Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Child Support Terms:

  • Absent Parent: Also referred to as AP, non-residential, non-custodial or obligor; the person who is ordered to pay child support.
  • Administrative Hearing: Instead of going to court, a child support hearing officer makes a determination on issues such as paternity, child support, medical insurance, review and adjustment, or mistake of fact.
  • Arrearage: Past due child support.
  • Birthing Cost: The cost associated with the birth of the child paid for by Medicaid. It may be assessed to one or both parents.
  • Child Support Payment Central (CSPC): Ohio's centralized system for collecting and disbursing child support payments.
  • Contempt: Failure to comply with the court.
  • CSEA: Child Support Enforcement Agency
  • Custodial Parent: Also known as the residential, CP or obligee; the person who has legal custody of the child.
  • Default:  An arrears balance that is equal to or greater than one month's current support.
  • Defendant:  A person who has a court action filed against him or her.
  • Emancipation: The removal of a child from a child support case. Typically, this occurs when a child is 18 years old and has completed high school or is no longer attending an accredited high school on a full-time basis.
  • Felony Non-Support:  A criminal action taken in some cases where an obligor has missed paying 26 out of the last 104 weeks in child support.
  • FIDM:  Financial Institution Data Match. The process by which money is removed from a bank account to pay an arrears balance.
  • Garnishment: A withholding of earnings from a person's wages or assets.
  • Genetic Tests:  Analysis of tissue or DNA of the mother, child and alleged father(s) to prove or disprove paternity.
  • Income Withholding:  An administrative order sent by the CSEA to an obligor's employer to inform the employer of the child support obligation to be withheld from the obligor's paycheck.
  • IV-A:  Refers to the Department of Job and Family Services providing cash assistance, food stamps and/or a medical card to parties meeting financial requirements.
  • IV-D: Refers to the section of the Social Security Act that established the child support agency. If a case is IV-D, then the CSEA provides full services on the case.
  • IV-E: Refers to Children Services.
  • Lien: Legal claim upon property to prevent sale or transfer until debt is satisfied.
  • Long Arm Statute:  A law that permits one state to claim personal jurisdiction over someone who lives in another state.
  • Medical Support:  An order by the court for medical insurance coverage.
  • Mistake of Fact Hearing: An administrative or court hearing that is scheduled at the request of the obligor or obligee because he or she disagrees with formal findings and recommendations of the agency.
  • NMSN:  National Medical Support Notice. A federal notice requiring a party's employer to enroll the child on an employer's insurance plan if available at a reasonable cost.
  • Non-Custodial Parent:  Parent who does not have custody.
  • OBES: Ohio Bureau of Employment Services. This agency provides unemployment benefits in the State of Ohio.
  • Obligee: Person entitled to receive the child support obligation.
  • Obligor:  Person required to pay the child support obligation.
  • Ohio Works First:  The name for the public assistance program in Ohio.
  • Paternity:  Establishment of the biological father.
  • Plaintiff: Person who requests initial court action.
  • Presumed Father:  A man named as a potential father of a child; legal determination has not been made.
  • Seek Work: Program that requires the obligor to report every month to the agency to indicate that he or she is searching for a job.

    Self-Sufficiency Reserve: The minimal amount necessary for an obligor to adequately subsist upon, as determined under section 3119.021 of the Revised Code.
  • State Hearing:  A review of the child support case by the State of Ohio requested when a party does not believe that his or her IV-D case is being handled in accordance with state or federal guidelines.
  • Support Enforcement Tracking System (SETS): The statewide computer system that maintains records of all child support cases in the State of Ohio.
  • Support Order: The amount of money to be paid for the current child support obligation. It is determined by the Ohio Child Support Guidelines.
  • Tax Offset: Federal and state process that applies tax refunds to a past due child support obligation.
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Formerly known as ADC or welfare; public assistance.
  • UIFSA:  Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. The federal law that sets forth the process of establishing and enforcing court orders when the parents of a child do not reside in the same state.