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Medicaid

Medicaid is a program managed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) that pays for certain medical services for eligible children, senior adults, or disabled persons. Eligibility is determined by income – more information can be found here. Some things to know about Medicaid: If you are a recipient of Medicaid, you are

Hearing Officer

A hearing officer is an employee of either the Cook County Circuit Court or the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS). They are tasked with acting as a mediator between both parties to a case; guiding them through legal processes, and facilitating discussions.

Driver's License Suspension

If you have failed to make child support payments on time, your driver's license can be suspended as part of a child support enforcement penalty. IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT A DRIVER'S LICENSE SUSPENSION: If you believe that you have not fallen behind on your child support payments, you may be able to contest the suspension If you cannot work

Administrative Child Support Order

An administrative child support order is a legally-binding child support order that is issued by the Department of Family Services (HFS). This means that in order to modify, enforce, or terminate an administrative child support order, one should either call HFS or visit their downtown office. If you are the custodial parent of a child or are recei

Challenging a Voluntary Acknowledgement or Denial of Parentage

A signed Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity (VAP) or denial of parentage can only be challenged within TWO (2) YEARS of its being signed on one of the following bases: one was pressured into signing, or otherwise forced to sign the VAP or denial against one's will the VAP or denial of parentage was fraudulently signed; OR the VAP or denial was

Modifying a Child Support Order

Modifying a child support order is the process through which certain aspects of a previously issued child support order are changed, and a new child support order is created. There are two main reasons for modifying a child support order:1. Modifying the $ amount of child support owed (including alimony and cash-medical support)Depending on the cir

Past-Due Child Support (Arrears)

If you have been ordered to pay child support, and you fail to make a child support payment on time, the amount that was owed will become past-due child support (arrears). Unless the past-due child support is paid off, the next child support order you receive will show that you owe both the current child support payments plus the amount that is pas

Past-Due Cash Medical Support

If you have been ordered to pay cash medical support and you fail to make a payment on time, the amount that was owed will become past-due cash medical support. Unless the past-due cash medical support is paid off, the next child support order you receive will show that you owe both the current cash medical support payments plus the past-due cash m

Child Support Order

A child support order is a legally-binding court order requiring a legal parent of a child, typically the child's non-custodial parent, to make a certain amount of child support payments on a regular basis. There are two types of child support orders: judicial child support orders, and administrative child support orders. The main difference betw

Past-Due Alimony

If you have been ordered to pay maintenance (alimony) and you fail to make an alimony payment on time, the amount that was owed will become past-due maintenance. Unless the past-due maintenance is paid off, the next child support order you receive will show that you owe both the current alimony payments plus the past-due alimony. In Illinois, past

Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity (VAP)

A Voluntary Acknowledgement of Parentage (VAP) is a legally-binding document that establishes one's legal parentage for a child.If you are present with the biological mother at the hospital when a child is born, and the two of you are not married, you will generally be given the option of signing a VAP. You may also request to sign a VAP for a chil

Lien

A lien placed on a bank account prevents one from withdrawing or spending funds in the account. The lien could affect either a portion of or all funds in the account. IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT A LIEN: If you have failed to make child support payments on time, or owe past-due child support, a lien can be placed on your bank account as part of

Administrative Case Number

In Illinois, every administrative child support case has an administrative case number. Every document you receive from the Department of Family Services (HFS) will have the administrative case number written on it. Each administrative case number contains an "H". For example: "221HXXXXXX." Note: the numbers before the "H" may be differe

Declaring the Non-Existence of a Parent-Child Relationship

Declaring the non-existence of a parent-child relationship means that a child's legal parent is NO LONGER recognized as that child's legal parent. This can be made based on the results of DNA testing or by acquiring knowledge of the relevant facts of the situation, but ONLY IF it has been less than TWO (2) YEARS since the petitioner to the declarat

Department of Family Services (HFS)

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is an administrative agency with two primary functions: Providing Medicaid coverage to those who qualify; and Child support enforcement services through their IV-D program Enrolling in the IV-D program gives HFS the right to establish legal parentage, as well as enter and enforce an

Denial of Parentage

A denial of parentage is a written document that is signed by the parent that was married to or in a civil union with the child's biological mother within 300 days of that child's birth. This parent is otherwise known as the presumed parent. By signing a denial of parentage, the presumed parent swears they are NOT the child's biological parent. An

IV-D Program

The IV-D program, otherwise known as child support enforcement services, is a social service program run by the Illinois Department of Family Services (HFS).Parents enrolled in the IV-D program are given free assistance with: establishing a parent's legal paternity, issuing an administrative child support order, and/or enforcing a

Enforcing a Child Support Order

Enforcing a child support order involves additional measures taken or penalties placed to ensure that the non-custodial parent of a child pays child support. Generally speaking, enforcement is usually reserved for when a non-custodial parent has repeatedly failed to make payments on time. Some enforcement penalties are more severe than others. Pena

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Definitions

Driver's License Suspension

Modifying a Child Support Order

Past-Due Cash Medical Support

Declaring the Non-Existence of a Parent-Child Relationship

IV-D Program

Department of Family Services (HFS)

Past-Due Child Support (Arrears)

Challenging a Voluntary Acknowledgement or Denial of Parentage

Child Support Order

Administrative Child Support Order

Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity (VAP)

Enforcing a Child Support Order

Past-Due Alimony

Denial of Parentage

Medicaid

Hearing Officer

Lien

Administrative Case Number

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Articles

How To Check Your Child Support Balance

Child support payments made towards a legally-binding child support order are generally handled by the Illinois State's Disbursement Unit (SDU). This state agency processes child support payments made by one parent, and then distributes that payment to the other parent. In this article, we discuss how you can check your child support balance. Your

Paying Child Support Via Check or Money Order

A child support order is a legally-binding court order requiring one parent to make child support payments to another parent. Child support orders may specify how a parent must make child support payments. Sometimes, child support payments are taken directly from a parent's paycheck through a notice of income withholding. Other times, parents must

Child Support Owed to a Parent vs. the State

Child support refers to cash payments made by one parent of a child to the other. These payments are meant to support the cost of raising and caring for a minor child. However, the amount a parent owes for a child support order may not be owed entirely to the child's other parent. In some cases, child support payment may also be owed to the state o

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How To Check Your Child Support Balance

Paying Child Support Via Check or Money Order

Child Support Owed to a Parent vs. the State

How Paternity is Established

A child's legal parent possesses unique rights and responsibilities. For example, only the legal parent of a child can be required to make or receive payments for a child support order. Being the child's legal parent means one's parentage (paternity) has been legally established.Unless you're the child's biological mother, having your name on a chi

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