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Child Support Is Va.'s Next Administrative Fee
OVER THIS SUMMER, the phrase "administrative fees" has sparked furor in Virginia. Now, here's another one that's drawing ire: A new $25 annual fee the commonwealth will charge some mothers for assistance in collecting child support from deadbeat fathers. The new fee will affect 130,000 people in the commonwealth.
According to the Virginian-Pilot:
The fee goes into effect in October and is being charged to custodial parents who receive at least $500 a year in their child support cases. Parents who have received public assistance such as welfare payments will not be charged the fee.Left-leaning Virginia politics blog Raising Kaine isn't a fan:
Women need to PAY the government to get their law enforcement assistance? They need to send a check for $25 in order to collect the money that is legally owed to them?!? And who were the geniuses who came up with THIS brilliant idea?Not the Virginia Division of Child Support Enforcement, although they're the ones collecting the checks. The child-support fees are part of sweeping government services legislation passed by Congress in 2005, the Pilot reports.
» "Parents See New Child-Support Fees From State" [Virginian-Pilot]
» "Want Your Child Support Payment? Pay $25!" [Raising Kaine]
» EARLIER: "Va. Drivers: Prepare for New Traffic Penalties" [Free Ride/Express]
Posted By Michael Grass at 2:05 PM on August 22, 2007
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Addison Road
The services should be paid for by the beneficiary when they are proven successful. The MAJORITY of these cases that are opened are middle and upper class feuding families that are leaching from the taxpayer and fueling their feuds over their children on taxpayer money. Plus the fee is only collected from PROVEN successful services provided to an individual recipient. This is fair and equitable and a savings to the taxpayer.
Lary Holland
By Lary Holland , Posted August 22, 2007 10:15 PMhttp://www.laryholland.com
The federal government is stealing from the Social Security Trust Fund to pay the State employees and contractors to collect this child support. The State are milking billions while elderly people like my parents that paid into this program all their lives can't get enough SS money, they are forced to work at 75.
Child Support is taken directly out of the paychecks, it is such a scam to say they are working when the money is automatically taken out. Not even the real collection agencies have these abilities, but yet they make a profit only using a tiny staff handling hundreds of thousands of cases per year while Virginia Child Support agents fall apart when they have to manage more than 10 cases that are paying and they still screw it up.
Let the Elderly keep their money. Child Support Services should not be paid for by the taypayers. Make the parents pay if they want these value added services.
By Robert Collins , Posted August 23, 2007 9:48 PMDrivers pay for roads with gasoline taxes. As someone who wasn't lucky enough to have children, it is annoying how much of my tax money goes to schools and for other programs. Why should ALL taxpayers contribute to helping collect child support? At some point it would be nice if people who choose to have children quit expecting the government to take care of them. A little help when needed is one thing but not for 21 years.
By Ellen Hatsin , Posted September 6, 2007 5:54 PM