tulsa (11/5/2009 10:03:54 AM)
doing well? Lowering divorce rates, so that children have two-parent homes and the need for child support collection... would be the improvement needed. Some people (either sex) like to abuse any government agency that they feel should be either working for them and them alone, or staying completely out of their personal affiars altogether. I know for a fact that women can tell CS what the father's income is without having to verify it. Which will set the support payments at an artificially high amount the father can't pay if he's not making that amount. Enforcement of a payment schedule can be made without notification of the father or his attorney. It's open season on deadbeat dads though... good job Oklahoma bureaucrats! When helping the children becomes the priority I'm on board 100%, until then... not impressed.



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