Locate non-custodial parents and their assets
Establish paternity
Establish child support and medical support orders
Enforce child support orders and collect support
Enforce medical support orders
Review child support orders at the request of either party
Adjust child support when appropriate

The Colorado Department of Human Services provides helpful frequently asked questions and answers about Child Support Enforcement.  Click on the following links to view these documents.

• For questions about starting a child support case, click on this link to visit the CDHS Child Support Enforcement website.

• An application for Child Support Enforcement Services is available through the link above by selecting Forms and Applications.  Completed applications and application fees should be sent to:
  
  Broomfield Health and Human Services
  6 Garden Center
  Broomfield, CO 80020

• For questions about establishing paternity, click on this link to visit the CDHS Child Support Enforcement website. 

Establishing Paternity

Paternity is considered already legally established if the child is born during the course of a marriage.  If a child is born outside of a marriage and the father's name is not already on the birth certificate, CSE can help establish paternity in two ways--through legal establishment of paternity or voluntary acknowledgement of paternity.  Legal establishment may include filing a legal action and performing genetic tests or requesting a court hearing for a judge to make the determination about paternity.  Voluntary acknowledgement can occur if the father admits paternity and signs a legal acknowledgement stating that he is the father.

Establishing Child Support Orders

After paternity is established, CSE may assist with the establishment of a child support order.  This is a legal process that results in an order that establishes a monthly amount to be paid by the non-custodial parent for the support of the child(ren).  CSE will review both parties' financial information and consider the needs of the child or children to make a recommendation based on the Colorado statutes governing child support.  The child support guidelines may either be stipulated by both parties or ordered by the court. All child support orders emancipate the child(ren) at age 19, unless otherwise specified in the court order.

Enforcing Child Support Orders

The goal of CSE is to ensure that child support payments are made according to the established child support guidelines or court order.  When a non-custodial parent is delinquent with payments, CSE has the legal authority to collect child support on behalf of a client through certain legal or administrative actions.  Some of the enforcement remedies that are allowable are:

• Garnishment of wages, unemployment, Worker's Compensation benefits or bank accounts.

• Suspension of driver's license, professional occupational license, or recreational license.

• Denial of passport application

• Federal or state revenue tax offset

• State vendor or administrative offset

• Lottery interception

• Credit Bureau reporting

• Court judgments

• Liens

• Contempt's of court

• Federal prosecution

Establishing and Enforcing Medical Support

Medical coverage is just as important as financial support.  Colorado statutes require that all child support orders state that the non-custodial parent carry medical insurance for the child when it is available at cost. CSE can help establish an order for medical coverage even if a child support order already exists.  As long as the non-custodial parent is offered insurance through his/her employer at a reasonable cost, the medical coverage order can be enforced.

Modification of Child Support Orders

Modifications may be made to an existing child support or medical support order if a continuous or permanent change in the parent's circumstances has occurred, such as the loss of a job or substantial change in income, that affects the terms of the order.  Either parent or the child support enforcement unit may request a review of a child support order to determine whether the order should be modified.  Any case may be reviewed every 36 months to determine if the current order needs modification.  The new order must differ by at least 10% to be eligible for a modification.

Interstate Cases

When parents live in two different states or countries, the child support case becomes more complex.  The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act of 1996 (UIFSA) was passed by all states to help enforce cases that deal with this issue.  These cases generally take longer to process due to the involvement of multiple agencies.  There are two types of interstate cases:

• Initiating interstate-the custodial parent and child live in the state of Colorado and the non-custodial parent lives in another state or country.  In this case, the custodial parent would apply for services in Colorado.  CSE then forwards the case to the state or country where the non-custodial parent resides for establishment of paternity and/or enforcement of child support.

• Responding interstate-the non-custodial parent lives in the state of Colorado and the custodial parent and child live in another state or country.  In this case, the custodial parent would apply for services where he or she lives and that state or country would forward the case to Colorado for establishment of paternity and/or enforcement of child support.

For more information contact: CSE Supervisor