Okay, this is a good one. Today I opened a letter from DCS saying I owe $17,000 in back support from 2003 to present, they are enforcing an order from 2001 (the most recent order).
Here's the kicker, the order they are attempting to enforce has me as the person RECEIVING support, not paying it! This same order does not order payments made through the registry.
I've read alot of the DCS manual for WA state, and I think the case worker has screwed up.
I think they needed to have modified the order due to change in circumstances first.
A little history to explain. My child had equal shared residential time and a joint custody plan, until 2001 when my ex moved to attend school. That's when the order was modified to make me the Obligee. Fulltime residential time did not work well at our house, as my ex was adept at PAS, and my child believed my spouse was the root of all evil.
When my ex moved close again we reverted to the shared residential time, until it became necessary for my child to live only with my ex, for the safety of my other child. I chose to voluntarily pay to contribute to my child's support and did so until my ex moved out of country without our child. I received a reduced amount of support from my ex until my child went to live with my ex at the end of the school year.
I resumed voluntary payments until my child turned 16 and legally quit school in the new country. This was against both parents' wishes. My child got a job and provided own support.
I considered my child emancipated, if not legally, certainly in action. Through all of this the CS Order and Parenting Plans were never updated from 2001.
Now, months after my child's 18th birthday, I receive this Notice to Resume Child Support payments, using an order that doesn't apply, for a case they don't have enforcement on. Furthermore, to be expected, no credit has been given for payments I voluntarily, with no court order, made. I cannot even fathom the $17,000 amount, it is substantially more than any calculation I can come up with.
Can DCS "enforce" this? Has anyone dealt with this before? I thought I was done with this drama....
Thanks
Here's the kicker, the order they are attempting to enforce has me as the person RECEIVING support, not paying it! This same order does not order payments made through the registry.
I've read alot of the DCS manual for WA state, and I think the case worker has screwed up.
I think they needed to have modified the order due to change in circumstances first.
A little history to explain. My child had equal shared residential time and a joint custody plan, until 2001 when my ex moved to attend school. That's when the order was modified to make me the Obligee. Fulltime residential time did not work well at our house, as my ex was adept at PAS, and my child believed my spouse was the root of all evil.
When my ex moved close again we reverted to the shared residential time, until it became necessary for my child to live only with my ex, for the safety of my other child. I chose to voluntarily pay to contribute to my child's support and did so until my ex moved out of country without our child. I received a reduced amount of support from my ex until my child went to live with my ex at the end of the school year.
I resumed voluntary payments until my child turned 16 and legally quit school in the new country. This was against both parents' wishes. My child got a job and provided own support.
I considered my child emancipated, if not legally, certainly in action. Through all of this the CS Order and Parenting Plans were never updated from 2001.
Now, months after my child's 18th birthday, I receive this Notice to Resume Child Support payments, using an order that doesn't apply, for a case they don't have enforcement on. Furthermore, to be expected, no credit has been given for payments I voluntarily, with no court order, made. I cannot even fathom the $17,000 amount, it is substantially more than any calculation I can come up with.
Can DCS "enforce" this? Has anyone dealt with this before? I thought I was done with this drama....
Thanks