As of October 1st 2007 the state of Maryland’s Department of Human Resources Child Support Administration led by Executive Director Joe Jackins (410-767-7065) started charging a $25 annual fee to the custodial parents who receive child support through them. Why they choose this option is still a mystery. For any government to take child support money away from the children is wrong and all of us need to join together and stop such a deplorable act. When you call the Child Support Enforcement Customer Service line and ask about this fee they are not telling the custodial parents the truth.
They will tell you that the Federal Government has mandated them to take the money from the custodial parents. They will tell you that the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 is what is mandating them to take this fee from the custodial parents. This is a case of the State of Maryland lying to the citizens.
http://www.clasp.org/publications/child_support_cuts.pdf Page 7 states the law
The facts are that the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 gives the states several different options for repaying this fee to the Federal Government. In fact Joe Jackins is the person who made this decision and chooses this option for Maryland. He addressed The House Appropriations Committee in February 2007. On page 13 of his statement he states the different options the federal government gave him. He states that "this option makes the most sense" To take it from the custodial parents. http://dbm.maryland.gov/dbm_publishing/public_content/dbm_search/budget/tocfy2008budgettestimony/n00h00dhr_childsptenforcement.pdf
This site was just deleted in order to cover up the crime of fraud.
CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION
N00H00
Refer: Legislative Analyst Issue #4 Page 22
Budget Book: Volume II
Analyst’s Issue #4:
THE DEPARTMENT SHOULD EXPLAIN TO THE COMMITTEES WHICH OPTION CSEA PLANS TO USE FOR IMPLEMENTING THE ANNUAL ADMINISTRATIVE FEE.
Department’s Response:
The Department evaluated the available options for meeting the new federal fee requirement of charging a $25 annual fee to Non-Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (Non-TANF) cases after the first $500.00 in distributed collections. Those options include charging the custodial parent, the non-custodial parent or paying the fee out of State funds. After considering for each option issues related to implementation and conferring with other states, the Department has selected the option, that it believes makes the most sense, which is charging the custodial parent.
To implement this option, legislation is required and the child support automated system must be modified. This option will result in revenue to the state of approximately $400,000 in the first year and over $590,000 in each subsequent year.
13
Two main reasons why Mr. Jackins should not have chosen this option:
1. When the custodial parents in Maryland sign up for child support services they are told that it is a one-time $25 fee for child support services. This is not mentioned in his statement
http://www.dhr.state.md.us/csea/faq.htm which reads:
“If you receive Temporary Cash Assistance or Medical Assistance, child support services will be provided free of charge. If not, you will need to complete an application for child support services with your local child support enforcement office and pay a one-time fee of $25 when you file your application.”
They have now changed their site to cover up the crime of fraud.
http://www.child-support-laws-state-by-state.com/maryland-child-support.html
2. The mission statement for the Department of Human Resources Child Support Enforcement Administration states that:” The best interest of the child is their highest priority”. This is not mentioned in his statement either. http://www.dhr.state.md.us/csea/mission.htm
If Mr. Joe Jackins were to put the children as his highest priority then he would have rejected this option and included this information in his statement to the committee. The fact that he did not makes no sense at all.
They have been caught lying and deceiving the citizens of
Maryland by telling them that the Federal Government has chosen
this option for them and they had no other options available.
THIS IS FRAUD.
I am asking all who read this to call your local politicians and media outlets and inform them of how the Maryland State Government is lying to the hardest working citizens of their community, the single custodial parent.
Please write and call Governor O’Malley’s office about this issue:
Governor Martin O’Malley
100 State Circle
Annapolis, Md. 21401-1925
Phone# 1-800-881-8336
Fax# 410-974-5152
My letter to Governor O’Malley:
Dear Governor Martin O’Malley, 12/12/2007
I am writing you to please request that you exercise you executive power for the children and custodial parents of Maryland. I know that you are fully aware of the $25 annual fee that has been and is being deducted from the custodial parent’s child support deposits starting October 1st. I have had my child support order enforced by The Child Support Enforcement Administration for the last nine years. When I signed up with Child Support they told me that it was a one-time twenty five dollars fee for their service. When I first received the letter in the mail from The DHR Child Support Enforcement Administration I called and reminded them of this one-time fee agreement which is, as of today still on their website. They told me that the Federal Government was mandating them to take this fee from the custodial parents. I ask them if I could speak to their supervisor due to my support order running out at the end of December and did not think it was fair that I should have to pay this annual fee. They told me that I was welcome to write to Joe Jackins. I asked for his phone number and was told that they did not have a number for him just an address. On the 15th of November 25 dollars was subtracted without notice from my direct deposit that goes into my bank account. This caused problems with my checking account. I explained to my bank what was going on and they reversed all of the fees for the insufficient funds. I called child support to complain and was told about the Federal Government’s Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. They explained that this was what mandated them to take this fee from the custodial parent’s that “they had nothing to do with it and to call my congressman”. I started to investigate this matter immediately and found in one Google search that I was not being told the truth. I found out, after changing my party affiliation that the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 gave the states several options on how to collect this money. The act mandated no single action. I reviewed D.H.R.’s website and stumbled over Joe Jackins phone number. I also found his statement to the House Appropriations Committee in February 2007. In this he lays out the different options that the Federal Government gave him. He as Executive Director of Child Support Enforcement had chosen the option of charging the custodial parents this fee because “it made the most sense”. He makes no statement about the one-time fee agreement or why billing the non-custodial parent did not make sense. When I spoke to Joe Jackins on the phone he told me “that this was the easiest way for him to collect the money” and that “I didn’t understand his budget”. He would not answer when I asked him if he even considered billing the non-custodial parents and if not paid adding this fee to their account. I then called the customer service line back to find out why they were not telling me the truth. After several phone calls it became apparent that the customer service representatives were scripted. When I questioned one of the representatives on this I was told that this is what she was being instructed to tell custodial parents when they called requesting information about the annual fee. The mission statement for The Maryland Child Support Enforcement Administration says that they will always do what is in the best interest of the child. Mr. Jackins and his department’s actions are contrary to this mission statement. Taking the money from the custodial parents is not in the best interest of the children, especially when there are other options available. Mr. Jackins should have rejected this option based on all the things listed above, not to do so would be unethical. I was under the belief that it was his job to oversee the collection of money for the custodial parents not from the custodial parents. It is very clear that Mr. Jackins does not have the best interest of the children at heart. I am hoping you do. I am asking you to review all of this and reverse this awful decision to take money away from the custodial parents and their children especially at Christmas time. I am also requesting that the money collected thus far immediately be returned back to the families that really need it for the care and support of their children this holiday season.
Thank You and Merry Christmas,
Scott
