Washington Child Support Payments

State of Washington, Sep 27, 2006

TYPES OF NOTICES

We served you with one or more of the following notices unless you have a court order that requires payment through
WSSR and allows wage withholding.

1. A Notice of Support Debt and Demand For Payment. We use this notice when a child support order sets a child
support debt in a fixed dollar amount but does not have the collection language needed.
2. A Notice of Support Owed. We use this notice when a child support order sets a child support debt in a variable
dollar amount.
3. A Notice and Finding of Financial Responsibility. We use this notice to establish a child support order for the
case. We set a child support amount based on the Washington State Child Support Schedule.
4. A Notice and Finding of Parental Responsibility. We use this notice when the father signs a Paternity Affidavit
and there is no child support order for the case. We set a child support amount based on the Washington State
Child Support Schedule.
5. A Notice of Support Debt and Registration. We use this notice when a tribal court, another state’s court, or
another state’s child support agency asks us to register a child support order. When we register the child support
order, we will enforce and possibly modify the order.
6. A Notice and Finding of Medical Responsibility. We use this notice to establish a medical support requirement
when there is no child support order for the case.

TYPES OF APPEALS
1.
Conference Board. A conference board is an administrative (noncourt) DCS process used to resolve many
disputes, explain policies, and clarify facts.
a. A conference board may review both court-ordered and noncourt-ordered child support cases.
b. A conference board may issue a decision without a meeting with you. If you have a meeting, you may
discuss your case with higher management who may overrule prior DCS decisions. A conference board can
change some actions taken by our staff but cannot change actions required by law.
c. We will tell both parties to your child support order when we receive a request for a conference board. Both
parties may take part in the conference board.
2. Adjudicative Proceeding (hearing). A hearing is also an administrative (noncourt) process. A hearing is more
formal than a conference board but less formal than a court action.
a. State law only offers a hearing for some situations. If we served you with a notice, the notice tells you if you
have a right to a hearing. An Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) presides at a hearing. ALJs are not DCS
employees.
b. In a hearing, an ALJ reviews your case and rules on your dispute. To stop us from enforcing your child
support order, you must ask for a hearing within 20 days (if we served the notice on you in Washington State)
or within 60 days (if we served the notice on you outside Washington State) after you receive your notice.
You can ask for a hearing after the 20 or 60 day limit. However, we will enforce your child support order
until we receive a hearing decision. We will not refund any money collected while awaiting a hearing
decision.
If you ask for a hearing more than one year after you receive your notice, you will need to show good
cause (a good reason for making a late request). The ALJ may not grant your late request. However, you
may have a right to a modification of your future child support obligation even if you do not have a good
reason for a late hearing request.
c. If you disagree with the ALJ’s decision, you may ask for an administrative review of that ruling. You must ask
for the administrative review within 21 days after the ALJ rules on your case.
If you disagree with the administrative review decision, you may file an action in a state or tribal court. If
you do so, you must serve notice of the action on the Secretary, Department of Social and Health
Services, the Attorney General’s office, and the other party to your child support order. You must serve
these notices when you file the court action.
We will enforce your child support order during your appeal to a state or tribal court unless the court
orders us to stop.
d. If appropriate, we will tell both parties to your child support order when we receive a request