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What happens after someone files for child support?

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AngryDad86

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Ohio

Good morning,
I found out yesterday that my ex filed for child support at some point during our visitation case. I have never been ordered to pay child support, and I was out of our daughter's life for a few years due to a variety of circumstances. I have not yet received any paper work from the court, and I'm not sure how the whole thing goes. What happens after she files for child support? Will I receive notice to appear? Will she just be granted support with no input or documentation from me? I have epilepsy, and I've been unable to hold down a job since October of 2014. Can someone please advise as to what the next steps should be?
Thanks for your help.
 


TheGeekess

Keeper of the Kraken
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Ohio

Good morning,
I found out yesterday that my ex filed for child support at some point during our visitation case. I have never been ordered to pay child support, and I was out of our daughter's life for a few years due to a variety of circumstances. I have not yet received any paper work from the court, and I'm not sure how the whole thing goes. What happens after she files for child support? Will I receive notice to appear? Will she just be granted support with no input or documentation from me? I have epilepsy, and I've been unable to hold down a job since October of 2014. Can someone please advise as to what the next steps should be?
Thanks for your help.
http://jfs.ohio.gov/ocs/
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
I would suggest you find a way to help support your child. How have you been supporting yourself?
 

adjusterjack

Senior Member
I found out yesterday that my ex filed for child support at some point during our visitation case.
OK, you know she filed.

Next step - go to the courthouse and pick up a copy of what she filed. Then respond to it.

There's probable enough information online to guide you through the process.
 

Ohiogal

Queen Bee
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Ohio

Good morning,
I found out yesterday that my ex filed for child support at some point during our visitation case. I have never been ordered to pay child support, and I was out of our daughter's life for a few years due to a variety of circumstances. I have not yet received any paper work from the court, and I'm not sure how the whole thing goes. What happens after she files for child support? Will I receive notice to appear? Will she just be granted support with no input or documentation from me? I have epilepsy, and I've been unable to hold down a job since October of 2014. Can someone please advise as to what the next steps should be?
Thanks for your help.
Child support is automatically supposed to be ordered because it is for the benefit of the CHILD -- not a detriment to either parent. And where is YOUR attorney?
 

Proserpina

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Ohio

Good morning,
I found out yesterday that my ex filed for child support at some point during our visitation case. I have never been ordered to pay child support, and I was out of our daughter's life for a few years due to a variety of circumstances. I have not yet received any paper work from the court, and I'm not sure how the whole thing goes. What happens after she files for child support? Will I receive notice to appear? Will she just be granted support with no input or documentation from me? I have epilepsy, and I've been unable to hold down a job since October of 2014. Can someone please advise as to what the next steps should be?
Thanks for your help.
Have you filed for SSDI?

Yes, she'll be granted some support. That's pretty much guaranteed. The only thing possibly in question is "how much?".
 

AngryDad86

Junior Member
http://jfs.ohio.gov/ocs/
Thank you! I don't have a case number, but I will look around on the site to try to learn more information.

OK, you know she filed.

Next step - go to the courthouse and pick up a copy of what she filed. Then respond to it.

There's probable enough information online to guide you through the process.
That's really helpful, I didn't know I could go down and pick up a copy. Thank you for your help!

Child support is automatically supposed to be ordered because it is for the benefit of the CHILD -- not a detriment to either parent. And where is YOUR attorney?
I'm not trying to get out of anything, I'm just trying to figure out the proper steps to take next. And I wish I knew where my attorney was. He's gone completely dark--not returning phone calls, not returning emails. I sent him another email after my disaster of a visit this weekend, and I plan to follow up with a phone call again on Wednesday. After that, I suppose I'll send a certified letter. I wanted to to replace my attorney, but I couldn't find anyone in Cincinnati with a reasonable retainer. Everyone I called wants at least $2500. So I'm sort of stuck.

posting Hx or lack there of is relevant.
I have apologized profusely for deleting my original threads. I have been posting as directed in the sticky since. I don't know how this is relevant....I've learned my lesson, I swear.


Have you filed for SSDI?

Yes, she'll be granted some support. That's pretty much guaranteed. The only thing possibly in question is "how much?".
I've filed for SSDI twice in the past. I'm on my third time now, this time with an attorney. I have a much more solid medical history (testing, etc) than I had in the past, so I'm hopeful. I'm just trying to figure out how I can respond in order to keep her from getting some default amount without any consideration given to the situation. I've heard that it usually takes at least three times and a lawyer before SSDI is granted and with epilepsy it's particularly tricky, because the courts view you as being disabled one moment (when you're seizing) and "abled" the next (when you're not).

I would suggest you find a way to help support your child. How have you been supporting yourself?
I really wish it were just that easy. I would give anything to be able to support myself AND my daughter. If I could do something to magically be out of this situation, I would. When my ex and I were together, I worked three jobs so that she could stay at home with our daughter. My seizures started when I was 23, and I literally lost EVERYTHING. She cheated on me and left me for someone who makes 100k a year. I lost my license, I lost my daughter (not by a court order, just by circumstance), I lost all of my old friends, I was homeless, jobless, everything. I almost lost my life on several occasions. For awhile, I was having over 100 seizures a month. I'm a lot more stable now, but I have what's known as intractable epilepsy. Basically, it doesn't respond to medication (at least not completely) and is exacerbated by stress. Every time I start working, my seizures get worse, and I get let go because I have to leave and go to the hospital too often. I would give ANYTHING for this to stop. I'm a hard worker, I do everything I can think of to make some kind of living, basically without any success. Epilepsy stole my ability to control my own life. I'm having a partial lobe resection in December, in hopes that it will help, if not cure, my seizures. There's no guarantee. Currently, my fiance supports me...and it's the most emasculating thing I've ever had to go through. I know that a lot of times guys just don't want to pay, but please don't make assumptions that it's just that easy for everyone to find and keep a job.
 

Proserpina

Senior Member
Despite popular myth, around 1/3 of applicants are approved first time around. Your state falls in nicely with that number, and it is not the courts who make the decision. Even if it goes all the way up to the ALJ, it's still not the court's decision. But that's by the by.

If you're approved, Mom can file for dependent benefits based on your record (assuming you get SSDI, anyway). You can ask that these are considered to be in lieu of child support.

No matter what you're going to end up owing something by that point and you need to be planning for that as much as is feasibly possible.

Oh - and if you get SSI, Mom's out of luck unfortunately since it can't be garnished. SSDI, on the other hand, can be garnished to satisfy support obligations.
 

AngryDad86

Junior Member
Despite popular myth, around 1/3 of applicants are approved first time around. Your state falls in nicely with that number, and it is not the courts who make the decision. Even if it goes all the way up to the ALJ, it's still not the court's decision. But that's by the by.

If you're approved, Mom can file for dependent benefits based on your record (assuming you get SSDI, anyway). You can ask that these are considered to be in lieu of child support.

No matter what you're going to end up owing something by that point and you need to be planning for that as much as is feasibly possible.

Oh - and if you get SSI, Mom's out of luck unfortunately since it can't be garnished. SSDI, on the other hand, can be garnished to satisfy support obligations.
Thank you for giving me some background on the disability process. The last two times I filed, I was just being seen by a family doctor. Now I have a whole slew of neuros (neurologist, neuropsych, neurosurgeon) and a whole slew of tests (MRI, PET, EMU, WADA, etc) that back up the diagnoses and the intractability portion. So I'm hoping for a better outcome.

I did call down to the courthouse. They said that the filing had been delayed because of the address--my fiance bought a house halfway through the visitation process (back in May) and I informed my daughter's mother that our address had been changed. I also changed it with the clerk of courts, but I guess for some reason she didn't put one down at all. They should be sending me the paperwork after it goes through the process to get scheduled, etc. Thank you again for all of your help.
 

Proserpina

Senior Member
Thank you for giving me some background on the disability process. The last two times I filed, I was just being seen by a family doctor. Now I have a whole slew of neuros (neurologist, neuropsych, neurosurgeon) and a whole slew of tests (MRI, PET, EMU, WADA, etc) that back up the diagnoses and the intractability portion. So I'm hoping for a better outcome.

I did call down to the courthouse. They said that the filing had been delayed because of the address--my fiance bought a house halfway through the visitation process (back in May) and I informed my daughter's mother that our address had been changed. I also changed it with the clerk of courts, but I guess for some reason she didn't put one down at all. They should be sending me the paperwork after it goes through the process to get scheduled, etc. Thank you again for all of your help.
I know you've deleted past threads and have poked the collected bear (that being... us!) once or twice, but you did promise not to do that again.

So. Don't do it again. We're a pretty good bunch for the most part, but we're also like Dr. Bruce Banner.

And good luck with your disability claim - been there, done that and worn out the flippin' t-shirt x a gazillion times.
 

AngryDad86

Junior Member
I know you've deleted past threads and have poked the collected bear (that being... us!) once or twice, but you did promise not to do that again.

So. Don't do it again. We're a pretty good bunch for the most part, but we're also like Dr. Bruce Banner.

And good luck with your disability claim - been there, done that and worn out the flippin' t-shirt x a gazillion times.
Thank you for all of your help, Pro. I know I poked the bear, but I re-read the sticky, and I understand what I did went against forum rules. I appreciate you taking the time to give me advice, even though I broke protocol. As I said, my lawyer has gone AWOL and my child's mother is getting more and more volatile with each passing week. This weekend, she accosted me in the parking lot, two inches from my face, and screamed at me (in front of our daughter) about child support, my absence in our daughter's life, and then yanked her out of the car and dragged her across the parking lot to my cousin's vehicle. She also texted me at 4:25 and demanded we return my daughter 15 minutes early--and even though our court order says 5pm, I would have been happy to do it with some notice. I live 30 minutes from mom. Of course, she told me she was going to bring it up in court because I can't comply with what she wants. Obviously, I know that's not going to get her very far, but this is just the most frustrating thing I've ever gone through. GAH. You are all saints for dealing with this, all day, every day.
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
I apologize for jumping to conclusions about your motivations based on your very brief post and your screen name. It sounds like you've been through a lot and you're trying to do the right thing. I do hope your medical issues get better and you're eventually able to find a job you can do safely.
 

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