Comments on: How Should Courts Balance the Needs of Custodial Parents with the Financial Reality of a Disabled Non-custodial Parent

By: Chad

Chad — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:11:24 +0000

@Bryan: Thank You very much sir!! Exactly!! Well Said!! If you don't want to be a single parent, I'm sure their father would be happy to take them, I know most fathers would, in spite of what the mother says. I certainly would, and wouldn't ask for child support either. If she wanted to help me when she could, fine. If not, thats Ok too. What I wouldn't do is try to put their mother in jail.

By: Chad

Chad — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:01:03 +0000

@mary: Umm, let me get this straight. Your husband is certified and legally insane? Meaning he is mentally incompitent? Probably instead of trying to figure out how you can make money on his misfortune, maybe you should have some compassion. Thats whats wrong with our system and our society right now. Greedy Custodial Parents. Yall make me sick to my stomach.

I am currently ordered to pay $1250 per month in Child Support for 3 kids. One in Texas from my 1st wife, and two in Louisiana with my 2nd wife. The thing is, after the second order was introduced in 2008 (The louisiana order was $747 per month; I have been paying $400 per month for about 8 years now regularly for the daughter in Texas) I wasn’t making enough money to cover both orders and still have any income left to pay my bills and rent. The job I had in Texas was taking 50% of my NET INCOME and sending 66% to the ex with two kids, and sending 33% to the ex in Texas with one kid. Yet with 50% of my Net Income being witheld, it still wasn’t covering the $1250 per month. And I had to pay $600 per month in rent, plus electricity, water, etc.. So eventually I had to move in with my mother (A grown man having to live with mom because the court system decided it didn’t matter if I couldnt afford my child support). I was going 3 and sometimes 4 weeks without seeing my 2 boys in Louisiana though because I couldn’t afford the gas to go see them. So, I took a job in South Louisiana, and rented a house here. However, since I moved here I haven’t been able to make a full payment to either of the ex wives, so once again, I’m falling farther and farther behind on child support. I got summoned to court and went last month. I was basically put on probation, with the understanding that if I don’t make a full $850 ($100 extra now for back child support) payment every month to the Baton Rouge Child Support Enforcement Office, that I will be summoned back to court, where I will be held in contempt, and put in jail for 30 days. Of course, I’ll lose my job, and the ex wives won’t recieve ANYTHING at all during my time in jail, but its all about the kids, right? Even with my ex wife right there with me, trying to tell the judge that my support order needed to be lowered so that I could make the payment every month, he didn’t listen. She told them that we could come to an agreement and that putting me in jail would only hurt the kids since they are used to me coming over at least 4 or 5 times a week, but the judge, again, didn’t seem to be concerned about that. So now, I have had two paychecks since that court date. I now sleep on my ex wifes couch, because after sending my WHOLE CHECK to Baton Rouge, I can’t afford to live anywhere else. and I mean that literally when I say my WHOLE CHECK, after taxes of course. And here’s the real kicker, I am now, because I’m sending my whole check to Baton Rouge, falling further behind on my Texas Child Support Order. Nothing wrong with the system though, huh?

By: Ivan

Ivan — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 08:39:40 +0000

@Bryan: I stopped counting after $40K, but NEVER got custody of my son. Now, he has become the gang member I tried to keep him from becoming (and which his mother supported, by not actively parenting). Such a loss. May your children fare better. A lot better.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:33:28 +0000

I’m tire of women bitching about being a single parent. The court system makes it that way by in most cases giving the kids to the mother, why are they the default parent for the kids to go to???? I have full custody of my two kids after spending nearly $75,0000 and losing everything I owned this is after she admitted to beating the kids they sent them back with her for 10 months. Keep in mind she told the Judge I do hit the kids probably when I shouldn’t. She choked them punched them pushed them onto concrete floors and so on. The Judge still gave her custody and sent them home with her, WTF. Women want the kids then complain about being a single mother and judge’s never give a father a break , Just pay $650.00 and leave the house. I’ve had my two kids for 2 years now and you don’t hear me crying about being a single father. Sorry but I’m tired of hearing “usually Dad” or he or him on these sites, get over it and stand on your own..

By: kristie lee

kristie lee — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:48:38 +0000

I’m on SSDI now after I almost lost my life in an accident. They are still taking child support out of my SSDI which I was told they couldn’t since that’s all I have to provide for my kids. I am completly disabled and my doctor has already sent in proof of this. THEN my ex took me back to court to get most money from me. My son is getting my SSI of $131 a month and I have a total of 4 kids. Then they raised my support payments to 145 a month. Now I have less to provide for my kids. I have also recieved a letter from SS office that since my son got my SSI payments they would stop my child support since I’m disabled, until he took me back to court and had a different person. This is the problem with the system now. Since everything is being cut new people in office want to make an impression and they take take take, never hearing the whole picture. When I was at the ss office they told me when I became my own payee I’d be the payee for ALL my kids. This has never happened and they told me they didn’t like me so they wouldn’t allow it. My other ex is recieving my SSI for my other 3 kids and his new wife has called up there and gotten all my personal info. This I know is against the law but no one will help me. He is also claiming my SSI for a son which isn’t his. I know this is against the law how do I recieve justice from all this please. I live at poverty level and can’t work. PLEASE advise me legally!!!

By: David

David — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:21:14 +0000

Hi All, Sensitive subjects indeed here at this site. Everyone please try to keep a fair and open mind. I became disabled in 2007. Finally, in 2010 the judge here in Arizona ended my child support order and effectively replaced it with the derivative my daughter received from SSDI. The odd part (and the part that angers me) is that my support obligation before disability was $565 a month. The derivative my daughter’s mom receives is $685 a month! I asked the judge to apply the $120 difference to my arrearage from 2007 to the present. She said ‘it was not possible.’ My question to everyone is “Is that really true?” We’re in the 21st century and a judge still can’t make a simple decision such as directing the clearing house to appropriately divide the derivative money? Seems unusual…. Any infor you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

By: Jody Watkins

Jody Watkins — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 21:53:32 +0000

Good greef, the man is dying of cancer and all you care about is getting some money so you can live it up.

Get a life

By: mary

mary — Tue, 04 May 2010 21:49:07 +0000

My x is skitzo and was arrested when our daughter was 7. He was too crazy for general population so was court ordered to a mental facility for 8 years. Upon his release he was FINALLY declaired mentally disabled. I began getting a monthly payment for our daughter and 3 months back pay. My question is what about the 8 years back pay? We tried several times before his arrest to have him declaired mentally disabled- all denied. Then the prison sends him to a facility to serve his sentence. Doesn’t that mean the state knows he was disabled that whole 8 years? Thanks for any advise.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:28:35 +0000

My ex-husband recently informed me that he was approved by Social Security. He is 49 and from what he has told me, he has skin cancer and has had 2 surgeries. He also has said recent tests show he is cancer free but will go through treatments. He said Social Security has approved him while he goes through the treatments. He was receiving unemployment benefits which was paying $80 each week for child support. He said he has stopped the unemployment benefits and that our son will start receiving a check from Social Security. I don’t know anything about Social Security except that I into it every month through my full time job. He told me that the Social Securtiy check our son will receive is child support. There is a court order in place in which he is ordered to pay $350 monthly. He currently is in arrears and has been since the court order of 2008. Currently, the case is handled by the Child Support Division. Do I need to inform our case manager with Child Support and/or Social Security of anything?

By: Dale

Dale — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:55:15 +0000

@Donna: Donna. I think you need to get a full time job! Your getting $500 tax free a month. Maybe YOU should think about working full-time and putting your child first or does that conflict with your care-free lifestyle of working when you feel like it?