Using department of revenue to collect child support

Using the department of revenue to collect child support can be a slow and frustrating process.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Cathy, you're on news 96.5, go ahead.

Cathy: Good morning.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Hey.

Cathy: Listen, my daughter's had a child, we went down to the Department of Revenue to pursue child support. Unfortunately, the father has moved, so that his license doesn't match where he lives. We went down there again and we gave them his new address, his work address, we went down there-- This has been going on since last October and they're still telling us they cannot find him. My question is, is there a magic word or is there something that we can do to get this moving along?

Attorney Tom Olsen: Cathy, do you know where he is?

Cathy: Yes, we told them.

Attorney Tom Olsen: All right. Cathy, the bottom line is, you are trying to use this free service available to you which I say more power to you, but guess what, they got a million bazillion cases down there and they are hardly able to give you the time that you deserve to collect this child support. Bottom line is, if you want to collect child support, you might very well have to hire your own private attorney, pay your own attorney’s fees to get this child support paid.

Here's the other bad news, you know what, he sounds like he's a bum of a father and the bottom line is if he wants to figure out a way that he doesn't pay you child support and wants to really work at it as hard as he can, "Hey, why work to earn a living? I'd rather work harder, so I don't have to pay child support," then he'll probably get away with it. I'm so sorry to hear that, Cathy.

Cathy: Me too. All right. Thank you so much.

Attorney Tom Olsen: All right, good luck to you.