Friday, April 16, 2010
UNDERSTANDING THE CUMULATIVE NATIONAL CHILD SUPPORT DEBT
According to "Understanding the Child Support Debt":
Despite record collections by State CSE programs, considerable sums of child support go unpaid every year. As of September 30, 2006, States reported that the total national unpaid child support debt that has accumulated since the program began in 1975 is $105 billion. This large accumulation of child support arrears is a serious concern for a number of reasons. First, if these arrears could be collected, the additional income would clearly benefit the children and families who are owed this child support. Second, some of these arrears are owed to the government. Finally, large arrears balances give the impression that State CSE programs are not doing their job, when, in fact, the situation is much more complicated (emphasis added).
South Carolina has been fined over $80,000,000 essentially for its failure to install federally-mandated child support enforcement programs on the State level. Therefore, we think it is safe to say that, in this case, appearance mirrors reality and the folks at the South Carolina CSE "are not doing their job."
Labels: Computerized Child Support System, Federal Fines, Institutional Mismanagement, Welfare Reform
