Some 69,000 Alaska families have an open case with the state child support agency. Of those, nearly 60 percent, or about 41,400, are past due at any given time, according to Carol Beecher, director of Alaska's Child Support Services Division. About 67 percent of the past-due cases are successfully collected, Beecher said.
Child support is intended to ensure that money is available to the parent or family raising a child, or to help reimburse the cost of care when a child ends up in foster care or living with a third party. Also, if a family seeks public assistance for food and living expenses, the non-custodial parent has an obligation to make support payments to the state. As soon as an application for welfare is filed, Child Support Services opens a case.
Parents with unpaid child support coupled with multiple obligations (if, say, a parent has multiple children but doesn't have custody of them) can find themselves under a mountain of debt, which serves only to perpetuate financial instability.
In extreme cases, it's possible for "dads (to) have procreated themselves out of an income," said Deb Foley, the child support division's deputy director, adding that in such egregious cases, "it makes collection even more difficult."
Also, it's not just fathers who owe. An increasing number of mothers are paying child support while fathers are the primary caregivers, Foley said.
People who don't pay can lose their driver's licenses, which can be fixed by following through with a payment plan. Only rarely does the state pursue charges for criminal non-payment, Beecher said.
Still, a reputation of stern enforcement lingers, and many parents who owe are afraid to come forward, something the child support enforcers are trying to change.
"The tone has changed. The child support community recognizes that people have multiple situations in their lives and getting them into a position where they can pay requires a lot of proactive changes in the lives of the non-custodial parents," Beecher said.
"It doesn't do anyone any good if a paying parent is in jail. We want the child to get the support they deserve," Foley added.
It can be particularly difficult if a parent has custody of some, but not all, of his or her children. Always, the welfare of the children within the home is considered first, Beecher said. But the debt will remain, and in Alaska, the debt also accrues interest.
Some people also mistakenly believe that the obligations terminate when the child turns 18. Not true, Beecher said. Money owed from the past will continue to be owed until it's paid, she said. As much as 40 percent of a person's net income can be taken to pay down child support bills.
"No case is the same. They are dealt with on an individual basis. It is very challenging," Beecher said. "We don't want them to have this unsurmountable debt out there. We want to find ways to work with them."
Fifty dollars is the minimum monthly payment per case. Debts can range from a few hundred dollars to more than $100,000.
Payment plans, forgiveness and settlement options exist, depending on the circumstances, and only for obligations owed to the state. The state does not have authority to negotiate obligations owed to private parties or to other agencies.
The best way to get on the right track? Deal with child support obligations sooner rather than later. The debt won't go away and the state can tap into Social Security payments to collect, a difficult way to start retirement when you need every penny you can get.
"Don't throw away your mail. Open it. Read it. Contact us, because we really do want to work with you," Beecher said.
The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com or click here to submit via any Web browser.