DSS asks county for extra investigator
By MICHAEL ANICH, The Leader-HeraldJOHNSTOWN - The Fulton County Department of Social Services requested creation of a financial investigator position in the Child Support Unit to better track and crack down on support cases.
"We look at it as a win-win situation all the way around for our department, for our clients and for the county," DSS Commissioner Sheryda Cooper told the Board of Supervisors' Social Services Committee at a recent meeting at the County Office Building.
Her department has five investigators and wants to increase that number to six. Investigators handle approximately 900 cases apiece. The county has about 4,500 support cases and the number is growing, Cooper said.
"It's really people having children and not staying together," the DSS official said.
She recounted how in May 2007, DSS asked for staffing changes in the Child Support Unit based on vacancies at the time to allow the unit to be more productive. She said the change produced "successful results."
Cooper said the child support collection rate on assistance cases went from 56 percent in December 2006 to 73 percent in December 2007. She also said $6.8 million in support was collected in 2007 - an increase of $153,263 from 2006.
Cooper requested supervisors create a financial investigator position and abolish a typist position, currently vacant, in the Child Support Unit.
"The changes made to the unit one year ago had a positive effect for the clientele served as well as for the county," Cooper said. "The current opportunity to add an additional investigator position to the unit at a very minimal cost and a cost still less than the cost of staff a year ago is expected to have the same success."
She said the move - done to alleviate the burden of other investigators and provide greater monitoring and tracking opportunities - would only cost the county an extra $876.
Cooper said the financial investigator would have specific duties to address work the other investigators haven't been able to consistently address, such as confinement petitions and adjustments, DNA petitions and adjustments, and income execution hardship forms.
Johnstown 3rd Ward Supervisor John Callery said this might not be the time to create the new position.
"I think this should be done at budget time," Callery said.
"We're proposing it now because of the vacancy," Cooper responded.
She said the federal government offers incentives to counties clearing up child collection cases by giving more funding to states, which in turn provides more money to counties.
Committee Chairman Alan McLain asked who will pick up the work of the typist.
"It's kind of reallocating the work that we have," Cooper said.
She said investigators will have to step in from time to time to do clerical work. Cooper said DSS also has an account clerk and account clerk typist that can do more duties.
She said the ultimate goal is to stay current on support cases.
"It's going to take monitoring and keeping staff on task," she said.
Bleecker Supervisor David Howard said the current child support situation in which people pay support for their children as part of their budgets represents a "perfect storm," with the current prices of gas and food also spiraling upward.
"We're going to have an explosion," Howard said.
Michael Anich covers Fulton County and Johnstown. He can be reached at johnstown@leaderherald.com.
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GEORGIABELL
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07-14-08 10:42 AM
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Now live somwhere else
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GEORGIABELL
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07-14-08 10:38 AM
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I am thru the FCCS unit and I am owed over $13,000.00. I have always been the custodial parent. My youngest is now gone but he must still pay the back. I also worked, but at times was on DSS. As for: Going to jail, that is funny Revoking DL, that too is funny DSS taking tax money, Well they did one time and it was the exact mount due to them and oh ya they still are owed $.31. I recieved taxes one time due to back support and by the way I have been with FCCS since 1991. That is part of my story and in all fairness I must stand up of some in the FCCS unit as they did help me out alot and it was all appricated. Now I love somewhere else and I still go thru FCCS in NY and the help is appriciated even more cuz i am not there anymore. If the emotions stay out of the way and FCCS would believe the custodial parent when what they say are proven and do something at that point then some of the chasing would be resolved. I do not think I will ever see the money due.
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Barbara
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07-06-08 8:37 PM
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Correction: beck is supposed to be back. Another thing is that DSS can still collect support even after the child is 18 or 21 depending on what state you are in. If the parents move to different states than where the order was placed, then it is harder to get payment from the noncustodial parent. It is only the payments from the noncustodial parent that make it to the custodial parent if any of the back child support is deemed by DSS to be due to them. Creative bookkeeping determines this amount. So it doesn't really benefit the custodial parent to try to get off of welfare when the other parent is not current on their child support payments. Of course it is better for the kid for the custodial parent to work as they would earn more than DSS gives, but then they lose any support owed to them for that time if they have to go back on DSS for any reason. And the custodial parent is not clearly told this when applying for benefits. Thus DSS makes out in this scenerio.
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Barbara
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07-06-08 8:29 PM
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To clarify a few things. If the custodial parent happens to be on welfare, then they would get a $50 pass thru payment from child support if the child support is collected. The rest of the child support payment goes to DSS even if the amount is more than DSS is paying the parent. If child support is not collected in that month no pass through payment when the support is collected. If the custodial parent goes off of assistance they would get the support if it is collected. If then the custodial parent goes beck on assistance then all unpaid child support is transferred to DSS so they get it even when the custodial parent was working. This might have changed at this point, but this is the way it had been. So the bottom line is that the custodial parent does not get back child support if it isn't paid and the custodial parent feels the need at anytime to go on assistance. DSS can collect on past due support if the noncustodial parent files an income tax return.
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InnocentParty
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07-06-08 1:51 AM
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No matter how many investigators they have, child support laws will never be fair, in most cases. In MANY, MANY cases, mom is the custodial parent. Dad is made to pay. Mom sits home on welfare, while dad (there are many good dads) works 2 or 3 jobs to pay support. So tell me, how are both parents (in those situations) paying their equal share? Why must a non-custodial parent pay when the custodial parent is sitting on welfare? To pay back the system for the child(ren) getting benefits? That's unfair. By the way, I'm a custodial parent (with a full-time job) that receives support from dad with no problems.
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mandiandsalena
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07-06-08 12:02 AM
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I like how all of you think that just because a marriage didn't work out, then those people must be scumbags. This isn't welfare, it's one parent paying thier fair share to the other parent. Also, these people who don't ever pay don't just get away with it, the end up getting their driver's licence revoked, their tax refunds taken and going to jail over and over again. The investigators do good work, if they need more help then i say , Give it to them.
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yankee21
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07-05-08 7:18 PM
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What are they investigating? Most of these low lifes go from job to job so then they won't have to pay support! That way they can live off of the rest of us hardworkers. Abruzzi hit the nail on the head. I am not saying all but alot in this area don't work on purpose. Why work when you can get it all for free? Thats the motto alot of them live buy!
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America
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07-05-08 7:07 PM
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There does seem to be a need for an extra financial investigator. The case loads sound enormous per worker, and it is only going to keep climbing. There are a lot of fathers/mother's (non-custodial) who are very active in their kids lives and pay the support without hesitation. Then you have the deadbeats who keep reproducing time and time again and don't really care what happens, ohhhh and good luck getting support from them. I say Enough is Enough.... it is time to have them spayed or nuetured!
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ReclaimGville
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07-05-08 6:50 PM
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Neuter all the Bums!! No work, no kids!!
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DontBlameStopTheFraud
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07-05-08 12:46 PM
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This should be the only area staffing increases. Fraud Investigators have to be more vigilant in arresting abusers. Not just in Child Support. Arresting some of these parasites does at least two things. It recoups money for the county and "scares" people into not committing fraud in the first place.
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abruzzi
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07-05-08 10:55 AM
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4500 cases-how many of these people are actually working?how many of these cases do we pay their rent and food?how many of these cases continue to have children with other people?if they don't collect support we of course make up that difference also.what a mess always left on us working fools.
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lucycat43
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07-05-08 10:50 AM
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If a child is receiving SSI benefits, the representative payee MUST fill out an annual report showing where and how the money was spent for the child. I think anyone paying child support should be afforded the same. An annual report should have to be filled out by the custodial parent showing where the money was spent. Too many of these children are going without while the support money is being spent on alcohol, drugs, etc. And before someone jumps down my throat, I do not mean this happens in all cases !
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morningstar
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07-05-08 10:23 AM
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If they only planned to track the spending of "custodial parents" instead of the way the system works now. Although I've seen many more situations where dads are raising kids, dads are still often left out of their children's lives, except for the money. There is no rule about how child support is spent and many receiving parents think of it as their money to do what the please with. In addition, every other weekend and wednesdays isn't exactly a normal parental environment. There are wonderful parents out there who are fiercely limited by these constraints and it only hurts the kids.
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VABOYE
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07-05-08 7:24 AM
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OHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Don't get me going!!!!!!
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