Maryland’s child support problems continue

Children depend on their parents to support them, no matter if the parents are divorced or if they were never married to begin with. When a court issues a child support order, the expectation is that the parent who is ordered to pay will do so as directed – in the amount ordered and on time. Unfortunately, that is not the case in far too many instances, and failure to pay child support has become a major problem in the state of Maryland, as well as throughout the country. A recent report has now indicated that the problem, it seems, is not getting much better.

The agency which is responsible for collecting child support payments in Maryland has been under close scrutiny in recent months, after it was discovered that they were not being very efficient in terms of how they pursued those who had outstanding child support obligations. The most recent review of the agency showed some progress, but not enough.

Although most of our readers who are familiar with some of our previous posts know that there is a limit as to what can be accomplished through child support collection efforts, some may not know that these parents should be looking at legal options when they are unable to comply with a child support agreement.

What is one of the best ways to addre ss a child support dispute? Many would agree that it is by requesting a child support agreement modification. Doing so, for example, when the paying parent’s income unexpectedly changes for some reason, can save a lot of headaches by simply explaining to the court why the child support obligation cannot be met. Parents who do so aren’t doing their children a disservice – some support is always better than none.

Source: The Baltimore Sun, “State auditors call for better oversight of city child support,” Yvonne Wenger, Nov. 14, 2012