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Courts Home Back Printable Version Text-Only Full-Screen eMail
Office of Domestic Relations Lancaster County Domestic Relations (DRS) provides a variety of services under the federal child support program (Title IV-D). The provided information is about the Lancaster County Domestic Relations Child Support Program. If you have legal questions concerning your support case, your entitlement to or obligation for support, you should contact an attorney. To obtain case specific information concerning your support case or payments we invite you to visit : www.childsupport.state.pa.us Please review the Frequently Asked Question (FAQ’s) below for more detailed information about DRS and the services we provide. More information regarding the Pennsylvania Child Support Program can be found at www.childsupport.state.pa.us or by calling the PA Child Support Helpline at 1-800-932-0211. FAQ’s How do I start a support action in DRS? What do I bring with me when I want to open a support case? What happens during at a support conference? Can a support order be modified? How are payments made under a support order? What services are available to the Plaintiff? What services are available to the Defendant? What if the defendant does not live in Lancaster County? How can I contact Lancaster County DRS? Do you have translators available? Can I participate in the conference/hearing by telephone? Certification of Overdue Support Obligations Support is usually defined as money given by a person to help provide necessities for his/her dependents including food, clothing, shelter, transportation etc. Under Pennsylvania law, a dependent could include children and/or a spouse. In addition to money, support can include medical support, which may include providing health insurance coverage and/or payment of medical bills, which are not paid by insurance. Support can also include a contribution to childcare costs. How do I start a support action in DRS? As part of the federal child support program, Domestic Relations (DRS) provides assistance to a person who wishes to file a support action against a parent. This free service is provided on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and no appointment is needed. DRS staff members will have you sign a Request for IV-D Services and will prepare a ‘Complaint for Support’ for you to sign which is the 1st step in starting the legal case. DRS also accepts and files support complaints which have been prepared by attorneys. What do I bring with me when I want to open a support case? To assist Domestic Relations (DRS) staff at the time you file for support, you should bring as much of the following information and documents: - a valid form of photo identification (such as PA Driver’s license; work ID; PA DPW ID etc.) - Social Security cards for yourself and any children - birth certificates for yourself and any children - any health insurance cards - information re: your address and employment Please bring as much of the following information re: the person you are filing against for support: - full name, Social Security number and date of birth - address, employer and telephone numbers - physical description (height, weight, hair color, eye color etc.) - other information you may have which will help DRS locate this person Defendant Data Information Form What happens during a support conference? The Conference Officer (CO) will conduct the conference with the parties and their attorneys should they choose to be represented. The CO will review the complaint, earnings reported by employer and pay stubs, and other relevant information. The CO will explain the support guidelines and how they apply to the support request. If an agreement is reached, an Order will be prepared for a signature. If no agreement is reached, the conference will terminate and the CO will make a recommendation to the Court. A recommendation is prepared by the CO following a conference if no agreement for support was reached. The Conference Officer will write a summary of the facts of the case and recommend an appropriate support order to the Court. The assigned Family Court Judge will review the summary and determine whether to approve the support order which has been recommended. Copies of the summary and any order entered by the Court will be mailed to the parties and any attorneys. Either party has 20 days from mailing of the Recommended Order to request a hearing before the Court. Can a support order be modified? The PA Rules of Civil Procedure allow either party to request a change in their support order if there has been a ‘substantial change in circumstances’. This process is commonly referred to as modification of a support order. Either party can file a Petition for Modification when they believe a substantial change has occurred. You can file a Petition for Modification in DRS during regular business hours. If you contact DRS by mail, telephone or email to request a Petition, we will mail one to you to complete and sign – the signed copy must be mailed back to DRS. The modification petition is also available to registered users of the PA Child Support Website at www.childsupport.state.pa.us . How are payments made under a support order? The defendant should make the 1st support payment at the initial support conference. At the initial support conference, DRS staff members will accept cash payments or a personal check. After the support order is established, Domestic Relations will issue an income withholding order to the defendant’s employer to deduct the support from wages or other forms of income. It usually takes several weeks for this to go into effect. At the conference, the Conference Officer will give you coupons and payment instructions on how to make ongoing support payments to the Pennsylvania Support Collection and Disbursement Unit (PA SCDU) until the support is deducted from your paycheck. PA SCDU accepts personal checks, money orders or cashier checks by mail. Temporary Payment Coupon If you are self-employed, you will continue to make your monthly support payments to PA SCDU and will receive monthly coupons from them to send with your payment. Effective January 12,2012, PA SCDU will provide Repeated Automatic Withdrawal (RAW) and Pay-By-Phone (PBP) electronic payment options for defendants through ExpertPay. New RAW/PBP customers wishing to make payments on-line using their checking or savings account may do so by registering at www.ExpertPay.com. There is no transaction fee cost charges by ExpertPay for payments remitted from a checking or savings account. Defendants with no internet access who wish to set up Recurring Automatic Withdrawal (RAW) or Pay-By Phone (PBP) services using their checking or savings account will need to contact PA SCDU at 1-877-727-7238. You can all pay by credit card (MC/Visa?Discover) by calling PA SCDU at 1-800-955-2305 or pay online at www.e-childspay.com A convenience fee is charged for all credit card payments. Pay by a one-time deduction from your bank account by calling PA SCDU at 1-877-727-7238. Payments must be made to the Pennsylvania State Collection and Disbursement Unit by check or money order. All checks and money orders must be made payable to PASCDU and mailed to: PASCDU, P.O.Box 69110, Harrisburg, Pa. 17106-9110. Payments must include the defendant's PACSES Member Number or Social Security Number in order to be processed.
Domestic Relations (DRS) charges fees based on the attached fee schedule issued by the Court DRS Fee Schedule
In addition to fees charged by DRS, a $25.00 fee will be deducted from any collection sent to the plaintiff which has been received through the Federal Tax Refund Offset Program. The U.S. Congress requires the collection of a $25.00 Annual Federal User fee for any child support case in which at least $500.00 in child support has been collected during the federal fiscal year (Oct. 1 to Sept. 30). In Pennsylvania, the state will pay this fee on cases in which the total collected is between $500.00 and $1,999.99. After $2,000.00 is collected, the fee will be deducted from the next payment received by the plaintiff – no payments are collected during December, January or February.
What services are available to the Plaintiff?
Domestic Relations (DRS) provides the following services to plaintiffs - filing services – new complaints and modification requests - paternity establishment services for children born out of wedlock - location services - legal services required by the Cooperative Agreement Application for Child Support Legal Services - while the DRS is unable to address issues pertaining to custody or visitation you may obtain information by visiting the Court Self Help Center
What services are available to the Defendant?
Domestic Relations (DRS) provides the following services to defendants - filing services – modification and termination requests - job search program - genetic testing related to paternity establishment - income withholding and recurring automatic support withdrawals from bank accounts to simplify support payments - multiple payment options - Notice to defendant regarding income attachment - while the DRS is unable to address issues pertaining to custody or visitation you may obtain information by visiting the Court Self Help Center
What if the defendant does not live in Lancaster County?
When the defendant resides in another county , state or nation, the DRS will assist in filing the support action to the appropriate county, state or nation. This child support agency/court has the authority to enter and enforce a support order. This process may take longer than a local support action.
How do I contact Lancaster County Domestic Relations?
Domestic Relations (DRS) is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. During those hours, you can contact the office at (717) 299-8141 and speak to a customer service representative or stop in the office. DRS also has an automated voice response system that will allow you to leave a voice mail message for a customer service representative 24 hours/day.
If you are a registered user of the state child support website www.childsupport.state.pa.us you can send an email message 24 hours/day.
Do you have translators available?
For clients who do not speak English, Domestic Relations (DRS) utilizes a telephone translation service for a wide variety of languages. This service is available during conferences or telephone contacts with the DRS. DRS will also make arrangements for a translator to appear at any scheduled Court hearings if it is known that a translator is needed. If you are scheduled for a hearing and need a translator, please notify DRS as soon as possible. Both of these services are available at no cost.
For any client who is hearing impaired and in need of an American Sign Language interpreter for a DRS conference or hearing, the client should complete the “Request for Sign Language Interpreting Services Form” and forward to the Domestic Relations Office at least one week prior to the scheduled event. There is no cost to a client for this service.
Can I participate in the conference/hearing by telephone?
Rule 1930.3 of the PA Rules of Civil Procedure allows a party to participate in a Domestic Relations proceeding by telephone, audiovisual or other electronic means “with the approval of the Court upon good cause shown.” The intent of this rule is to make it possible for a party to provide information and hear information presented by the other party during support conferences or hearings when it is not possible to attend. Common examples include parties who live in another state or out of the Lancaster County area.
To request the approval of the Court, the person who wants to participate by telephone should complete and submit the attached form to Domestic Relations as soon as the notice to appear is received – but at least 3 business days prior to the scheduled conference or hearing. Telephone Testimony Request Form
If a request for telephone testimony is approved by the Court, both parties in the support action will be notified. The party who is participating by telephone is responsible to mail or fax copies of all required information (such as pay stubs, tax returns, income/expense sheets, etc.) prior to the scheduled conference or hearing. This party will also be responsible for any long distance or collect call charges associated with this call.
A party who participates in a conference or hearing by telephone is expected to conduct themselves in the same manner as if they were presented in the conference room or Courtroom and must be available without interruption throughout the entire proceeding.
Certification of Overdue Support ObligationsPennsylvania enacted the real estate and personal property lien requirements of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 in Act 58 of 1987 with amendments to 23 Pa.C.S. §4352 (d). Effective January 1, 1998, overdue support on record at the Domestic Relations Section (DRS) became a lien by operation of law on real estate located within the judicial district where the DRS is located. Lien information is available on the child support website at www.childsupport.state.pa.us If the search of the report provides, or appears to provide, a DRS client match it will be necessary to contact the DRS for a certification of overdue support obligation. To obtain the certification please continue to follow the established procedure.
In an effort to accommodate the volume of requests to certify the status of overdue support obligations, DRS has developed the following downloadable form and procedures.
1. Written requests may be mailed or delivered to DRS along with a stamped self-addressed envelope for its return. Request without the return envelope will be available for pick up at the reception window.
2. Requests may also be sent by fax to 717-293-7270 . These completed requests will be available for pick up at the reception window.
3. To avoid having to pick up requests that are made by fax and as a convenience, frequent requestors may select to provide the DRS with a supply of self addressed stamped envelopes for return of certifications by regular mail.
4. Please allow at least 48 hours for the completion of the request. Office of Domestic Relations Diane Fralich - Director Support Payment Questions/ Information www.childsupport.state.pa.us 150 N Queen Street, Suite 220 Lancaster PA 17603 Mailing address: P.O. Box 83479 Lancaster PA 17608-3479
E-Mail Content Last Modified on 12/13/2011 12:27:37 PM Courts Home Back Printable Version Text-Only Full-Screen eMail |
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