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SNAP CERTIFICATION MANUAL – APPENDIX G Child Support Enforcement (CSEU) A Guide to Sources of Unearned Income 2 Child Support Enforcement (CSEU) The Office of Child Support Enforcement was established for the purpose of enforcing support obligations owed by absent parents to their children. Services are available to anyone, although individuals who do not receive TEA must return 13% of the amount collected as a fee. Under title IV-D of the Child Support Enforcement Program, the State is assigned the rights to support rights of individuals who receive TEA. This permits the State to bring child support actions on its behalf, while at the same time, providing TEA cash assistance to needy families. Applicants for and recipients of TEA must cooperate in locating absent parents, establishing paternity, and establishing and enforcing support obligations. A nationwide Parent Locator Service is available through OCSE. It may be used by the State to locate absent parents to enforce child or spousal support obligations, to determine child custody, and to assist in cases of parental kidnapping. The distribution rules for child support are as follows: • If the family receives TEA, and the OCSE collects child support, the amount of the monthly TEA cash payment is deducted from the child support collected and retained. The balance of the child support payment, if any, is applied to arrearages that are assigned to the state. If there are no arrearages, the balance is sent to the family. • If the family is not receiving TEA, the amount of the current support and any additional payment for arrearages owed to the family is paid to the family first. Any arrears owed to the State are collected by offsetting the noncustodial parents federal income tax refund, or collected after the child emancipates. OCSE may collect past due child support by intercepting monies scheduled to be paid in: • Federal income tax refunds; • State income tax refunds; and • Unemployment checks. Federal payroll checks and certain Federal pension checks may be garnisheed to collect child support or alimony.