SSB 5244

1
SSB 5244

• Implementing the DRA

2
New Child Support Law

• Federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (S. 1932)
• Session Laws of 2007, SSB 5244 Implementation of
  the Deficit Reduction Act

3
SSB 5244

• In the order of Effective dates, well go through
  the provisions of the Washington Deficit
  Reduction Act

4
Effective July 22, 2007

• All child support orders must now have provisions
  for medical support orders for the child to be
  provided by either or both parents, and shall be
  enforced.

5
Effective July 22, 2007

• Medical support may be enforced against a
  custodial parent if health care coverage is
  available at a reasonable cost. However, the
  Department has rulemaking authority to define the
  terms of when we may enforce against a custodial
  parent.

6
Effective July 22, 2007

• Definition of medical support has changed so
  that it now may include payments for
• Costs of premiums
• Deductibles
• Co-payments and
• Payments for medical expenses incurred on behalf
  of a child
• The Department has rulemaking authority to on how
  they may collect these expenses for either parent.

7
Effective October 1, 2007

• DCS must collect a 25 fee from all custodial
  parents who have never received TANF, Tribal
  TANF, or AFDC, after we have first collected
  500 from the next 25 we collect during the
  federal fiscal year on each case.

8
25 Fee Relief

• Washington State did put in a provision that a
  custodial parent may request a conference board
  if the fee creates a hardship.
• 66 of any fee collected goes the federal
  government.

9
Effective October 1, 2008

• The State will pass through up to 100 of any
  child support collected to families with one
  child on Temporary Assistance with Needy Families
  (TANF).
• The State will pass through up to 200 for
  families with two or more children.
• The child support will be disregarded against
  their TANF grant, but will still be counted
  against their Food Stamps.

10
Effective October 1, 2008

• Families will only assign their current support
  when their receive a TANF grant for the months
  they are on TANF. They no longer will assign
  their back support.

11
October 1, 2008

• The exception that IRS intercepts must be
  distributed to the State first will no longer
  apply.
• Any IRS refund collections will be distributed
  the same as any other collections, even to TANF
  families.