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Child Support

 Rusk County Child Support Services operates under the Rusk County Department of Health and Human Services and is located on the 2nd floor of the Courthouse. Child Support Services is a IV-D program that operates through cooperative agreements with the federal, state and county government. Policy and procedures are provided by the Bureau of Child Support.

Services We Provide:

 

 I. Locating Absent Parent

  • Child Support Services has several locate tools available to locate absent parents and their income. Our statewide child support computer system is referred to as KIDS and is linked with other state and federal systems to locate information about absent parents.
  • The New Hire reporting program requires all employers to report all new employees. Child Support Services receives daily updates with this information.
  • Child Support Services has other data bases available to them to locate absent parents. Some of these are IRS, Department of Revenue, Department of Motor Vehicles, and Department of Workforce Development.
  • All states operate under the same federal guidelines and Child Support Services can file the necessary paperwork if you have an absent parent who has moved to another state or if you have an order out of state.

 II. Establishment of Paternity

Establishing paternity guarantees your child’s right to receive financial support, medical support, tribal rights, medical history, social security benefits and inheritance rights from his/her father. If you are not married and have a child, legal fatherhood (Paternity) needs to be established before any of these benefits can be received. This can be accomplished in several ways:

  • A Wisconsin Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment form can be signed by both parents and filed with the Vital Records Office. This form is given to you by the hospital after your child is born, or you can get a form from Child Support Services or the Register of Deeds.
  • If you get married after your child is born you need to file a Legitimation form which is available from Child Support Services or the Register of Deeds.
  • Child Support Services can prepare a stipulation (agreement) for both parents to sign and present it to the Court for review. An order will be entered from your agreement.
  • If the father does not wish to file a Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment, Child Support Services will prepare the necessary paperwork to have a Court action for paternity scheduled. In this type of action the father is given the opportunity to request genetic testing. Your Child Support Services Department assists you with this process. Once the Court makes a finding of Paternity the issues of support will be determined.

 III. Establish an Order for Child Support & Medical Insurance

  • Child Support - All children are entitled to support from both parents. All child support orders are based on the Percentage of Income Standards as set by Wisconsin State Statutes. This standard is a guideline used for establishing support and is converted to a monthly dollar amount based on the paying parent’s income. The Percentage of Income Standard has special provisions if the paying parent has other children to support or if you and the parent have shared placement of your children.
  • Medical Support – All orders for child support require an order for health insurance for your children and a provision for those expenses not covered by health insurance. The exact language for an order will be determined based on the specifics of your case.

 IV. Enforcement of Existing Court Orders

After the order is established for support Child Support Services monitors your case for payment. We are able to enforce either by bringing a legal action or by administrative process using any or all of the following:

  • Income withholding- Wisconsin law requires that all child support be paid by income withholding, if appropriate. The employer withholds child support from the payers’ wages and forwards it to the WI SCTF (Wisconsin Support Collections Trust Fund) for receipting and disbursing.
  • The WI SCTF processes support collections, by Federal regulation, within two business days from receipt date. Monies are either placed on a debit card or direct deposited to a checking or savings account. Electronic payments should appear in the payee's account or debit card within 2-3 business days after disbursement by WI SCTF.
  • State and Tax Intercept – Intercepts are automatically placed on both the state and federal refunds due to a payer if he/she owes past due child support.
  • Liens - A lien can be placed on a delinquent payers’ property to satisfy payment of any debts owing.
  • Credit Bureau Reporting - all delinquent payers’ are reported to the four major credit bureaus.

 V. Reviewing and Modifying orders

Federal law requires that child support orders be reviewed every 33 months to ensure that they are in compliance with the guideline. A case can be reviewed prior to 33 months if there is a substantial change of circumstances. Your child support agency can provide you with the necessary forms to have your case reviewed.

 VI. Interstate Enforcement

All states operate under the same federal guidelines and Child Support Services can file the necessary paperwork if you have an absent parent who has moved to another state or if you have an order in another state. All enforcement, establishment of paternity and support can be accomplished by filing an interstate action (UIFSA).
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 How To Apply For Service

The Agency provides services to those parents and legal custodians of children who apply for and receive public assistance benefits from the state of Wisconsin and other states. The agency also provides services to those parents and legal custodians who apply for child support services, yet receive no public assistance benefits.

You may contact Rusk County Child Support Service by phone or in person to request an application for services.

 

Application: Statement of Understanding

Parents Child Support Application

Guardian Application for Child Support

 How To Check on Payments

Federal regulations require that all states have a central payment center and that all payments be receipted and disbursed by that agency. Wisconsin’s payment center is called: Wisconsin Support Collections Trust Fund (WI SCTF). They are responsible for processing payments and sending out monthly statements to all payers.

Payment information can be obtained:

On line at www.dcf.wisconsin.gov/cs/home.

By phone by calling 1-800-991-5530. Phone access can be made by using either your social security number or your Personal Identification Number (PIN). A pin is assigned to every participant when your case opens and can be obtained from your child support agency and shows on all of the correspondence you receive.

 


 

*** For additional information please visit: www.dcf.wisconsin.gov/cs/home. The site contains the most updated information about the child support program. This site is maintained by the State of Wisconsin.