Oklahoma Child Support Services falls under the umbrella of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Once a parent opens a case with OCSS, OCSS can perform a number of important roles.

First of all, OCSS can help locate a parent who is obligated to pay child support. OCSS regularly consults local, state and federal resources to find information regarding the paying parent’s place of employment, mailing address and property. In addition, it is a requirement that employers notify the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission of all new hires. Employers have 20 days to carry out this task.

OCSS can also play a role in the establishment of child support. They can do so by filing a legal petition. The state of Oklahoma has a formula in place to determine how much child support should be awarded. In addition, in Oklahoma a child is entitled to be covered by one of the child’s parent’s health insurance policy. If a noncustodial parent is required to provide such coverage and fails to do so, OCSS can request that the employer of the noncustodial parent make a deduction from the parent’s wages for health insurance premiums. Also, OCSS can utilize the state’s guidelines for child support to make a determination as to how much the custodial parent will need to pay for child care per year, and will divide this payment between the child’s parents proportionally with regards to each parent’s adjusted gross income.

In addition OCSS can help a parent with the establishment of paternity. Either the mother or the father can ask OCSS to perform this task. This can be completed either voluntarily or via the court.

Once a child support order is made the paying parent will begin paying the amount due via the Oklahoma Centralized Support Registry. OCSS will log such payments and make sure the payments are sent to the receiving parent via direct deposit to a bank account or through a debit card. OCSS also has the right to enforce an order for child support, without necessarily having to go to court.

This post is for general purposes only, but it should give you a better understanding of the role OCSS has with regards to child support. Those with further questions about their rights regarding child support may want to bring the matter up to a professional who can provide them with more information.