Kandiyohi County sends message to state about child support program

Molly O.
St. Paul/Woodbury, MN     02/10/2010 10:03 AM

The child support program, otherwise known as Title IV-D (the name for the federal program that authorizes and controls state and county child support) is a program enacted by Congress to ONLY be for a limited number of people: 1) those on public assistance, and b) those former welfare recipients who would qualify for public assistance if they did not get their child support. The state has led people to believe the government subsidized child support program is for ANYONE. Therefore, this Title IV-D welfare service program is being given to anyone who applies, and the county and state is unlawfully absent any eligibility standards or means testing. Proper eligibility standards and means testing, as intended by Congress, would reduce the case load by 60% in almost every county in Minnesota. This would reduce costs to local government and local property taxpayers, as well as the financial burden to the state. Enforcing some limits to the recipients of this program is the right thing to do. It would keep private cases private. Eligibility standards and means testing for Title IV-D government child support collection services would preserve the services for the poor, needy, and vulnerable, stop taking self-sufficient people and make them dependent on government, and it would save taxpayers in this state over $100 million.

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Michelle H.
Willmar, MN     02/08/2010 8:04 PM

I think having local representation is important. There's a little more incentive to make payments when the bill collector could be your next door neighbor.

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Casey O.
Kerkhoven, MN     02/08/2010 12:37 PM

I wonder if they will cause a longer wait for new cases too. As it is right now, I believe the waiting period is around six months. You file and it takes about six months to get to the point of withholding, sometimes that six months of nonpayment is even forgiven. The kids still have needs during that waiting period and the full responsibility falls on the custodial parent. Will this waiting period be even longer if the whole state relies on St. paul to process the paper work and enforce withholding? What about when the payor has a job change? It usually takes a month or longer for payment from a new employer, will it be longer if St. Paul is in charge because they have too many cases?

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Amy N.
Glyndon, MN     02/08/2010 12:22 PM

Oh wonderful, another way for the goverment to sit on our money and screw those who need it more. I am a child support receipeint and yes Kandiyohi County does a good job, not always great but a good job. So now the State will take over and there will be no one to help me or fight for my kid. So guess it will be up to the people who get this help to fight for themselves. Typical (said with sheer disappointment)

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Casey O.
Kerkhoven, MN     02/08/2010 9:59 AM

St. Paul flubs child support payments. They give payments to the wrong people and sometimes they "sit" on a payment and don't send it out until the county worker calls them and asks why.

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Randy O.
Hoffman, MN     02/08/2010 8:19 AM

This removal of local control makes no sense at all. Talk about being top-heavy. Thanks Tim Paw!

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Ben C.
Willmar, MN     02/08/2010 8:00 AM

How does this fit in the often talked about concept from St. Paul of smaller State Government and more local control? Seems to me that this suggestion is going against that, and we are losing control of yet another program. Why not follow the suggestions being made from Kandiyohi County and get some of the hoops from the State removed so that true local control can happen now and then if it fails talk about the State taking over.

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Mike B.
Spicer, MN     02/08/2010 7:33 AM

Bill collecting isn't exactly a new concept and the phone call is apt to work as well from St Paul as it does from Willmar. Everyone else is trimming services and expenses - why not local government's union workforce?

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