Montgomery County’s Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) returned to pre-pandemic levels after Child Support Awareness Month. The August Driver’s License Reinstatement Program resulted in $32,139.50 in child support being collected in 31 days. That’s up from last year’s total of about $12,000 and is on par with 2019’s total of $32,481.25. Montgomery County now leads Ohio’s six largest counties in collections on arrears and is second in collections on current support.
“We know that parents want to do what’s best for their children, and the goal of this initiative was to help them re-engage with CSEA to fulfill their court-ordered obligations,” said Montgomery County Commission President Carolyn Rice.
During August, parents who had their licenses suspended due to non-payment were able to have driving privileges restored after paying one month of overdue child support instead of the typical three months. The parents also connected with CSEA’s employment program through a partnership with the Montgomery County Workforce Development Team.
“This initiative eliminates the shame felt by some parents who’ve fallen behind on child support payments,” said Sarah Fields, Assistant Director for Child Support. "It also allows us to link them up with the services designed to get them back to work.”
CSEA connected 58 parents with job services as a direct result of the reinstatement opportunity. Fields said CSEA is ready to help parents year-round.
“You don’t have to wait until next August to re-open those lines of communication,” said Fields. “If you have an employer who can verify you need to drive to work and meet your obligations, we can work with the BMV to get your license reinstated before the required repayment period.”
Other opportunities for assistance include a driver’s license reinstatement legal help clinic which is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 30 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Main Branch of the Dayton Metro Library, 215 E. Third St., Dayton, OH. Signups for the walk-in event will begin at 12:30 p.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. More information is available on the library’s event page.
Parents can also visit The Job Center at 1111 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd. in Dayton from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for Child Support assistance. Additionally, Live online chat support is offered during those same hours. The Call Center can be reached at 937-225-4600 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Customers can also send messages to CSEA, check balances and make payments using the Ohio Child Support Mobile App, available for both iOS and Android devices. More information is available at mcsea.org.
More than 55,000 children in Montgomery County benefited from Ohio’s child support program in 2021, collecting nearly $100,000,000 in support.
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