Family Law News

In Illinois, Child Support Collections Reach $1.14 Billion

CHICAGO - Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today announced that in fiscal year 2006 the State of Illinois’ child support collections reached $1.14 billion, which is over 11 percent higher than last year’s $1 billion in record-breaking collections, and more than 50% percent higher than the $729 million collected in fiscal year 2001. As a result of the continued improvements and turnaround of Illinois’ child support enforcement on behalf of Illinois parents, the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) has named Illinois as the 2006 Most Improved Program in the country.

“Every year, as the cost of raising children and providing a loving and secure home continues to go up, more and more parents are struggling to meet those needs alone,” said Gov. Blagojevich. “Before I became Governor, the child support system in our state was the worst in the nation. But this program has turned around and is now breaking its own records and receiving national recognition for its improvements. More Illinois parents than ever are getting the payments they are owed so their children can have the childhood they deserve.”

In the mid-1990s, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) Child Support Division’s performance fell steeply, causing hardship for thousands of Illinois parents. In fact, in 2000, Illinois faced the serious threat of federal penalties for poor child support enforcement.

Over the past three years, Governor Blagojevich launched a number of innovative and aggressive programs to improve child support collections, including the Deadbeat Parents website and the New Hire Directory website. These changes have resulted in significant improvements for parents and children who rely on the system.  For example, in 2006, the Governor’s New Hire outreach and website, which enables the state to use employers’ new hire information to find and collect from delinquent parents, collected $3.8 million monthly on average, up from $1.5 million monthly in 2004. In addition, more than 16,000 employers who previously did not report their new hires are now regularly reporting. Read more at: www.illinois.gov

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	Did You Know?
	You may be able to leave your pension to your spouse or child. In general, if you are married, your spouse is entitled to a portion of your pension if you die first. There is some cost to that, however, that usually serves to reduce the monthly retirement payments you would have received if the benefits were to be paid just during your lifetime. If you and your spouse agree, you can waive this survivor benefit protection, and/or sometimes name some other person(s) (such as a child) as your beneficiary. Consult with your family lawyer and review the plan summary carefully to find out your rights and responsibilities in this area.