|
administrative process
|
method by which support orders are
made and enforced by an executive agency rather than by courts and judges
|
|
arrearages |
unpaid child support payments for
past periods owed by a parent who is court ordered to pay |
|
assignment of support rights
|
a person receiving temporary cash
assistance (TCA) agrees to turn over to the State any right to child
support, including arrearages, paid or owed by the obligated parent, in
exchange for receipt of TCA and other benefits |
|
complaint |
written document filed in court in
which the person initiating the action names the persons, allegations, and
relief sought |
|
consent agreement |
voluntary written admission of
paternity or responsibility for support and/or health insurance |
|
custodial parent |
person with legal custody and with
whom the child lives; may be the parent, other relative or someone else
|
|
custody |
legal determination which establishes
with whom a child should live |
|
default |
failure of a defendant to file an
answer, response, or appeal in a civil case within a certain number of days
after having been served with a summons and complaint |
|
default judgment |
decision made by the court when the
defendant fails to respond |
|
defendant |
person against whom a civil or
criminal proceeding is begun |
|
enforcement |
obtaining payment of a child support
or medical support obligation |
|
Federal Parent Locator Service
(FPLS) |
a service operated by the Office of
Child Support Enforcement in the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services to assist the States in locating responsible persons for the
purpose of obtaining child support payments; also used in cases of parental
l kidnapping related to custody and visitation determinations; FPLS obtains
employer and home address information from Federal agencies |
|
Federally-assisted Foster Care
|
a program, funded in part by the
Federal government, under which a child is raised in a household by someone
other than his or her own parent |
|
garnishment |
a legal proceeding whereby a portion
of a person's wages or other assets is withheld and applied to payment of a
debt |
|
genetic testing |
analysis of inherited factors of
mother, child and alleged father, which can prove or disprove that a
particular man fathered a particular child |
|
guidelines |
a standard method for setting child
support obligations based on the income of the parent(s) and other factors
as determined by State law |
|
immediate wage withholding
|
automatic deductions from income
which start as soon as the agreement for support is established |
|
jurisdiction |
legal authority which a court has
over particular persons, certain types of cases and in a defined
geographical area |
|
legal father |
a man who is recognized by law as the
male parent |
|
lien |
a claim upon property to prevent sale
or transfer until a debt is satisfied |
|
long arm statute |
a law, that permits one State to
claim personal jurisdiction over someone who lives in another State
|
|
Medicaid program |
federally funded medical support for
low-income families |
|
medical support |
legal provision for payment of
medical and dental bills-can be linked to a parent's access to medical
insurance |
|
non-custodial parent
|
parent who does not have legal
custody of a child but who has a responsibility for financial support
|
|
obligation |
amount of money to be paid as support
by the responsible parent and the manner by which it is to be paid
|
|
offset |
amount of money taken from a parent's
State or Federal income tax refund to satisfy a child support debt
|
|
order |
direction of a magistrate, judge or
properly empowered administrative officer |
|
paternity judgment
|
legal determination of fatherhood
|
|
plaintiff |
person who brings an action,
complains or sues in a civil case |
|
State Parent Locator Service
(SPLS) |
a service operated by the State Child
Support Enforcement Agencies to locate non-custodial parents, to establish
paternity, and establish and enforce child support obligations |
|
UIFSA |
Uniform Interstate Family Support
Act- a law which provides a mechanism for establishing and enforcing support
obligations when the non-custodial parent lives in one State and the
custodial parent and child(ren) live in another |
|
visitation |
the right of a non-custodial parent
to visit or spend time with his or her children |
|
wage-withholding |
procedure by which automatic
deductions are made from wages or income to pay a debt such as child
support; may be voluntary or involuntary |
