Request for Services
In this Topic
Purpose
Child support services may be requested in various ways. These include requests by customers who visit the CWA, requests made to the Family Division of the Superior Court, and referrals received from other agencies. Cases are initiated by an application for services or by a plaintiff in person, by phone, or by mail. In New Jersey, applications for location services may be obtained from the CWA, from the State child support services website or by calling 1-877-NJKIDS1. Appropriate fees will be assessed at the time child support services are requested.
Initial Interview
During an initial interview, the CP supplies information about the following:
- Himself/herself
- The child(ren)
- The NCP
- Certification on Non-Military Service
- Any previous legal action regarding divorce, custody, paternity, and/or domestic violence
The plaintiff, usually the CP, should be advised to supply as much information as possible, including any contact information he or she may have to help locate an NCP. Once the demographic information is obtained.
NCP's Address Not Known
In cases in which the NCP’s address is not known by a non-TANF CP, the parties should be referred to the CWA IV-D unit, where they can complete a IV-D application. All information obtained during the interview will be entered into the State’s case registry for locate services. Once an address is obtained, the CP will be contacted by mail and advised to file a complaint at the County Family Case Management Division. Under no circumstances should the NCP’s address be revealed to the CP or caretaker relative.
Occasionally, intact families apply for TANF; the parents may or may not be married to each other. IT 10-34 outlines this information is in detail and should be consulted by CWA staff for the specifics of how to handle this situation.
Verification of Information
As outlined in << insert hyperlink: 45 CFR 303.2, N.J.A.C.10:110-1.3(b) >> within 20 days of the initial application, a case must be opened by establishing a case record. Both a postal verification and an employment verification letter are generated to confirm the information collected is correct. If a postal verification is returned stating the information is not correct, it may be necessary to contact the CP for additional information that was not provided during the initial interview.
Intact Families
Occasionally, intact families apply for TANF; the parents may or may not be married to each other. IT 10-34 outlines this information in detail and should be consulted by CWA staff for the specifics of how to handle this situation.
According to State WFNJ/TANF regulations found at N.J.A.C. 10:90-2.7(a)1, “An eligible assistance unit under WFNJ/TANF shall be comprised of those individuals who are living together and functioning as one economic unit and whose relationship is based upon a blood and/or legal relationship.” The regulation does not require that the custodial parents of the child(ren) be married in order to be eligible for WFNJ/TANF. In order to provide appropriate child support services and case initiation on NJKiDS, the following procedures will be used when an intact family is referred to the CWA/CSU:
Married Applicants
According to N.J.S.A. 9:17-43(a)1, a man is presumed to be the biological father of a child if: he and the child's biological mother are or have been married to each other and the child is born during the marriage, or within 300 days after the marriage is terminated by death, annulment or divorce; a copy of a valid marriage certificate furnished to or obtained by the CWA/CSU is documentation of the legal relationship of the applicant father. Unless judicial action to rebut the presumption of paternity through marriage is required, the CWA/CSU should not create a case on NJKiDS as support will not be pursued. Any parentage action that requires a judicial hearing and disposition will require the creation of a case on NJKiDS and processing through the appropriate activity chain. In the absence of a marriage certificate, the referral should be treated in the same manner as unmarried applicants below.
Unmarried Applicants
Upon referral and prior to creating a case on NJKiDS, the CWA/CSU must search the Paternity Opportunity Program’s (POP) database to determine if the applicants executed a Certificate of Parentage (COP), which has the same force and effect as a court order, or judgment of paternity. If the applicants indicate that a document equivalent to a COP was executed in another state or jurisdiction, the CWA/CSU may refer to IT 18-07 for a list of out-of-state POP contact information.
If there is no COP or equivalent document in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:110-12.2(b), the applicants shall be offered the opportunity to voluntarily sign a COP. Once the COP is completed and accepted by POP and imaged, paternity is legally established. No further action, including creating a case on NJKiDS, is required to be taken by the CWA/CSU.
In the event that either of the applicants request genetic testing prior to completing a COP, the CWA/CSU may schedule genetic testing without obtaining a court order, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 9:17-48(2)d and N.J.A.C. 10:110-12.4(b). If the applicant alleged father is not excluded by the results of the genetic test, the CWA/CSU shall have the applicants complete the COP as previously stated. Once again, no further action, including creating a case on NJKiDS, is required to be taken by the CWA/CSU.
If for some reason the applicants will not sign a COP, do not voluntarily submit to genetic testing, or contest the genetic test results, the CWA/CSU will be required to pursue a judicial determination of paternity. Since the judicial process includes the filing of a complaint, hearings being scheduled and held, and results in a court order signed by a judge, the CWA/CSU will be required to create a case on NJKiDS and process the case through the appropriate activity chains. Once the judicial determination concerning paternity is completed, the NJKiDS case is eligible for closure, as no support will be pursued.
Information to Gather for a Child Support Case
Click on the entities below for details on the required information to gather.
NCPNCP
|
Required to establish a CS Number |
NCP's Name NCP's Address (Family Division Only) |
|
Needed to bring a case to Court |
The State automated system case number Social Security Number (SSN) |
|
Important information that should be obtained whenever possible |
All of the above and:
|
CPCP
|
Required to establish a CS Number |
CP's Name CP's Address Social Security Number Date of Birth |
|
Needed to bring a case to Court |
Employer information Other sources of income (SSI, TANF, General Assistance, Disability) Marital Status |
The ChildThe Child
|
Required to establish a CS Number |
Child's Name Child's Address Social Security Number Date of Birth Place of Birth |
|
Needed to bring a case to Court |
Other sources of income (SSI, TANF, General Assistance, Disability) Status of Paternity (any previous legal action regarding divorce, custody, paternity and/or domestic violence) |
Potential Sources of Contact Information for an NCP
The following is a list of several potential sources of this information. CWA only requires the NCP’s name to establish a CS number. The Family Division requires both a name and address for the NCP to establish a CS number. If a Family Division customer does not have the NCP’s address the CP will be referred to CWA for locate services.
Note: All incorrect information must be removed from the State automated system immediately to enable the system to interface with the DOL, MVC and other available resources. Once a correct address is obtained, a complaint for paternity and/or support may be filed with the Family Division.
