Today must be Rant Day...or

How Ohio can screw child support up even more..

Back when I got divorced in the late 90's Child Support here in Ohio was administered by each County. It worked very well here in Lucas County. My ex's employer would send the funds to the County office, they would send a check to me, you could set your clock by the regular arrival of your child support. The only exception was if Monday was a State/Federal Holiday then you would get your check the next day.

Then the Federal Government decided that States had to have a centralized Child Support System. So, the once reliable delivery of child support checks became a joke. Now the money goes from my ex-husband's employer to the County then to the State who processes the payment and then sends it from Columbus. You'd think that less than four hour drive wouldn't cause much of a delay wouldn't you? So now rather than Thursday you could get your check on Friday (rare), Saturday or Monday or if there is a Monday State/Federal Holiday? Who knows when you will get it.

So to make this easier (hahahahahahahahahaha) Ohio designed this new system called "e-Quick Pay" where they send you a debit type card and the money is electronically deposited to your card, this is supposed to be faster and eliminate the mailing of checks.

I applied four months ago, because the idea of not having to wonder did the check really get delivered to me was I thought I a good one. This Saturday I got a letter instead of a check. It stated my enrollment was complete and that within ten business days I would receive my card and that I had to call to activate the card. I was told initially that no funds were put on the card until it was activated. (I asked if this would delay child support before I applied because I wanted to be prepared, I was assured that there would be noooooo delay that the system was designed to prevent this. Yeah Okay that should have been my first warning sign).

So no big deal, I didn't get a check Saturday, that happens and since I don't have the card nor have I activiated it I'm thinking it will come on Monday. Today comes no check. So I call the Lucas County office and they tell me the money was put on my card. But I don't have a card......Sorry can't do anything about that....You'll have to call the customer service number for the card company. (This was after 45 minutes on hold).

Then I call the card customer service people, who tell me as soon as you are approved for enrollment the money goes on the card and they state they mailed me my card back on May 27th. So now they have to send me a new card, and they will supposedly take the funds already on the card I never got and put it on the new one. It will take 5 to 7 business days to get a new card out which means basically I'll probably go a month without receiving child support. We will of course survive nor will the kids starve, but it is the principle of the matter. My ex has it taken from his check every week so that it will go to the kids, not sit somewhere in the electronic banking system for weeks. Why they would put funds on a card not activiated isn't logical not to mention that means once again I was given misinformation.

Before I called the card people, I commented to the Lucas County Child Support worker that I would have been better off to have kept getting the paper check. She told me actually I was better to do this now, Ohio is going to force everyone to either have electronic deposit or these debit cards and if the way this has worked for those of us who have "volunteered" is any indication it's going to be a royal mess when it is mandatory.

Somehow that didn't make me feel much better........Welcome to Ohio where we take a system that worked really well and we find a way to screw it up......And whoever in the Federal Goverment that thought this was a good idea? Argg....just reinforces my opinion that the Federal Goverment should but out of most State functions.....