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(COVER PAGE)A Guide to Wyoming’s ChildSupport Enforcement Program(DFS Logo)

Table of ContentsTopicPageWhat we can do for you2Where you can go to get help3Do you need help getting Child Support?4Do you need to pay Child Support?4Are you eligible for services?5Applying for services 5Cost for services 6Services we provide 7Services we don’t provide 7Rights and Responsibilities of Custodial Parents8Rights and Responsibilities of Noncustodial Parents9Collecting Child Support 10Modification of Support Orders11The Child Support Program Attorney12Confidentiality12Distributing Child Support 13The Federal Offset Program(Intercepting Income Tax Refunds)13Closing Child Support Program Cases14Conclusion 14Directory of Wyoming Child Support Offices15State Office and State Disbursement Unit15Local Offices15Clerks of the District Court16

2The Wyoming childsupport program can helpyou with child supportservices such as: Locating parents Genetic testing Establishing paternity—knowing for sure whothe father is Establishing childsupport Enforcing child support Initiating child supportenforcement cases toother states Responding to childsupport enforcementcases initiated by otherstates Reviewing andmodifying child supportordersThe Wyoming childsupport program isadministered by theDepartment of Family Services, Child Support EnforcementProgram. It is governed by state and federal law, state and federalregulations and Title IV, Section D of the Social Security Act.That is why the child support program is sometimes called theIV-D (pronounced “four-d”) program.This handbook will help you understand child support programservices and your rights and responsibilities. It outlines the feesrelated to child support enforcement services and explains howchild support is collected and paid.This handbook is for informational purposes only. You should consult achild support program representative or an attorney of your choice priorto making any decisions regarding your particular situation.

3Child support program offices are located in 16 towns andcities in Wyoming’s nine judicial districts. The addresses andtelephone numbers of the local offices are listed on pages 15-16.The state child support program office in Cheyenne oversees thelocal offices. Paternity and child support orders are entered by thedistrict court. In cases where support orders from other states arebeing enforced by the child support program, the out-of-state orderis registered in the district court where the noncustodial parentlives. Child support paymentsare processed through theState Disbursement Unit (SDU)in Cheyenne and the clerks ofdistrict court.Wyoming has a district courtin each of its 23 counties. Theaddresses and telephonenumbers of the clerks of districtcourt are listed on pages 16-18.

4If you need helpestablishing paternity(finding out who thefather of your childis), setting up a childsupport order orlocating a parent; contact the local child support office nearestyou. If you already have a child support order and you need helpcollecting or paying child support or modifying a support order,contact the child support office in the county where your supportorder was entered or registered.Please keep in mind that if the parent ordered to pay support isincarcerated or disabled, and has no income or assets, it may beimpossible to collect support.If you want to pay childsupport on your own, youshould contact the clerkof the district court in thecounty where your childsupport order was entered orregistered.If you want to pay child support by having the payment withheldfrom your income (a process commonly known as “garnishment”or “income withholding”), or you have questions about your childsupport order or arrears, or you believe your order should bemodified, you should contact the child support office in the countywhere your order was entered or registered.Wyoming law requires that child support be paid through the clerkof district court or the State Disbursement Unit (the child supportprogram payment center in Cheyenne). The clerks keep the officialpayment records on Wyoming child support cases.You should not make child support payments directly to theparent or custodian, because the clerk will not have record ofthe payments and you may not receive credit for them.If you have any questions regarding where to make supportpayments, contact the office in the county where your order wasentered or registered.

5Child support servicesare available to thefollowing persons,regardless of need orincome, whether or notthat person is receivingpublic assistance orhas received publicassistance inthe past: Any parent who is owed child support or child support arrears; Any parent who is ordered to pay child support or oweschild support arrears; Any parent who wants to establish the paternity of their childand/or establish a support obligation for their child; and Any person who has custody of a child and wants to establishthe child’s paternity and/or collect child support. You may still beeligible if you, as custodian, are not the child’s parent or if youwere not awarded custody by the court.To obtain child supportservices, you must open achild support enforcementcase by completing anapplication for services.Applications may beobtained by visiting, callingor writing a district childsupport office. Your case willbe opened upon receipt ofyour completed applicationwith required attachmentsand payment of the 25.00fee, if applicable.

6The cost to open a childsupport case is 25.00.There is no fee if youare currently receiving aTemporary Assistance forNeedy Families (TANF) and/or Medicaid benefits. If you previously received TANF and/orMedicaid, the local child support office will review federal andstate requirements to determine if a fee is required.There is a 25.00 fee per year for child support services if theamount of child support collected is 500.00 or more in thefederal fiscal year of October 1 through September 30. This feeis required by a federal law known as the Deficit Recovery Act of2005.In cases where the child’s custodian received TemporaryAssistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits and 500.00 ormore in support is collected in a federal fiscal year, there is no feefor CSED services.When CSED intercepts a noncustodial parent’s tax refund throughthe Federal Offset Program, the custodial parent is charged a 25.00 processing fee.Noncustodial parents may be ordered to pay the child supportprogram for costs or service and genetic testing costs incurred inestablishing paternity and/or a support order.

7The child supportprogram provides thefollowing services: Locating parents;Genetic testing;Establishing paternity;Establishing child support;Enforcing child support;Initiating child support enforcement cases to other states;Responding to child support enforcement cases initiated byother states; andReviewing and modifying child support orders.The child support programdoes not provide thefollowing services: Establishing, enforcing or modifying custody orders;Establishing, enforcing or modifying visitation orders;Divorce actions;Enforcing property and/or debt division provisions of adivorce decree;Collection of attorney fees owed to a custodial parent;Obtaining judgment for children’s medical expenses notcovered by insurance;Collection of children’s medical expenses not covered byinsurance, unless reduced to judgment in the originalsupport order or reducedto judgment after the orderis entered; orProviding legal advice to aparent or custodian.Please note that child supportprogram attorneys do notrepresent any party except theState of Wyoming.

8Support orders established through the district court by the childsupport program will specify the custodian of the child and theparent(s) ordered to pay support. Custodians/parents may ask thecourt to order visitation, and noncustodial parents may ask thecourt to award them custody in the action filed by the child supportprogram, but the child support program will not participate in thoseissues.Parents/custodians with questions or concerns about visitationand custody should consult an attorney of their choice regardingtheir rights and options.Rights and Responsibilities ofCustodial ParentsIf you are the custodial parent ofa child and want support from theother parent, or if you are a non-parental custodian and wantsupport from the child’s parent or parents, you have the right toapply for child support services. Custodians of a child who are notreceiving support from the child’s parent or parents have a legalright to child support under Wyoming law.Working as a team, we can be successful in providing services toyou. We need you to provide the child support program with asmuch accurate information as you can concerning the other parentor the noncustodial parent(s) and the child(ren) in your care.The child support program will need various paperwork anddocumentation from you in order to open your case and thento enforce a child support order. It is very important to promptlyanswer any correspondence you receive from the child supportprogram. In some circumstances, you will need to provide acompleted financial affidavit with your financial documentationattached.Custodial parents and other custodians must notify the clerk ofdistrict court in writing of any address change. You will needto notify your child support caseworker if your address, phonenumber and/or employment changes. It is also very important tonotify your caseworker if you get new information regarding theother parent or the noncustodial parent(s) such as a new job ornew address, or when a child leaves your care, or when a child ison his/her own and no longer under your care.

9Rights andResponsibilities ofNoncustodial ParentsIf you are thenoncustodial parent of achild and want to havepaternity and/or a child support order established, you have theright to apply for child support services.Noncustodial parents of a child have a right to associate with theirchild; however, it is the responsibility of the noncustodial parent tohave visitation rights established by the district court. Noncustodialparents of a child also have a right to seek custody of the child,but it is the responsibility of the noncustodial parent to petition thecourt to award custody to him or her.If there is a dispute as to paternity, you may have the right togenetic testing to prove or disprove that you are the father of thechild.Working as a team, we can be successful in providing services toyou. We need you to provide the child support program with asmuch accurate information as you can concerning the other parentand the child(ren) in your care.The child support program will need various paperwork anddocumentation from you in order to open your case. It is veryimportant to promptly answer any correspondence you receivefrom the child support program. In some circumstances, you willneed to provide a completed financial affidavit with your financialdocumentation attached.You will need to notify your child support caseworker if youraddress, phone number and/or employment changes. It is alsoimportant to notify your caseworker if you get new informationregarding the other parent or the custodian(s) of your child, orcircumstances change and you believe the support order shouldbe modified.Once your support order is entered, you are responsible for payingchild support each month as ordered and to notify the clerk ofcourt, in writing, of any change in your address, employment oremployment status.