a Day in tHE LiFE oF a CHiLD SuPPoRt EnFoRCEMEnt HEaRing oFFiCER
Government lawyers Section Chairs : ChristianKatchuk – 13thJudicialCircuit & LyndseySiara – 13thJudicialCircuit
Each day provides the rewarding opportunity to assist the families of our community with child support matters .
Child Support Enforcement Hearing Officers ( CSEHOs ) are quasi-judicial officers appointed by the chief judge of a circuit to perform judicial tasks involving the establishment , modification , and enforcement of child support orders , foreign child support orders , and determination of arrears , as well as the establishment of uncontested paternity . In the Thirteenth Circuit , these cases are limited to those involving a parent or person entitled to child support who is receiving services pursuant to Title IV-D of the Social Security Act . 1
CSEHOs are empowered to issue process , administer oaths , require the production of documents , conduct hearings , take testimony , accept voluntary acknowledgments of paternity and support , evaluate evidence , and make recommended orders . The parties to these proceedings typically include the Department of Revenue , 2 the parent or person entitled to receive child support , and the parent obligated to pay such support ( the “ Obligor ”).
Instanter hearings ( return hearings involving Obligors arrested after a finding of contempt for failing to pay child support ) are held shortly after arrest and are rotated on a weekly basis between the four CSEHOs in our circuit . The
Obligor appears by video conference from jail and a determination is made of the Obligor ’ s current ability to pay a purge of the prior finding of contempt .
My standard dockets occur weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays and typically involve petitions to establish child support ; supplemental petitions for modification ; motions for contempt , payment credit , and enforcement of child support and administrative orders ; and petitions contesting a delinquency or bank levy ; suspension of motor vehicle registration ; or suspension of driver ’ s , business , professional , or recreational licenses . Most Obligors proceed pro se , so an explanation of what the hearing will entail and what is expected is usually needed .
CSEHOs do not have clerks or court reporters , so it is my responsibility to manage the hearings , which are currently held via Zoom . This means monitoring the Zoom waiting room , ensuring all parties are joined for the correct hearing , and assisting parties with technical issues . It is also my responsibility to manage the mandatory electronic recording of each proceeding , to ensure a clear and accurate record is made and to accept and mark all exhibits . All of these tasks occur in a very short period of time , as most hearings are scheduled for just 15-30 minutes .
When not conducting hearings , I prepare for upcoming dockets by , for example , determining if any unusual legal issues warrant additional research or if an interpreter is needed . I also write recommended orders from prior hearings , including findings of fact , conclusions of law , and recommendations . These recommended orders are then uploaded to the Title IV-D Child Support Enforcement Division judge for review and disposition .
Each day presents new challenges and issues ( and sometimes frustrations ). But each day also provides the rewarding opportunity to assist the families of our community with child support matters . n
1
Thirteenth Judicial Circuit AO S-2021-036 , June 10 , 2021 .
2
The Department of Revenue is the Title IV-D agency in Florida . In Hillsborough County , the Department of Revenue is represented by the Office of the Attorney General .
Author : Cheryl Mason , Child Support Enforcement Hearing Officer – Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
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