‘Get in the Game’ Campaign Asks Community To Be Part Of Collecting Delinquent Child Support For Jefferson County Kids

Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell previewed the annual publication of delinquent child support obligors Thursday that will be printed in The Courier-Journal on Sunday, September 17 and available online the same day.

The office’s Child Support Division has collected a total of $15.2 million, sent wage withholding orders to 11,450 employers and found 18,911 new addresses that are directly attributable to the lists printed each year since 2005. This year’s theme is “Get in the Game. When Adults Pay, Kids Win.”

“Everyone in Jefferson County can get in the game and help track down those who are not fulfilling their obligation to their children,” O’Connell said. “Please contact my office if you know the address or the employer of someone on this year’s delinquent child support list.”

Starting Sunday, this year’s list of 1,473 names can be found online at www.louisvilleky.gov/countyattorney. Only 506 names appear in the printed insert, with this year’s focus on cases with an outstanding child support warrant.

“Each person on my child support staff is committed to connecting kids and families to the money that is rightfully theirs,” O’Connell said. “Outstanding warrants clog our courts, frustrate families and, most importantly, may cut off support to deserving children.”

Child support collection offers a strong return on investment of public dollars. For every $1 spent, federal child support programs collect $5.25. In Kentucky that figure rises to $6.45 for every $1 spent.

Anyone with information that could help locate someone on the list should call the Jefferson County Attorney’s child support tip line at (502) 574-0821, go online to www.louisvilleky.gov/countyattorney or visit the office at 315 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.

2017 Delinquent Child Support Fact Sheet

• Names in Insert and on Website:                1,473
• Insert:                                                             506
• Total arrearage for Insert and website:     $57,058,297.73
• Highest Male arrearage:                               $232,521.47
• Highest Female arrearage:                          $61,262.96

Females (232) make up 15.75 percent of the list this year’s list, compared with 84.25 percent for males (1,241)

Insert History

Eleven previous annual inserts have collected a total of $15.2 million

General Child Support Information for Office of the Jefferson County Attorney

• 146 Child Support employees
• 15 attorneys
• $65+ million collected last year (17% of state’s total collections)
• 55,629 open cases
• Only office in the state with a dedicated cash window, located at 315 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.
• Only office in the state with child support detectives (eight).

Authority: KRS 405.411

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ designee under KRS 205.712(6) for…

the administration of child support may compile a list of the names of persons under its jurisdiction who have a child support arrearage that equals or exceeds six (6) months without payment, or fails, after receiving appropriate notice, to comply with subpoenas or warrants relating to paternity or child support proceedings as provided by 42 U.S.C. sec. 666(a)(16). The cabinet may furnish this list to the newspaper of general circulation in that county for publication.

General Criteria for Both Lists

Each year the theme and/or dollar amount will change but the following criteria is used on a yearly basis.

• Child support arrearage that equals or exceeds 6 months without a payment
• Open IV-D case (a person has applied for our services)
• Obligor is not incarcerated
• The case is not pending closure
• The obligor does not receive Supplement Social Security Income (SSI) as far as we know
• At least one of the obligor’s cases has been audited
• Mother and child reside in Jefferson County

For 2017, Obligors in the printed insert have an outstanding child support warrant and a delinquency of at least $1,000.