Normally, as part of some of the state benefits that we receive, cooperation with child support is mandatory.

You have to let them at least attempt to enforce a child support order if one is on file.

However, if there is any risk to the child(ren) or you that could come about as a result of this, you can get what’s called a good cause waiver against enforcement, and having one of these means that any child support order your child or children have will not be enforced as part of “cooperation” to get state benefits. My oldest son’s case has had a good cause waiver on it for nearly the entire time that he has had a finalized custody order because there absolutely is no safe way to attempt to enforce child support — the one time the state accidentally did, which is a story in and of itself and part of the reason that I am making this post, he quit his job in retaliation, and I was made aware of the fact that he… retaliated in and of itself when he did this. When this happened, it was also made clear to me that behavior from Bub’s paternal family met the criteria for emotional abuse with the risk of it becoming physical abuse “if provoked”, and a good cause waiver was placed on his child support case as well. As time went on, it was also stated that it should have qualified for one from the start, because the behavior from Bub’s paternal family was never… not there.

Anyway.

The only thing is that when these state benefits are renewed, the cases temporarily open and have to be closed back out by the child support office. This isn’t even a thing that should be happening. It’s gotten to the point that if my sons’ names cross the desk over there, their cases are immediately closed back out, and sometimes the child support office contacts Health and Human Services (HHSC) over them being “referred”, complete with the good cause waivers, in the first place. The child support office even went so far as to file motions with the court terminating their office’s assignment to both cases so that if HHSC “accidentally” refers them, they can’t work them. All they can do is close them out. The cases are not in their jurisdiction.

We shouldn’t be playing the game of “close them back out every time benefits are renewed” though.