| The Illinois
Department of Healthcare and Family Services is responsible for administering the Child
Support Enforcement program. The Child Support Enforcement program
can help:
- Locate your child's other parent.
- Establish legal paternity.
- Get a child support order.
- Get medical coverage for your child.
- Collect support payments.
- Review and possibly update support orders.
- File liens on real and personal property.
- Take disciplinary action on state issued licenses.
Child support services are available to parents whether or not
they receive public assistance.
HFS's trained child support enforcement staff work closely with
employees of other agencies to locate parents and enforce payment
of child support. They use a number of initiatives, such as license
revocation and credit bureau reporting, to increase the number of
child support dollars collected.
Names of delinquent parents are matched against lists of names
with the Internal Revenue Service, other states and other agencies
within Illinois. Parents who do not pay their child support may
have their income tax refunds, unemployment compensation benefits
and/or other state issued checks, such as Illinois lottery winnings,
taken for the benefit of the child.
Cooperating agencies include: State's Attorneys; the Attorney General;
the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts; circuit clerks;
county clerks and local registrars; county sheriffs; many state
agencies, such as the Illinois Departments of Employment Security,
Professional Regulation and Revenue; the Illinois Secretary of State;
state licensing agencies and nationally, the U.S. Attorney, Federal
Parent Locator Service, child support agencies in other states and
credit reporting agencies.
Illinois hospitals, county clerks and local registrars, selected
Head Start/child care sites, WIC food centers and the Illinois Departments
of Public Health, Human Services and Corrections are also working
with the department in helping unmarried parents who want to voluntarily
acknowledge paternity for their children.
The department developed KIDS (Key Information Delivery System),
a computer system to give parents improved child support service
and to link the department's Division of Child Support Enforcement
to a nationwide child support information network. KIDS benefits
both parents and handles many tasks previously done manually, giving
children the support they need sooner. The new State Disbursement
Unit gets child support checks to families and improves accounting
records.
Strong federal and state laws exist that provide for immediate
income withholding. Child support can be deducted from a parent's
paycheck immediately upon establishing the child support obligation.
When health insurance is available through the non-custodial parent's
employer or union, the child may be added to the insurance plan.
The Child Support Recovery Act of 1992 made a parent's willful
failure to pay a past due support obligation a federal offense.
On January 1, 1996, Illinois adopted the Uniform Interstate Family
Support Act (UIFSA), which helps smooth the coordination of handling
paternity and child support orders with other states. Welfare reform
initiatives further strengthen the program. The need for child support
enforcement is clear. Many Illinois parents who have been ordered
to pay child support fail to meet that responsibility. As a result,
many individuals with children are forced to turn to public assistance
for support.
HFS considers support of children to be of great importance
and has made it a top priority.
For more information or to apply for child support enforcement
services, including paternity establishment, call the Child Support
Customer Service Call Center at 1-800-447-4278. Persons who are
using a tele-typewriter (TTY) may call the Child Support Enforcement
Program at 1-800-526-5812 in Illinois and at 1-800-526-0844 outside
of Illinois.
Persons receiving public assistance who need to report changes
in their case may call toll-free at 1-800-720-4166 weekdays from
8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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