how long does it take

[mgbones]

What is the name of your state? TX. How long does it take for child support services to take action against a dead beat dad? My sons' father now owes just under 700 plus this months 711. Again, he says no one will make him pay the full amount, that he can send in what ever amount he wishes. I have no idea if he is working. He doesn't follow the divorce decree which states he is suppose to keep me informed as to his whereabouts and employment. Nor does he bother to contact our son.

 

[LdiJ]

What is the name of your state? TX. How long does it take for child support services to take action against a dead beat dad? My sons' father now owes just under 700 plus this months 711. Again, he says no one will make him pay the full amount, that he can send in what ever amount he wishes. I have no idea if he is working. He doesn't follow the divorce decree which states he is suppose to keep me informed as to his whereabouts and employment. Nor does he bother to contact our son.

Sadly, its true that if he pays SOMETHING on a monthly basis, the AG's office is not going to make him a high priority in their enforcement efforts. All you can really do is be the "squeaky wheel" and bug them as much as possible.

 

[Phnx02]

What is the name of your state? TX. How long does it take for child support services to take action against a dead beat dad? My sons' father now owes just under 700 plus this months 711. Again, he says no one will make him pay the full amount, that he can send in what ever amount he wishes. I have no idea if he is working. He doesn't follow the divorce decree which states he is suppose to keep me informed as to his whereabouts and employment. Nor does he bother to contact our son.

Generally, in the state of Texas, a NCP has to be only 30 days behind in cs for contempt action. However, if payments go thru the AG office, they not only won't do much about it without your prompting, but will tell you to wait another few months to see if he'll "catch up". They seem to only go after such cases with zeal when ADFC is involved, so the state can get reimbursed.

However, not all hope is lost. If thru the AG office, call often and make a friend to push it. Remember, the people that answer the phones are minimum wage, customer service reps who are essentially "gatekeepers". They are employed to only "field calls" and instructed to keep calls to under 3 minutes. You need to get past these employees to the ones who actually work on cases. Record the names and dates of each time you call and try to get a supervisor on the phone. Eventually, you will get a real caseworker on the phone who can initiate action.

2 other options are to hire an attorney or get your case transferred from the AG office, to "The Friends of the Court". Friends of the court is similiar to the AG office, where payments are intercepted by the court for recording of payment, but you don't have all the full services of the AG office. But then they are quicker to respond too. Once the NCP falls behind in CS, you pay a $75 fee to file contempt. And then they will serve him and represent your side in court. You are not reimbursed the $75, but they have the same power as the AG or an attorney to order him to pay. If you hire an attorney for arrears, usually (in TX) the NCP will then have to pay your attorney fees for you. Hope this helps!