Support

Establishing Support

You can call, visit or download an application for child support services. The two main ways to seek assistance through the Child Support Agency is to request an application and or if you are on public assistance, you are automatically eligible. If you are on public assistance and receive cash assistance, you do not get both child support and cash assistance. As a condition of receiving cash assistance, your child support is “assigned” to the State of Ohio.

What Information Needs to be Provided?

The CSEA will need the names, addresses, dates of birth, and social security numbers of all the parties of the case that is being established. It is important to have all the information verified including the wages and income. Employment, supplemental income, tax returns, and other assets could be counted as “income” and will be used to establish the child support order amount.

You may also be asked to provide a birth certificate(s), divorce decree, separation agreement, and any other information that will help with establishing parentage, a support order, or the enforcement of your order.

What if I only need to establish Child Support - not establish Paternity

If you do not need to establish paternity, the process of establishing child support is the same process. You will need to bring a birth certificate and income information with you to begin the process.

What Else can the CSEA to help?

Locating a Parent
The CSEA has a variety of resources to help with the location of the absent parent, employer or source of income to secure child support. The CSEA uses a wide range of data bases including the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Unemployment Compensation, Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration and the National New Hire Employer Directory to late parties.

Medical Support:
The CSEA is also responsible for enforcing health insurance coverage when it is available and reasonable. Health insurance coverage is considered available and reasonable if it can be obtained by a parent through the parent’s employer or group health insurance plan.

Reasons a Child Support Application would be denied…

• Absent parent is seeking to locate a child
• Adult child is seeking to locate a parent
• Siblings are attempting to reunite
• Referral for a pregnant woman with no other children
• Services that aren’t available at the CSEA
• Already approved for IV-D Services
• Special provisions in the Court order
• Spousal support only cases