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1. Why was S.E.T.S created?

The Ohio Department of Human Services (ODHS) developed the automated Support Enforcement Tracking System (SETS) to effectively manage the Child Support Enforcement Program in order to meet the requirements mandated by the Family Support Act of 1988 (and other mandated or revised requirements implemented since 1987). The main objectives of SETS is to provide an online, central database with complete federally-mandated child support functionality distributed to each of the 88 local Child Support Enforcement Agencies. SETS is designed to support front-line child support professionals in a wide variety of tacks including collection, allocation, and disbursement of support payments.

2. Hoes does S.E.T.S. determine the amount of my support checks?

Incoming money, or collections, is allocated in a pre-determined order, or hierarchy. "Hierarchy" mean a structure with higher and lower priorities. For our purposes in child support enforcement, it means that money is applied first to the support of the child, then to spousal support, medical expenses, and agency processing fees.

SETS has a standard hierarchy, determined by federal and state laws and policies. In its daily and monthly accounting, SETS applies these policies. Current obligations are paid before arrears but the payment priority is always: 1) child support, 2) spousal support, 3) medical, and 4) agency processing fees. Think of incoming payments as a pitcher of water and child support, spousal support, medical expenses, and processing fees as empty glasses set-up in a row. The child support glass is filled first. Only after the child support glass is filled will the spousal support glass be filled and so on until all the glasses are filled.

3. Are there exceptions to these priorities?

Yes. Payments received from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or Ohio Department of Taxation (ODT) may be allocated to reimburse past public assistance received by the custodial parent. Court orders may affect allocations, the most common occurrence being payments received from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (OBWC). Attorneys representing non-custodial parents who receive a workers compensation settlement often obtain a court order for payment of their fees from the statement.

4. Why are withholding orders issued for a monthly amount?

A withholding order or Notice to Income Provider to Withhold Obligor Income/Assets is issued in a monthly amount because employers or income providers follow a different payroll/income cycles: weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly. To determine how much support should be withheld from each payroll/income cycle, follow the formulas are used:

• Notice Amount X 12 months / 52 weekly payrolls = payment
• Notice Amount X 12 months / 26 biweekly payrolls = payment
• Notice Amount X 12 months / 24 semimonthly
• Payrolls = payment

5. What if I have an order for a weekly or biweekly support payments?

The CSEA administers weekly or biweekly support orders on a monthly basis. To determine your monthly support amount, the following formulas are used:

• Weekly Amount X 52 weeks / 12 months = Monthly Amount
• Biweekly Amount X 26 weeks / 12 months = Monthly Amount

6. Why is the total amount of my weekly support checks less than the monthly amount ordered?

There are actually 4.3 weeks in each month, not just 4 as most people assume. You will receive the difference in support during those 2 months each year when there are 5 weeks. Just as you are not being "overpaid" when your receive that fifth check during those months, you are not being "underpaid" the remainder of the year.

7. How often should I receive a support check?

When a withholding order, referred to as a Notice to Income Provider to Withhold Obligor Income/Assets, is first issued, the income provider or employer has 14 days from the date the CSEA issued the withholding notice to begin making the deductions from their weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly payroll/income cycle.

Once the payroll/income cycle has been completed, the CSEA has 7 days to receive the collection. This period allows issuance of the collection through the employer/income provider's administrative process and for U.S. postal delivery of the collection to the CSEA.

Upon receipt of the collection, the CSEA has 2 business days to process the collection through SETS. Your check is then printed and mailed from a processing center located in Columbus, Ohio. The time frame for postal delivery from Columbus may vary due to location of your residence, legal holidays and seasons such as Christmas that create large volumes of mail. A reasonable allowance for U.S. postal delivery is 4 days. To determine if a collection is past due, you can complete the following formula:

• Date payroll/income cycle ended + 9 days + postal
• Delivery = receipt of collection

8. Do holidays affect when I should receive a support check?

Yes. Both the U.S. Postal Service and the CSEA are closed on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day, And Christmas Day. The CSEA is also closed on the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. These holidays may delay our receipt or distribution of a collection. U.S. Postal Service delivery also begins to slow during the Christmas season which extends from Thanksgiving Day in late November to December 25.

9. Can my support check be delayed for any other reason?

Although it is extremely rare, it is possible. Computer networks are vulnerable to damaged telephone lines, power outages, and other technical problems. SETS is no exception.

10. How will I know if my support check will be delayed due to technical problems?

The Ashtabula County CSEA Payment Processing Hotline is available by calling 440-994-1279. This outgoing message is available 24 hours per day from your touch-tone or rotary phone.

11. How may I obtain information on my S.E.T.S. support checks?

The Voice Response Unit (VRU) is available by calling 1-800-860-2555. This automated system is available 24 hours per day from your touch tone or rotary telephone. By providing your social security number, you may obtain payment information, check information, and balances dues as of the last completed business day.

12. What if I do not receive a check within these times frames?

The CSEA request that you allow an additional 7 days after the receipt of collection date before contacting your CSEA Service Representative. If you have still not received a check that was distributed to you, we will contact our financial institution to inquire if the check has been cashed. If the check has not been cashed, a stop-payment order will be issued and a check will be reissued to you. If the CSEA learns the check was cashed, a criminal investigation may be necessary.

13. What is the collection date for a support check and why is it so important?

The collection date is the day the employer/income provider issued their check to the CSEA or the day the absent parent issued a money order, back draft or personally came to the CSEA and made a cash payment.

The collection date is important because it determines what month's support obligation it is allocated to. For example, an employer issues the CSEA a check dated January 31st which is received by the CSEA on February 7th. The CSEA processes the employer's check and SETS distributes a check to you on February 9th which you receive in the mail on February 13th. Even though you did not receive the check until February 13th, the payment is allocated to January's support obligation as the collection was made on January 31st.

14. If I still have a question about my support check what should I do?

Call your CSEA Service Representative at 440-998-1110 or toll free at: 1-800-935-0242. Cases are assigned alphabetically by the custodial parent's or caretaker's last name