It is always good to know what you don’t know. I find it refreshing to hear someone tell me something new. I want to then share it with others. In the sea of child support craziness, there is probably so much we don’t know. Supportpay is always here to help. When you live in a big state like California, and then a huge county like Los Angeles County, there are tons of ins and outs to the system that can be daunting. In effort to help you know a little more about the great big process, here are 5 things you might not have been aware of about child support in LA county.
When to Call – If you want to speak to a human, the best time to reach a child support representative at the LA County Child Support Services Department by phone, is Tuesday – Friday, between the hours of 7:00am-9:00am.
CalWORKS – If you currently receive welfare (cash) benefits, you do not need to complete an application to open a child support case. All you need to do is have the public social services agency send a referral to child support services. They will automatically open a case for you. If you do not receive public assistance, just complete the FREE online application.
Common Law – California is not one of the states that has recognizes common law. In some states, if you have been living together and acting as a married couple for over 10 years, then they consider you to be legally married. Not so in California, so this will not help child support cases in LA county. However, if you moved to California from a state where they did have this law, then CA will honor that.
Dad on Birth Certificate – Unless the parents of a child are legally married, the father’s name is NOT placed on the birth certificate in the hospital. If the parents want the father’s name on there, they must sign a Declaration of Paternity form in the hospital. If it is after the hospital, then they can get a paternity test, which the agency will do for free and pay to amend the birth certificate later.
The “Most Wanted” List – Now this is not a list of the most desirable child support tools to help you. No, this is a list of the worst offenders when it comes to not paying child support….and LA county has their own growing list. Just like the famous show that puts out your photo listing your crimes, the LA County Most Wanted List for Child Support has a list of photos of non custodial parents that are not doing their job. Some of the offenders listed owe hundreds of thousands of dollars. LA County is seeking them out with this published list, exposing their crime and seeking help from the public.