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You may or may not have custody of your child. You may have been referred to child support enforcement services because you are receiving public assistance benefits or have received them in the past. You may not have received public assistance, but you want to apply for child support services.

Whether you need help establishing paternity for your child, establishing a court order, or perhaps just finding your child’s other parent and getting him or her to make regular child support payments, Child Support Enforcement Division of the Department of Family Services can help you.

This handbook is intended to help you understand Wyoming’s child support system. It provides you with information regarding your rights and responsibilities in the program, any fees or other costs related to child support services, and how child support payments are collected and disbursed.

Perhaps the best way to begin to understand the child support program is to become familiar with the unique language spoken by child support experts. Reviewing the glossary of commonly-used terms will help you understand the experts and this handbook.

The key to getting help with your child support case is knowing where to look for it. Offices providing child support services are located in 17 towns and cities in the state’s nine judicial districts. The state office in Cheyenne is primarily administrative. Child support payments are processed through the clerk of the district court offices in Wyoming’s 23 counties and a single address location in Cheyenne.

If you need help with establishing paternity and/or a child support order, contact the child support district office nearest you. If you already have a child support order and you need help in collecting child support, contact the child support district office in the county where your support order is filed. See the directory for the addresses and telephone numbers of Wyoming’s child support district enforcement offices.

If the noncustodial parent is incarcerated or unemployed with no means of income, collection may be impossible.

If you need to pay your child support, you should see the clerk of the district court in the county where your child support order is filed. Clerks of the district court offices are located in the county courthouses.

Clerks of the district court keep the official payment records on child support cases. Most Wyoming court orders stipulate child support payments must be made through the clerks. Unless your order says you should pay the custodial parent directly, you must pay your child support to the clerk of the district court each month in order for you to receive credit. If you have been paying the custodial parent directly and your order specifies you pay the clerk of the district court, you need to consult your clerk of the district court and/or child support caseworker immediately.

If you have been paying child support directly to the custodial parent, the courts, child support district offices, and the State of Wyoming child support office may not have a record of it. If you have not saved the canceled checks or cannot get the custodial parent to verify payment for you, you may not get credit for having paid your child support. If this is your situation, you need to resolve it as soon as possible to avoid increasing the amount of child support the court considers past due. See your clerk of the district court and/or caseworker in your district child support office immediately.

Whether you are a custodial or noncustodial parent, you may have questions about an IRS tax refund interception. The law allows overdue child support to be paid from a portion of the income tax refund of the parent owing the child support. Contact the child support district enforcement office handling your case.

Anyone who has custody of a child and needs help establishing who is the father of the child, establishing a child support order, or collecting current or past-due child support payments is eligible to receive child support services.

You do not have to be the child’s parent to qualify for child support services. Services are available to aunts, uncles, grandparents, or court-appointed guardians--anyone living with and caring for a child who needs financial help supporting him or her. If you may be the father you can request establishment of paternity.

You also do not have to be divorced to be eligible for child support services. You may be single, separated from your child’s other parent, or married to someone else.

If you are currently receiving a Personal Opportunities With Employment Responsibilities (POWER) grant and/or Medicaid benefits or have received a POWER grant and/or Medicaid benefits in the past, you may be eligible to receive child support services at no charge.

If you have never received POWER benefits and/or Medicaid benefits in the State of Wyoming and you want to request child support services, you must apply for services and pay a fee of $25.

When you apply for IV-D services, your $25 fee covers actions necessary to obtain support for your child. Your child support caseworker will use a variety of methods in attempt to collect child support. If you have never received POWER, Medicaid or Foster Care, you must apply for child support (or IV-D) services. You can get an application by writing, calling, or visiting the district child support enforcement office.

Complete as much of the application as possible, and be sure to sign it. Return the completed application to a district child support office with a check or money order for the IV-D application fee of $25.

If you are receiving POWER, Medicaid, or Foster Care, you do not have to pay the fee. You will be referred to child support enforcement services when you are determined eligible for POWER.

If you are no longer receiving POWER, and decide you no longer want child support services, please notify your district office in writing that you want to discontinue services. As long as your child’s other parent does not owe past-due child support to the state (public assistance given to the custodial parent) your request will be honored.

Be aware if after leaving POWER, Medicaid or Foster Care assistance, and you request child support services be discontinued, you will be charged the $25 for the IVD application fee if you later decide you want child support services again.

When the state intercepts a noncustodial parent’s IRS tax refund on behalf of a custodial parent who does not receive POWER, Medicaid, or foster care, the custodial parent will be charged a $25 processing fee.

Wyoming’s child support district offices may perform the following services:

• Locate noncustodial parents

• Establish paternity

• Establish child support and medical support orders

• Enforce child support and medical support orders

• Initiate and respond to interstate cases

• Enforce spousal support if it is included in a child support order

• Review and modify child support orders based on change in circumstance

• Visitation and Custody Issues - Child support and visitation are separate matters. A parent may not legally withhold visitation if the other parent fails to pay child support, nor may a parent withhold support if the other refuses visitation. If disputes over visitation cannot be resolved, the parents should hire a private attorney and take the matter to court or seek mediation services. Child support caseworkers/attorneys will not represent either parent in matter of visitation or custody.

• Divorce actions

• Property settlements

• Payment of attorney fees

• Collection of medical bills - unless a court order exists which requires the other parent to pay these bills or the bills were incurred during pregnancy and delivery and the custodial parent was receiving public assistance at the time.

Caseworkers in the child support district offices provide child support services under contract with the Child Support Enforcement Division, Wyoming Department of Family Services. The child support attorney who works your case does not represent you personally. He or she represents the State of Wyoming.* State and federal laws limit the actions the child support attorney may take on your case.

There may be times when the interests of the state conflict with your own interests. Consider the following examples:

• Payments received from the noncustodial parent in your case may be split between you and another custodial parent to whom he/she owes support.

• The state may keep a portion of your child support payment to pay back state and federal benefits paid you in public assistance grants.

• If in the future the noncustodial parent’s income decreases, your monthly child support may be reduced through a modification of the support order.

• If the noncustodial parent in your case someday obtains custody of your children, the same child support attorney could be responsible for collecting child support from you.

The child support attorney may use information you provide for any of the following purposes to:

• Report welfare fraud against you if you received child support payments or other income while you were on POWER and failed to report and/or turn them into the Department of Family Services.

• Collect child support from you or your current spouse, if either of you is a noncustodial parent in another case.

• Help determine whether the monthly child support obligation should be reduced if the noncustodial parent applies for a modification in the order.

If you are caring for a child and need financial support from the other parent (or both of the child’s parents), you have the right to apply for child support services. In return, child support caseworkers need your cooperation.

When you apply for child support services, you will be asked to provide as much of the following information as possible:

• Full name of the noncustodial parent

• Last known address of the noncustodial parent

• Noncustodial parent’s date of birth

• Noncustodial parent’s place of birth

• Noncustodial parent’s social security number or if unavailable, his/her mother’s maiden name

• Child’s birth certificates (not needed if there is an existing order for support)

• Child’s social security numbers

• Certified copies of the separation order, divorce decree, or any support orders which modify the original order

• An accurate record of all child support payments received from the noncustodial parent

• Name and address of the current or most recent employer for the noncustodial parent

• Information on assets, property, etc.

It is important to notify your child support caseworker if you learn your child’s noncustodial parent has a new job or new address. Sometimes knowing the names or telephone numbers of a noncustodial parent’s friends or parents may be of tremendous help to a caseworker looking for a noncustodial parent. Please respond promptly to any correspondence from your child support caseworker. If you move or change your telephone number, remember to notify your caseworker and clerk of the district court in writing within 15 days. Your caseworker needs to be able to reach you easily, and the clerk of the district court must know where to send your child support check.

The more information you provide to your caseworker, the more successful he or she can be in getting regular and full child support payments for your child. However, your caseworker shall not disclose any information to any person if the state has reasonable evidence of domestic violence or child abuse and the disclosure of such information could be harmful to the custodial parent or the child. A court shall order that the address of the child and/or custodial parent or other identifying information not be disclosed in any court document filed in a proceeding.

It is illegal for child support caseworkers to disclose any information contained in a child support case for any non-official use.

Your responsibility, as a noncustodial parent, is to make regular, complete child support payments. Unless you have an income withholding order in place, be sure to pay through your clerk of the district court so you receive credit for paying your child support.

If your income or the custodial parent’s income changes radically, your case may qualify for an adjustment in the monthly support obligation. Under Wyoming’s presumptive child support guidelines, either parent may request a review of your case for adjustment when you believe your circumstances may cause your obligation to increase or decrease by 20 percent of the monthly obligation.

If the custodial parent is receiving or has received Personal Opportunities With Employment Responsibilities (POWER), the state is required by federal law to review the court order every 36 months (3 years).

If you are not currently receiving POWER or have never received POWER, and you wish to have child support services, you must file an application at the enforcement office in your judicial district. See page 3, Applying for Services and Application Fees.

As long as you do not receive POWER and have not received assistance in the past, you will receive the full amount of the child support payments collected in your behalf.

The question custodial parents ask most often is, "When am I going to get my check?" This question is understandable, but it is a difficult one to answer. Collecting your child support is more difficult— and more time-consuming— if the noncustodial parent:

• Lives out-of-state

• Is unemployed or self-employed

• Changes jobs frequently

• Works for cash

• Has a seasonal or mobile job (like construction, rough-necking, etc.)

• Is contesting the amount of support

• Has not yet been ordered to pay child support

• Is in jail or other institution

• Is disabled

• Cannot be located

Noncustodial parents’ right of "due process of law" must be met. Child support caseworkers are required to provide notice to noncustodial parents of impending legal action and allow them time to respond. The process of providing personal service of legal notice may be difficult and time-consuming.

Your child support caseworker will determine the most effective method to collect your child support. If you feel the need to be more actively involved in the determination of methods of collection, you may want to consider hiring a private attorney.

Your caseworker may take any or all of the following steps to enforce your case:

• Review your court order, if there is one in place, and your payment record.

• Follow any leads you provide, in addition to state and federal computer resources, to locate the noncustodial parent.

• Establish paternity (determine the father of the child) if you were not married to your child’s father.

• Seek a court order establishing a monthly child support obligation, including medical support.

Support orders can be established regardless of whether you and the other parent were or are married. If you are separated, an order requiring the noncustodial parent to pay support may be established even if a divorce is not planned.

Action to establish temporary support may be taken if a divorce is pending. Support orders will be established for divorced couples if support was not ordered at the time of the divorce.

• Establish a court order to withhold child support, current and/or past due, from the noncustodial parent’s wages or other income.

• Forward your papers to another state to start legal action under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA).

Once your caseworker sends your case to another state, he or she is no longer in charge of working it and cannot control how fast the other state processes the case or what actions are taken.

• Monitor processing of your case by courts and attorneys

• Report the noncustodial parent to credit reporting agencies. A noncustodial parent who is significantly behind in child support may not qualify for a house, boat, or car loan.

• Put a lien on the noncustodial parent’s property to collect child support payments or bank account if held individually.

• Require the noncustodial parent to post bond, security or guarantee to insure that he/she pays child support.

• Deny a passport or have a passport revoked or restricted on individuals who owe arrearages of child support in an amount exceeding $5,000.

• In extreme cases, pursue charging the noncustodial parent with civil contempt of court or criminal nonsupport. Either charge could result in jail time.
• Suspend or revoke a noncustodial parent's driver's license. DFS determines if the child support case is in arrears. After notifying the obligor, DFS notifies the appropriate agency to suspend an obligor's driver's license and/or commercial driver's license, professional, occupational and/or recreational license.

• When other remedies have failed, refer your interstate case to the United States Attorney for prosecution. Because the United States Attorney’s office assumes a very limited number of child support cases, only extreme cases are referred for prosecution.

Judicial District	Counties Served	Name & Address of Enforcement Office	Telephone Numbers
First	Laramie	Child Support Services 2020 Carey Avenue Suite 501 Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001	307- 635-3365 1-800-742-3092 Fax: 307-635-3347
Second	Albany Carbon	Child Support Services 2020 Grand Avenue Suite 350 Laramie, Wyoming 82070	307-742-5688 1-800-742-3096 Fax: 307-742-5737
Third	Sweetwater	Child Support Services 60 Shosone Street Green River, Wyoming 82935	307-875-4725 1-800-742-3098 Fax: 307-875-4643
	Lincoln Uinta	Child Support Services 1575 Hwy 150 South, Suite J Evanston, Wyoming 82930	307-789-8187 1-800-482-3422 Fax: 307-789-8189
Fourth	Sheridan	Child Support Authority 224 South Main, 4th Flr East Sheridan, Wyoming 82801	307-672-2599 1-800-565-4502 Fax: 307-672-5991
	Johnson	Child Support Authority 76 North main Street 2nd Flr Buffalo, Wyoming 82834	307-684-9011 Fax: 307-684-9093
Fifth	Big Horn	Child Support Authority 415 West "C" Street Basin, Wyoming 82410	307-568-9329 1-800-871-9165 Fax: 307-568-2971
	Hot Springs	Child Support Authority 415 Arapahoe Thermopolis, Wyoming 82443	307-864-5768 1-800-432-1698 Fax: 307-864-3098
	Park (Cody)	Child Support Authority 1002 Sheridan Avenue Cody, Wyoming 82414	307-527-8840 1-800-565-3224 Fax: 307-527-8844
	Park (Powell)	Child Support Authority 109 West 14th Powell, Wyoming 82435	307-754-8830 1-800-283-8605 Fax: 307-754-1070
	Washakie	Child Support Authority 200 North 7th Street Worland, Wyoming 82401	307-347-8927 1-800-432-1675 Fax: 307-347-6648

Judicial District	Counties Served	Name & Address of Enforcement Office	Telephone Numbers
Sixth	Campbell	Child Support Authority 405 West Boxelder Suite B6 Gillette, Wyoming 82716	307-687-1501 1-800-360-5220 Fax: 307-864-17398
	Crook	Child Support Authority 309 Cleveland Sundance, Wyoming 82729	307-283-1515 Fax: 307-283-1515 Yes, same phone number
	Weston	Child Support Authority 723 B Washington Blvd. Newcastle, Wyoming 82701	307-746-2311 Fax: 307-746-4796
Seventh	Natrona	Child Support Enforcement 120 West First Casper, Wyoming 82602	307-235-9229 1-800-292-3219 Fax: 307-235-9629
Eighth	Converse Niobrara Platte Goshen	Child Support Services of Wyoming 119 South 3rd P. O. Box 169 Douglas, Wyoming 82633	307-358-0947 1-866-280-3719
Ninth	Fremont Wind River Sublette Teton	Child Support Services of Wyoming 409 Lincoln St., Suite B Lander, Wyoming 82520	307-332-6380 1-800-996-6045
Northern Arapaho		TANF Project Fort Washakie 82514	307-332-5006 Ext 11