GLOSSARY OF CHILD SUPPORT TERMS

Arrearage - Unpaid child support payments for past periods owed by a person who has been ordered to pay

Assignment of Support Rights - A person gives his or her support rights to the county in exchange for and as a condition of receiving Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) funds or Medi-Cal benefits.

Central Registry - Each state is required to have a central registry office where interstate requests/petitions must be sent for an initial review by the state before they can be sent to the local office for action.

Certified copy - A copy of a court document which the court clerk has said, in writing, is a true and correct copy of the original.

Complaint - Written legal document filed in court by which the county starts the legal action to establish paternity and/or child support.

Custodial party - Person with whom the child primarily resides and to whom the other parent owes a duty of child support; may be a parent, other relative or someone else.

Custodial Parent (CP) - The parent having primary physical custody of the child or children. Current Assistance - Currently receiving TANF

DCSS - Department of Child Support Services

Default Judgment - Decision made by the court after the NP fails to answer or otherwise respond to the complaint.

Default - Failure of a defendant to file an answer in a court case within a certain number of days after being served with a summons and complaint results in the entry of an order by default.

Defendant - Person against whom a lawsuit is started.

DIB - Disability insurance benefits. Up to 25% can be taken and applied to support.

DissoMaster - A software program used to calculate guideline child support and spousal support amounts in California.

Excess - Collections that exceed TAP are paid to the aided CP; cannot be paid until after the end of the month when TAP is known; in foster care cases is paid to the welfare department.

Former Assistance - Received TANF in the past

FTB - The California State Franchise Tax Board. State agency that collects income taxes. The DCSS annually notifies the FTB each July of the support arrears balances owed by the obligor. As payments are received, the certified balance must be reduced up until April 15th. Balances cannot be increased until the next tax certification period.

Garnishment - A legal proceeding whereby part (up to 50%) of a person's wages are withheld and applied to payment of a child support debt.

Intercept - Amount of moneys from the NP's state and/or federal income tax refund, unemployment or disability insurance benefits, or lottery winnings taken to satisfy a support debt.

IRS - The Internal Revenue Service. The DCSS annually notifies the IRS each July of the
support arrears balances owed by the NP. Balances on the list must be reduced up until the following April 15th as payments are received, but cannot be increased until the next tax certification period.

Judgment - The official decision or finding of a court upon the individual rights and claims of the parties to an action.

Jurisdiction - Legal authority which a court has over persons and cases within a defined geographical area.

Legal father - A man who is determined by law to be the male parent.

Levy - The taking of property by a Marshall or Sheriff pursuant to a writ of execution.

Lien - A claim upon property to prevent sale or transfer until a debt is satisfied.

Long-arm jurisdiction - If the NP lives outside California but has had enough contact with California, we can obtain a support order through the civil complaint procedure instead of petitioning his or her state of residence for assistance in establishing a support order.

Medical Support - Health insurance coverage for the supported child or children provided by the NP. May include dental and vision coverage. Also includes specific sums ordered payable as nonwelfare medical support - not receiving public assistance (TANF).

MNO - Medically Needy Only; Cases in which the custodial party has applied for Medi-Cal benefits for the child(ren) and been referred to the Sonoma County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) by the Human Services Department. If the custodial party declines child support services, the DCSS will only pursue establishment/enforcement of medical support services.

Modification - A court order which changes the terms of an earlier court order.

Motion - A request to the court for an order.

Never Assistance - Never received TANF funds

Non-custodial Parent - The parent who does not have primary physical custody of the child(ren) and who is responsible to pay child support to the custodial party. (See also NP)

NP - The parent who does not have primary physical custody of the child(ren) and who is responsible to pay child support to the custodial party. (See also Non-custodial parent)

Obligated Parent - The parent under legal duty to pay child support (obligor).

Obligation - Amount of money to be paid as child support by the non-custodial parent.

Obligee - The person to whom support is owed.

Obligor - The person who owes support.

Offset - Amount of money taken from the non-custodial parent's state and/or federal tax refund, unemployment insurance, or lottery winnings to satisfy a child support debt. This is also referred to as an "intercept".

OSC (Order to Show Cause) - A court order directing a person to appear in court on a certain date and to explain why a certain order should not be entered.

Other Jurisdiction - If the NP or the CP resides in another state we often refer to that state as the "other jurisdiction".

Paternity judgment - Legal determination of who is the father.

Payee - The person to whom support is paid.

Payor - The person who pays support.

PIEP - Parent Involvement-Employment Program

Plaintiff - Person who files a legal action or law suit.

PRWORA - Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Welfare reform law.

Public assistance - State or federal money given to a person or family for living expenses under the
TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) program.

Registration - The process by which an order issued by one court can be used in another jurisdiction.

Registration of Foreign Support Order (ROFO) - Allows a county with the appropriate jurisdiction over a case to "register" a support order from another state or county so that the issues relating to support may be handled in the registering state or county.

SLMS (State Licensing Match System) - A system for reporting non-custodial parents with delinquent child support obligations to State agency boards which issue occupational, professional and driver's licenses. The issuance of a new license or renewal is held until a release is obtained from the DCSS.

Stipulation - An agreement between parties to an action. All the DCSS stipulations are submitted to the court. The court accepts the terms of the agreement and enters an order.

Summons - A notice and warning given to a person when he or she is sued.

Support rights - Every child has a right to support from both parents. Every parent who does not reside with a child has a responsibility to provide monetary support. Child, spousal and medical support amounts are established in court orders. As a condition of receiving TANF, a person assigns all unpaid support owed up to the time welfare is discontinued to the county which provides the public assistance.

TANF - Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

TAP - Total aid paid to the family. The total dollar amount of TANF funds a family has ever received. Also referred to as UAP (unreimbursed assistance pool).

UIB - Unemployment insurance benefits. Up to 25% can be taken and applied to support.

UIFSA - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. Legislation adopted nationwide as of January 1998. It is designed to streamline the interstate process and replaces URESA as the acting interstate legislation.

URESA - Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act. Repealed and replaced by UIFSA.

Visitation - The right of the non-custodial parent to visit or spend time with his or her child(ren).

Wage Assignment - A court order by which automatic deductions are made from wages or other income to pay support.

Wage assignment - An order directing an employer to deduct child support from the obligor's salary or wages and forward it to the other party or to the DCSS.

Welfare - See "Public assistance."

Writ of Execution - A court order directing the Sheriff or Marshall to seize property to satisfy a judgment.

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