Under federal law (Part D Title IV of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. sec. 651 et seq.), Minnesota maintains a county-based child support enforcement program providing services in both public assistance and non-public assistance cases. The Olmsted County Attorney's Office Child Support Division provides legal services for the Olmsted County Child Support and Recovery Unit, the Public Authority for child support in Olmsted County. These legal services include paternity establishment actions, actions brought for reimbursement of public assistance, and actions brought to establish, modify or enforce a child support order.
There are over 4,800 open child support cases in Olmsted County. Child Support Officers, support staff, and supervisors in the Child Support and Recovery Unit handle the day-to-day administration of these cases. In state fiscal year 2010, $16,826,511.00 in child support was collected and disbursed in Olmsted County.
There is no attorney-client relationship between the county attorney and either parent involved in a child support case. In child support cases, the county attorney represents Olmsted County's interest in ensuring that appropriate child support orders are obtained and enforced.
The Olmsted County Attorney’s Office vigorously pursues enforcement actions against parents who do not pay their court-ordered child support obligation. Minnesota law presumes that a parent with a child support obligation is capable of working full-time employment and paying. Most enforcement actions are brought against parents who not only deliberately fail to work and pay, but also fail to pay because they quit or were fired from employment, failed to inform their child support officer of new employment, or have failed to inform their employer that they have a child support obligation.
Enforcement can include contempt of court and jail, suspension of a driver’s, recreational or occupational license, bank account levies and lump sum withholding from worker’s compensation or personal injury settlements.
Parents who have a child support obligation case are obligated by law to keep their child support officer up to date on their personal address, phone number or cell phone, as well as the name, address and phone number of their place of employment.
Parents should understand that even full-time wage employment will not protect them from an enforcement action if they fail to report their employment and fail to pay child support.
Avoid enforcement actions by staying in touch with your child support officer and by paying your child support every month. If you do not know the name and phone number of your child support officer, please call 507 328-6550.
If you are unemployed through no fault of your own, or have proof that you are ill, injured or disabled your child support officer can give you information on how to change your child support obligation. If you owe child support arrears, you are obligated to report any pending worker’s compensation, personal injury or disability claim to your child support officer.
If you have any other questions about an enforcement action being brought against you, please contact one of the Child Support Division staff or attorneys listed below.
Child Support Division Staff
Senior Assistant County Attorney Thomas P. Kelly, Direct Phone: 507 328-7596 Senior Assistant County Attorney Dave McLeod Direct Phone: 507 328-7620
Paralegal, Nancy Johnson Direct Phone: 507 328-7597
