Responsibility for Maintenance Payments 623-05-15-45-05

(Revised 11/1/10 ML #3250)

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Children enter foster care for a variety of reasons. Some children need very temporary foster care while others require long-range plans. For purposes of the parent participating in the payments for foster care, County Social Service Boards must refer to Child Support Enforcement all foster care cases, with two exceptions. A referral will not be made against either parent;

1. If one of both parents receive a subsidized adoption payment on behalf of a child in foster care, or
2. If the child’s placement was short-term. For purposes of this exception, “short-term” is defined as follows:

1. The child exited the placement by the time the referral would be sent, and
2. The child was in the placement for 60 days or less.

 

Both criteria a and b must be met in order for the referral to be eliminated (i.e., not made). If the child is in placement at the time of referral, a referral is made regardless of the amount of time the child has been in placement.

 

The Department of Human Services uses automated systems to transmit and receive referrals. The referral information sent to Child Support Enforcement is used to establish paternity, locate the absent parent(s), and establish and enforce a support order. The referral may be transmitted by the County Social Service Board to Child Support Enforcement at any time following placement, but must be transmitted at time of initial payment authorization, at the latest.