SPARC Forums

I got behind in 2013 after losing my job of 12 years in Ark. I got behind for 10 months on my CS, my Unemployment checks helped pay for my CS during this time. I found a job in Fl thereafter and I was able to continue my career and resume CS payments. I was behind about 2,200.00. The Ark OCSE website indicated such.

Then on Oct 11, 2014 I logged onto the OCSE website and it said it was going thru "updating" each day during the hours of "I dont recall".  The next day I logged onto my OCSE account they had deleted all my data and replaced it with the amount owed immediately was 38,000.00. The next day it changed to 35,000.00 and with my reply of WTF?! It settled down to an amount I agreed to 2200.00. However a few weeks later i get a summons from my ex suing me for over 4000.00. I couldnt understand where she was getting the other 2000.00 from. She wouldnt tell me. So after requesting all the years Ive paid into OCSE history statements. I saw the problem. In 2008 I got behind 2400.00 on CS, I was ordered to pay 400.00 a month a 63.00 increase until the amount was paid in full no later than August 8, 2008, 9 months later. I borrowed the money and wrote her a Cashiers Check in full before the Contempt hearing.
Guess where the other 2000.00 is coming from according to OCSE? August 2008! Seriously!!! How can such a critical org be so careless and haphazardly with documentation? They havn't even gotten the correct monthly amount I'm supposed to be paying right. Out of the 8 or 9 petitions filed against me from my ex and all the adjustments ordered it appears OCSE has just picked and pieced together an amount here and an amount there, not fully reading the entire puzzle. Now, I have to contact my financial institution and have them pull documentation from 2008, the cashiers check. Of which i have the number and date, and did have a copy of it somewhere. I'm still looking.  Has anyone else expereinced such gross negligence from a org handling CS?

First I bet there's LOTS of other parents experiencing this across various states.

Sounds like the advice I'd give is to send CERTIFIED return receipt mail with copies of your documentation that shows that they failed to give you credit for ABC.

Take names and dates of people you call, but I believe in writing letters and sending them in a way that you can PROVE they were received.

I'd send a letter maybe 3 times, 6 weeks apart, and then elevate it to their supervisor etc......and yes go all the way to the governor's office if you have to.

SOMEONE needs to get SOMEONE's attention when this crap happens.

It absolutely stinks in the end....on your part, but remember to do great documentation.....until your child emancipates.  Then box it up and stick it in an attic for a few years just in case.

here -- CS was paid on the first and on the 31st....and then "not" the next month.  The system said paying parent was behind....instead of realizing they paid twice the previous month which means everything evens up.

Another stupid error on their part -- when they went to file contempt for being 3 months behind -- because this happened three different months in the last 4 years.

I'm convinced that most OSE departments are staffed by utter morons and/or head-injury patients.

I also had issues in past.

   
• 1. Register/certify mail to agency with your phone number and say that if you do not hear from them by xx date (give them 2 weeks) that you will be forced into file in family court to help rectify the arrears.

   
• 2. File in family court "modify child support order" to deal with past due balances. "petitioner requests the courts to investigate and implement the correct arrears balance of $$ as of XX date. all other orders are dismissed"  This way when child support gets this next order, it is clear not to look back on other orders.
  
• Depending on which state you are dealing with and where the issues were, make appt to see a person. We have found that the 1800 child support number is a complete waste of time/effort. Going there "may" resolve issues and I told them , if this is not fixed, I will file in court and you can come tell the judge why the arrears is wrong. (all of the sudden it was fixed in system!).