County Attorney reports on child support collections

La Paz County Attorney Press Release

The La Paz County Attorney’s Office Division of Child Support Services has helped custodial parents residing in La Paz County and elsewhere to collect One Million One Hundred Twenty-three Thousand and Eighty-five Dollars ($1,123,085) in child support payments during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2014. The Division currently manages 645 cases involving 1290 parents/caretakers and 1,076 children. These collections mean additional income for local families with children and also increased revenue to local businesses where the recipients spend the money they deserve for child support.

The La Paz County Attorney’s Office Division of Child Support Services is operated under an intergovernmental agreement with the State of Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), Division of Child Support Services, and has been in existence since 1994. Services are provided using the State’s systems, policies and protocols with the county attorney’s office filing court cases in both the La Paz County Superior Court and the Tribal Court of the Colorado River Indian Tribes. The Tribes have also entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the State to provide child support services. Without the La Paz County Attorney’s Office Division of Child Support Services in Parker, persons seeking such services in La Paz County would need to do so through State offices in Yuma or Kingman.

We wish to recognize the hard work and dedication of the La Paz County Attorney’s Office Division of Child Support Services, particularly the case workers, who work in conjunction with the Arizona DES, Division of Child Support Services for the benefit of our La Paz County child support services customers.

Now is an appropriate time of year to acknowledge this achievement. August is Arizona’s Child Support Awareness Month. During the month of August, as we try and do throughout the year, we reach out to make county residents more aware of the services offered through our Division of Child Support Services.

Further, in mid-July the Arizona DES, Division of Child Support Services is implementing a Personal Development Incentive Program as part of their Customer Engagement Initiative. This program is the first of a series of incentives developed to assist noncustodial parents who have been ordered to pay child support. The first incentive within this program will reward noncustodial parents who attain their high school/GED diploma on or after July 1, 2014. They will be eligible to receive a waiver of monies owed to the State of up to $1,000. We encourage our residents who have cases open in our office to contact the Division of Child Support Services at (928) 669-6469 for more information regarding this program, and any child support matter.