Child Support - now hiring morons
Husband got the stipulation filed, the judge signed it the following day, and we got our copy in the mail that week. After a few days, the child support website wasn't reflecting that support was suspended as of July 1st, so I called to ask about this.
Our state has redone how they handle child support questions. You can no longer call and speak directly to your case worker. Instead, you call and speak to a representative who tries to answer your questions to the best of their ability; if they can't, then they send a message to the case worker asking them to call you. This could be a really good system they have in place, except for one simple fact: the representatives are idiots who don't know anything.
A week after Husband filed the stipulation, I called to ask if the court had sent a copy to the child support agency. "I don't know if I can discuss the case with you." I explain that Husband has already sent over his written consent for them to discuss the case with me, because he is at work during their hours of operation. (We go through this every single time that I call. They always argue with me, then decide to put me on hold, review the case, see they're authorized to discuss the case with me, then get back on the phone and answer my questions.) "....I don't know if I can discuss it with you because you're a third party." (Apparently, this particular woman doesn't know what "written consent" is or why it was already provided.) I explain that a stipulation was signed by both Husband and The Ex, the judge signed it last week; I am calling to find out if the court sent them a copy or if we need to do it. ".....I can send a note to your case worker." (......*SIGH*) The next day, I fax a copy of the stipulation and order to CSA and put it to our case worker's attention.
A few more days go by; the website is still showing that The Ex owes child support for the month of July. I call the courthouse and ask if they submitted the stipulation and order to child support. She checks the case; she says they emailed the stipulation and order to CSA on July 15th.
I call CSA again and get a woman who is even more stupid than the first one, but she also has a chip on her shoulder. "I don't know if I can discuss the case with you." Husband already gave you written consent. "Well, when did he send it?" I don't know; we've sent it two or three times already. It was faxed to you. "...let me put you on hold. (I hold while she looks at the case) What can I help you with?" I explain that a stipulation was signed, the courthouse emailed it to them, I faxed it to them a week after that, the balances still haven't been updated so I'm wondering what the problem is. "We're waiting on him to sign it." ....what? "The judge has to sign it." ....the judge already signed it, it's a court order. "NO. The court order is TOTALLY different from the stipulation." (Insert an eye roll accompanied by me biting my tongue.) Okay, yes - there was a previous court order and there is now a new stipulation that's already been signed. "Yes, we're waiting for him to sign it." The judge already signed it. "We need it to be approved." What needs to be approved? The judge already signed it, it's a court order. "You're not understanding. The court order and the stipulation are two totally different things." (By now, I am ready to reach through the phone and slap this woman. She is literally too stupid to understand my question and is splitting hairs over court terminology, like I'M the one who doesn't know what we're talking about.) I explain very sternly that Husband physically drove the stipulation to the courthouse on July 13th, it was signed by our judge on July 14th, the courthouse emailed the signed stipulation to CSA on July 15th, we faxed the signed stipulation to CSA on July 22nd - there is nothing more that needs to be signed so I am wondering WHY the case has not been updated.
NOW she understands, after I have figuratively held her hand and walked her through the last two weeks of this ordeal. And her reply: "Well, that's going to take time. It's a process." I ask how long it will take. "I don't have that information; they can't just put your case ahead of everyone else's." ...you know what, can you please just have my case worker call me? Thanks.
CSA finally got the case updated and taken care of, but I'm really glad that I opted-in to the customer satisfaction survey at the end of the second phone call and I hope that stupid woman gets fired for being a complete moron with an "I'm smarter than you" attitude.
Our state has redone how they handle child support questions. You can no longer call and speak directly to your case worker. Instead, you call and speak to a representative who tries to answer your questions to the best of their ability; if they can't, then they send a message to the case worker asking them to call you. This could be a really good system they have in place, except for one simple fact: the representatives are idiots who don't know anything.
A week after Husband filed the stipulation, I called to ask if the court had sent a copy to the child support agency. "I don't know if I can discuss the case with you." I explain that Husband has already sent over his written consent for them to discuss the case with me, because he is at work during their hours of operation. (We go through this every single time that I call. They always argue with me, then decide to put me on hold, review the case, see they're authorized to discuss the case with me, then get back on the phone and answer my questions.) "....I don't know if I can discuss it with you because you're a third party." (Apparently, this particular woman doesn't know what "written consent" is or why it was already provided.) I explain that a stipulation was signed by both Husband and The Ex, the judge signed it last week; I am calling to find out if the court sent them a copy or if we need to do it. ".....I can send a note to your case worker." (......*SIGH*) The next day, I fax a copy of the stipulation and order to CSA and put it to our case worker's attention.
A few more days go by; the website is still showing that The Ex owes child support for the month of July. I call the courthouse and ask if they submitted the stipulation and order to child support. She checks the case; she says they emailed the stipulation and order to CSA on July 15th.
I call CSA again and get a woman who is even more stupid than the first one, but she also has a chip on her shoulder. "I don't know if I can discuss the case with you." Husband already gave you written consent. "Well, when did he send it?" I don't know; we've sent it two or three times already. It was faxed to you. "...let me put you on hold. (I hold while she looks at the case) What can I help you with?" I explain that a stipulation was signed, the courthouse emailed it to them, I faxed it to them a week after that, the balances still haven't been updated so I'm wondering what the problem is. "We're waiting on him to sign it." ....what? "The judge has to sign it." ....the judge already signed it, it's a court order. "NO. The court order is TOTALLY different from the stipulation." (Insert an eye roll accompanied by me biting my tongue.) Okay, yes - there was a previous court order and there is now a new stipulation that's already been signed. "Yes, we're waiting for him to sign it." The judge already signed it. "We need it to be approved." What needs to be approved? The judge already signed it, it's a court order. "You're not understanding. The court order and the stipulation are two totally different things." (By now, I am ready to reach through the phone and slap this woman. She is literally too stupid to understand my question and is splitting hairs over court terminology, like I'M the one who doesn't know what we're talking about.) I explain very sternly that Husband physically drove the stipulation to the courthouse on July 13th, it was signed by our judge on July 14th, the courthouse emailed the signed stipulation to CSA on July 15th, we faxed the signed stipulation to CSA on July 22nd - there is nothing more that needs to be signed so I am wondering WHY the case has not been updated.
NOW she understands, after I have figuratively held her hand and walked her through the last two weeks of this ordeal. And her reply: "Well, that's going to take time. It's a process." I ask how long it will take. "I don't have that information; they can't just put your case ahead of everyone else's." ...you know what, can you please just have my case worker call me? Thanks.
CSA finally got the case updated and taken care of, but I'm really glad that I opted-in to the customer satisfaction survey at the end of the second phone call and I hope that stupid woman gets fired for being a complete moron with an "I'm smarter than you" attitude.
Thankfully, child support isn't like that where I am. Glad you didn't lose your cool, because I might have lol.
ReplyDeleteThat's how our child support works in Louisiana, it's infuriating!!!! I feel for you.
ReplyDeleteI would of made her do it. I mean she IS the one that was suppose to be paying child support this whole time. The least she could do is be the one on the phone going through all that.
ReplyDelete