NEW CASTLE (July 8, 2024) – The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) is conducting a series of town hall meetings in July with Delaware residents who are interested in learning more about the child support process in the State.

The discussion will address subjects such as how to establish a child support case, the importance of establishing paternity, and DCSS enforcement tools, including license suspension, as well as state and federal tax refund intercept. There will also be opportunities to ask questions and receive information related to specific child support case challenges.

The town hall meetings are open to all Delawareans, with emphasis to those who have a child support case in Delaware. The planned dates and locations are:

• Wednesday, July 10, 4:45-7 p.m. – Georgetown Public Library, 123 West Pine Street, Georgetown, DE 19947
• Tuesday, July 16, 4:45-6:45 p.m. – Wilmington Public Library, 10 East 10th Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
• Tuesday, July 23, 6-8 p.m. – Appoquinimink Library, 204 East Main Street, Middletown, DE 19709
• Tuesday, July 30, 6-7:45 p.m. – Dover Public Library, 35 Loockerman Plaza, Dover, DE 19901

“I am extremely excited to hold these town hall meetings,” said DCSS Director Ted Mermigos. “It is our hope to share valuable information with the public to help them have a better understanding of the child support process. It is our hope that whether someone is required to pay or receive child support that they attend and share their experience with us so that we can make appropriate modifications to improve services and future experiences.”

Any parent seeking assistance with paying their child support can contact DCSS at 302-577-7171. To learn more, visit DCSS’s website.

NEW CASTLE (Nov. 2, 2022) – The Division of Child Support Services’ (DCSS) today announced a new partnership with TD Bank. As of Nov. 14, 2022, Division of Child Support Services paper checks will no longer be drawn on PNC Bank.

On Thursday, Oct. 20, DCSS sent letters to all state child support agencies, all state Departments of Labor and 5,122 employers across the country informing them of the changes that need to be made in order to process payments with the new banking institution, TD Bank. DCSS also is reaching out to its customers via mail, email and social media to inform them of the transition.

Customers who receive child support payments with a US Bank ReliaCard or direct deposit will see no change in service and will not need to take any steps during the transition. Customers who routinely cash their checks at the bank that the payment is drawn on will need to transition to TD Bank as of Nov. 14. To access a branch location for TD Bank, which has locations across the state: https://locations.td.com/us/de. Plus, DCSS has posted locations on its webpage.

“Over the decade, PNC Bank has been an enormous partner to the child support program. They have helped to get child support payments into the hands of some of Delaware’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Theodore Mermigos, Division Director at DCSS. “We thank them for their years of dedicated service.

Employers remitting payments electronically have been provided the new banking information to update their ACH transmission files. DCSS has made these PDF files available via its webpage should an employer need to download them again. Employers and non-custodial parents remitting payment via iPayOnline should be unaffected.

Any parent seeking assistance with paying their child support can contact DCSS at 302-577-7171. To learn more, visit DCSS’s website.

NEW CASTLE (Septiembre 26 del 2022) – Una pequeña sesión de audiencia realizada por la División de Servicios de Manutención de Menores (DCSS, por sus siglas en inglés) llevó a que a más de 1,000 padres sin custodia fueron notificados que la suspensión de sus licencias de Delaware ha sido levantada. La División se enteró por parte de un grupo de padres que, aunque ahora estaban cumpliendo con su obligación de manutención para menores, nunca habían solicitado la devolución de sus licencias.

Theodore Mermigos, Director de la División de DCSS dijo que gracias a los esfuerzos extraordinarios de su personal para revisar 1352 casos activos de manutención de menores que datan al 2013, DCSS pudo restituir el 86 % de las licencias (1,167) de los padres sin custodia que estaban al día con sus pagos. Los padres cuyas licencias fueron restituidas deberán pagar cualquier tarifa asociada con la restitución de sus licencias en la agencia de licenciamiento. La DCSS está enviando cartas a los padres que están al día con sus pagos para notificarles que se levantó la suspensión de sus licencias por realizar pagos consistentes de manutención de menores.

DCSS puede suspender las licencias de conducción, de recreación, de comercio y profesionales emitidas por agencias estatales asociadas para los padres que están atrasados por al menos $3,500 en manutención de menores y no han realizado pagos, según ordenado por el Tribunal de Familia, en los últimos 60 días. Adicionalmente, las suspensiones de la licencia pueden ocurrir para los padres que tienen una orden de arresto pendiente o una orden de detención emitida por el Tribunal de Familia por no presentarse en cualquier procedimiento de paternidad o manutención de menores.

“El Programa de Suspensión de Licencia de la División de Servicios de Manutención de Menores es una de las herramientas de ejecución más activas en DCSS,” dijo el Director Mermigos. “Recientemente nos reunimos con un pequeño grupo de padres cuyas licencias fueron suspendidas hace años y ahora cumplen con su obligación de manutención de menores, pero no habían contactado con DCSS para solicitar la devolución de sus licencias. Nosotros en DCSS estamos felices de poder devolver las licencias a estos padres.”

DCSS no puede devolver una licencia suspendida si el Tribunal de Familia emite orden de arresto pendiente o una orden de detención. Se alienta a los padres con una orden de arresto pendiente o una orden de detención a comunicarse con el Tribunal de Familia para resolver el asunto y cancelar la orden de arresto pendiente o la orden de detención cancelada.

Se les alienta a los padres que están al día con sus pagos a que se contacten con DCSS si creen que han hecho pagos por seis meses o más y sus licencias han sido suspendidas.

Cualquier padre que este solicitando asistencia para pagar su manutención de menores puede contactarse con la División de Servicios de Manutención de Menores al 302-577-7171. Para aprender más, visite la página web de DCSS.

A small listening session held by the Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) led to more than 1,000 non-custodial parents being notified that that the suspension of their Delaware licenses has been lifted. The Division learned from a group of parents that although they were now in compliance with their child support obligation, they had never sought the return of their licenses.

DCSS Division Director Theodore Mermigos said through the extraordinary efforts by his staff to review 1,352 active child support cases dating back to 2013, DCSS was able to reinstate 86% of the licenses (1,167) to the paying non-custodial parent. Parents whose licenses were reinstated will need to pay any fees associated with having their licenses reinstated at the licensing agency. Letters are being sent by DCSS to the paying parents to notify them that the suspension of their licenses has been lifted for making consistent child support payments.

DCSS can suspend driver’s, recreational, business, and professional licenses issued by partnering state agencies for parents who owe at least $3,500 in past due child support and have not made a payment, as ordered by Family Court, in the past 60 days. Additionally, license suspensions can occur for parents who have an outstanding Capias or bench warrant issued by Family Court for failure to appear at any paternity or child support proceeding.

“The Division of Child Support Services’ License Suspension Program is one of the most active enforcement tools at DCSS,” Director Mermigos said. “We recently met with a small group of parents whose licenses were suspended years ago and they are now in compliance with their child support obligation, but they had not contacted DCSS to seek return of their licenses. We at DCSS are happy to be able to return the licenses to these parents.”

DCSS is unable to return a suspended license if an outstanding Capias or bench warrant is issued by Family Court. Parents with an outstanding Capias or bench warrant are encouraged to contact the Family Court to resolve the matter and have the outstanding Capias or bench warrant canceled.

Paying parents are encouraged to contact DCSS if they believe they have made payments for six months or more and their license has been suspended.

Any parent seeking assistance with paying their child support can contacting the Division of Child Support Services at 302-577-7171. To learn more, visit DCSS’s website.

NEW CASTLE (Feb. 14, 2020) – On Monday, Feb. 10, the Delaware Division of Child Support Services successfully began sending payments to the new prepaid debit card, issued by U.S. Bank ReliaCard, for child support recipients. New applicants of the ReliaCard will have payments sent to their card on Feb. 17, 2020.

The Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) continues to remind its customers to take a few important steps to make sure the transition goes smoothly. All DCSS customers, whether they are receiving payments or not, should contact the division to verify that their Social Security number, date of birth, and current street address are on file. For clients with a balance on their First State Family Card (FSFC), they have until May 31, 2020, to liquidate all funds on their card. Any unused funds as of May 31 will be held for 30 days (June 1-30) to allow for pending transactions and disputes to be resolved. A check in the amount of the unliquidated balance will be issued around July 15, 2020. Any stale-dated liquidation check will be escheated after one year.

• Clients can liquidate their First State Family Card by the following means:
• Spend/point-of-sale transactions – No fee.
• ATM withdrawals – No cost for the first two domestic ATM cash withdrawals, then $1 per transaction thereafter. Maximum withdrawal limit may apply.
• Cash transfers – $2.15 per cash access fee for withdrawals via a bank teller. Maximum withdrawal limit may apply.
• Wire transfers – Fees may apply.
• Request of check from FIS/BanCorp – No fee, but must be requested before May 16.

Delawareans with a child support case can send a change of address to the Division of Child Support Services at PO Box 15012, Wilmington, DE 19850. Customers can verify their address or make a change by calling and speaking with a child support specialist, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Those numbers:

• In New Castle County, call 302-577-7171.
• In Kent County, call 302-739-8299.
• In Sussex County, call 302-856-5386.

The Division of Child Support Services’ Automated Assistance Line also is available 24/7 with information in both English and Spanish. Customers will need their case number when they call.
To learn more, visit DCSS’s website: https://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dcse/