The state of West Virginia takes child support obligations seriously. If you have or share custody of your child or children, and the other parent is not making support payments as agreed, you have options for securing the support that your kids are entitled to.
Bureau of Child Support Enforcement
If you have tried to resolve issues with the other parent and he or she is still refusing to pay child support, contact the West Virginia Bureau of Child Support Enforcement. This agency can help you begin the process of collecting child support. You can apply online for their services and a paper application is available.
Once the Bureau of Child Support is involved, they can take action against the other parent. This could involve tracking the other parent down, notifying them of the past-due child support and collecting funds through various means. Ways of collecting support payments include asset seizure, levying bank accounts, intercepting tax refunds or garnishing the parent’s paychecks.
The other parent has left the state
Moving from West Virginia doesn’t relieve someone from their obligation to types of pay child support. The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) and other federal laws allow you to use state court systems to enforce financial obligations regardless of where your child’s parent lives. The West Virginia Bureau of Child Support will contact the child support enforcement agency where the other parent lives to coordinate a plan of action.
It can be incredibly frustrating to deal with someone who will not meet their financial obligations to you and your child. Don’t give up: Your child has a right to financial support and you have a right to pursue all legal avenues to ensure that your child benefits from these funds.