The good cause waiver for Monster’s case was approved, but… not for Bub’s case. Both of them have had good cause waivers exempting them from child support enforcement so that we can safely access benefits from 2014 all the way to now when this, for lack of a better way to put it, “suddenly” became an issue. Absolutely nothing has changed as far as the safety risks go. I have continued to be in contact with multiple people working for the child support office and HHSC, and I have broadened my horizons to include contact being made with Lone Star Legal Aid as well. Strange how mentioning that to HHSC and the local child support office suddenly got a “policy review” scheduled for my son’s case… when they knew that I had sought out legal advice and, quite possibly, any legal help that they can provide me. This could very well end in one branch of the state taking another one to court for refusing to honor the good cause waiver that the local domestic violence shelter, as per their paperwork, approved for my son’s case. It’s actually supposed to be up to the domestic violence specialist whether or not a good cause waiver gets approved, not HHSC. And as it was, I wasn’t supposed to have to renew the kids’ good cause waivers to start. They are one and done.

I anticipate that the low-income legal aid service that this state offers may be more useful than any of my prior contacts have, even though the woman that did the intake for my request was baffled that the abusive party in Bub’s case is his paternal grandmother and that there had been a waiver on his case that was allowed to stay there without a problem until now. That last bit might be what gets his case some attention.