My name is Paul and I live in Johnstown, PA and this is my story. If you
could help I would appreciate it extremely. It is an interstate child support
order. I live in PA, the order is in Washington State, and she lives in Texas.
For your information, My first son isn't mine biologically, but I am on his
birth certificate (we met while we were both in the military and she was already
pregnant. But according to Washington State that doesn't matter.
In April of 1997, a child support order was issued to me from the Dept. of
Social and Health Services, Division of Child Support in Washington State. At
the time this order was issued to me, I was living in Washington State, working
for my ex-wife's parents, and my income was $15.00 per hour.
When we separated, I was fired from their company (Conveniently laid-off but
she denies that of course). After being fired, I was living on unemployment
compensation and seeking other employment. Because I could not locate other
employment, I felt the best thing to do is to moved back to Pennsylvania, which
is where my family is from, and seek employment here. I found employment but I
had to taken a considerable reduction in my pay, to $7.50 per hour.
When my ex-wife filed for the divorce and child support, my income in
Washington State was the income documented on the support order. The court then
required me to make payments of $700.00 per month and $300.00 for the arrears
payment per month. The reason I accrued arrears is because from April 1997 to
approx. December 1997 I had no idea what was going on with my case. I was not
speaking to my ex, so I had no idea what was happening with our case. This is
more money than I make in a month at the present time. Currently, I make between
$600 and $1100 gross pay a month at this time.
I do not mind having to pay child support for my children, but I do not make
enough money to make the arrears payment each month let alone pay $700 a month
child support. I have tried on several occasions before this to get my order
adjusted and I was always denied for one reason or another. I am trying at the
present time to get a better paying job. I went to night school to become a
Police Officer and I graduated in June 2000 and am employed as a police officer.
Because this is only part-time (Average hours per week: 16-32 hours @ $9.00) I
am seeking employment with other Law Enforcement Agencies. I have had several
interviews and I am waiting to here from those agencies. I have been told by my
Child Support Enforcement Officer, that I am being penalized for leaving
Washington State and moving back to Pennsylvania.
He stated that because I left a good paying job, which is not true, because I
was conveniently laid-off and because I have the potential to make $1717 a month
according to a chart, that there is nothing that can be done about my case. I
feel that this is unfair. How can my case be judged from these circumstances.
Regardless if I stayed in Washington or moved elsewhere I would have taken some
sort of pay cut because the only reason I was making this much is because I was
part of the family that owned the company. There were employees that had far
more experience than myself that where making only $10 an hour. My enforcement
officer also told me that because I choose a career change and opted to go back
to school that I basically made a mistake. He made this comparison during our
last phone conversation in December 2000. He said, That would be like me leaving
my job (Child Support Officer) and going up the road to work at Seven-Eleven
(7-11). How can he make such a statement or comparison. I went from driving
nails and cutting wood to enforcing laws and arresting criminals.
I feel that he is being unprofessional and unfair. I left construction
because I wanted to make more money and have a better career. Yes, at the
present time, I am only making $9.00 an hour as a part time police officer but
this is were a rookie police officer has to start just like any other job, at
the bottom of the ladder. Eventually I will be making much more than I am now.
The more I thought about it the more I remember my enforcement officer
constantly saying there was no reason for you to leave the area. You should have
never left here.
My problem is that he never mentioned my ex-wife, and her constantly moving.
He never said that she is being penalized for moving from Washington State to
Oklahoma and then back to Washington State then back to Oklahoma then back to
Washington State then she moved to Texas and now she is currently living with
her parents in Washington State until her current husband returns from an
overseas assignment in the military. If he is so concerned with me moving why
has he never said anything about her constantly moving. I move from Washington
to Pennsylvania and I am considered a bad parent. The reason I moved to
Pennsylvania is because my family is here. She had no reason to move from
Washington because that is where her family is. I have been doing reviews after
reviews after reviews and finally in December is when he told me all of this. He
never said anything before about me moving from Washington to Pennsylvania. He
also stated that on past reviews that I had requested he said that I had not
provided the proper information or that certain documents where missing. He
never told me this until December of 2000. But when I talked to in December 2000
and I asked him how my review was going he said I am trying to contact
because she never sent in her information.
I feel that this is not fair. She did send in anything and he is trying to
contact her and when I send in my documents but maybe forgot to send in
something he never makes any attempts to call me to remind me. I feel that I am
being treated unfairly. Regardless if I have custody or she does, Myself and my
ex should be treated the same. I am presently in debt to her and Washington
State so deep that I feel as if I will never get out of it. I feel that if this
case would have been handled fairly that I would not be in this situation.
Please understand that I am not trying to get out of paying my child support,
but I cannot financially afford to pay what the court is asking of me. I am in
debt to Washington State $6200.00 approx. and to her $18,000.00 approx. She
offered for me to allow her and her new husband to adopt the boys if I gave her
a check for the amount of arrears owed to her and I cannot afford to give her a
check for $18,000.00, so I get further behind every month. The oldest of the two
boys is not my biological son and I have been paying child support for him since
the court order. I was man enough to take responsibility for a child that is not
mine biologically and pay child support and this is how I get treated.
I feel as if I have been treated unfairly throughout this entire case. I
have, up until recently, felt as if no one was willing to help me. I am paying a
very large sum of monies for two children that I have no contact with. That is
not by choice, she has denied me every opportunity to see or talk to my
children. I have had no contact with them since 1998. At first when I left, I
was able to talk to them on the phone, which I called them every week. But as
time went on, my contact with them has diminished to none because she will not
allow it. All that I am asking of you is to review my entire case and tell me
that you honestly think that I have been treated fairly. I truly thank you for
taking your time to read this and I am looking forward to meeting with you.
Sincerely, Paul
