• Oregon law aims to ensure children have enough financial support.Daughter and mother image by Mykola Velychko from Fotolia.com
  
  Oregon child support and welfare assistance laws are administered and enforced by staff at the state’s Division of Child Support and Department of Justice. The purpose of the laws is to ensure that resident minors receive the financial support that they need. The rules and regulations apply to divorced and never-married parents.
  
  

Child Support Eligibility

• Both parents, whether they have custodial or noncustodial rights, are eligible to apply to receive child support services in Oregon. Support is available as long as one parent lives in Oregon. Should the child live with relatives, temporarily or permanently, the child’s relatives or non-biological caretakers can also apply to receive support.
  
  

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

• Custodial parents whose income exceeds $7,392 a year are not eligible to receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Oregon. The maximum amount of monthly TANF, or welfare assistance, that Oregon parents can receive is $528 for a family of three people. TANF is processed through Oregon’s Division of Child Support Office (DCS), the same agency that processes child support claims.
  
  

Applying for Child Support

• Telephone or visit the nearest DCS office if you receive welfare or public assistance such as TANF or Medicaid. Parents who do not receive welfare or public assistance should contact their local district attorney’s office. If you are unemployed or earn low wages, you are encouraged to apply for child support as soon as possible. Money received from child support payments could prevent you from going on welfare or public assistance. Complete the “Application for Child Support Services.” Details that you must provide include your and the child’s name, your Social Security number, street mailing address and your and the child’s birth dates. You must also provide the noncustodial parent’s name and contact information (if you know it).
  
  

Establishing Paternity

• A test is required to prove paternity before child support payments begin. In cases in which the custodial parent is unaware of the noncustodial parent’s whereabouts, DCS will work with Oregon courts to order the father to submit to a test to prove paternity. Fathers can also complete and sign a “Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity" affidavit at the hospital after the child is born to prove paternity.
  
  

Payment Level Guidelines

• Child support payment levels are based upon the amount of income that both parents receive. The amount of time that the child spends with each parent is also taken into consideration. For example, if a child spends half of the year with her father and her mother is employed, the amount of child support that the father is ordered to pay will be lower than that for a mother or father whom the child never lives with. The number of children that a noncustodial parent supports is factored into the child support order. Medical support for children is set at $250 per child. This amount is written into the child support order that both parents receive.
  
  

Penalties for Late Payment

• DCS is authorized to intercept local, state and federal income tax refunds of noncustodial parents whose child support payments are in arrears. Liens are placed on property, and professional and driver's licenses are suspended to encourage prompt payment habits. Licenses are suspended after noncustodial parents are $2,500 or more behind in their payments. Contact the DCS should you get laid off or experience another significant change in your life situation such as disability or a change in custody arrangement. DCS will review your child support order and possibly adjust the amount of money that you are scheduled to pay.