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1. Who can receive child support?

A person can receive child support if all of these are true:

• A person is the parent of a minor child or is the person who has court-ordered custody of a minor child
  
• The minor child lives in the person's household
  
• The child is financially dependent on that person
  
• One or both of the child's parents are absent from the home
  
• The court ordered a person to pay child support

2. What services are not available?

The following services are not available through Washington County:

• Divorce assistance
  
• Visitation or custody issue mediation / resolution
  
• Spousal maintenance (alimony) order establishment or modification
  
• Legal advice or counsel

3. Who can use child support services?

The following people may use child support services:

• Parents of minor children if one parent does not live with the child
• Parents who pay court-ordered child support
• People who have court-ordered physical custody of a minor child.
• People who receive public assistance in the form of cash assistance, medical assistance, MinnesotaCare, and/or child care assistance for a minor child who lives in their home

4. After I apply, what else must I do?

Taking an active role in your case and cooperating with our office makes establishing a court order more efficient and makes collecting regular support payments more likely. Any changes that may affect your case must be reported to our office. Contact your child support worker if:

• You or the other parent moves
  
• You or the other parent gets a new phone number
  
• You or the other parents gets a new job.
  
• Your child moves or graduates from high school
  
• Your child no longer receives child care
  
• You have new information that may help locate the other parent
  
• You apply for public assistance
  
• You are involved in other court actions regarding child support payments

5. If I apply for child support services, do I have any rights?

You have the right to:

• Receive fair, respectful, and nondiscriminatory treatment
  
• Participate in any court action involving your case
  
• Ask the child support office to review the amount of support payments and request the court modify your support order, if appropriate
  
• Request in writing that your child support case be closed at any time, except if cash public assistance, medical assistance, MinnesotaCare and/or child care assistance is open for your minor child / children