Rhode Island State Law
1. General Program-At-A-Glance
1. How many local child support offices are in your state excluding agencies with cooperative agreements? |
There is only one (1) IV-D office in Rhode Island. |
2. What is the name of your IV-D agency? |
Office of Child Support Services |
3. Is your state administrative, judicial, or a combination of both? In particular, does your state primarily use judicial or administrative procedures to establish and/or enforce support orders? Please describe. |
Judicial to establish an order. Combination of both for enforcement.
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
4. Does your state use the following applications: EDE, CSENET, QUICK? |
Rhode Island uses EDE and CSENET. |
2. Duration Of Support
3. Statute Of Limitations
4. Support Details
5. Paternity/Parentage
6. Support Order Establishment
7. Income Withholding
8. Distribution
9. Enforcement
10. Modification And Review/Adjustment
1. How frequently does your state conduct order reviews in IV-D cases (for example, every year or every three years)? (See 45 CFR 303.8.) |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
2. What is your state's modification procedure? Briefly describe. |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
3. What are the criteria for modification under your state's guidelines (for example, a change that is more than $50 or 20% upward or downward from the current amount ordered)? |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
4. Which of the following criteria for demonstrating a change in circumstances apply for modifying an order? |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
4.1. The earnings of the noncustodial parent have substantially increased or decreased. |
4.2. The earnings of the custodial parent have substantially increased or decreased. |
4.3. The needs of a party or the child(ren) have substantially increased or decreased. |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
4.4. The cost of living has changed. |
4.5. The child(ren) has extraordinary medical expenses not covered by insurance. |
4.6. There has been a substantial change in childcare expenses. |
4.7. What other criteria does your state use for demonstrating a change in circumstances for modifying an order? |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
5. Does your state have a cost of living adjustment (COLAs) for orders? If yes, what index does your state use? (See 45 CFR 303.8(b)(1)(ii).) |
6. After learning that a parent who owes support will be incarcerated for more than 180 calendar days, does your state elect to initiate a review of an order without the need for a specific request, i.e., automatically? (See 45 CFR 303.8(b)(2).) |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
11. Lump Sum Payments
1. What is your state's definition of a lump sum, if it has one? Provide the statutory citation. (Note: States may define "lump sum" more broadly than only employer- related lump sums.) |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
2. Does your state law require employers to report lump sum payments? If yes, provide the statutory citation or rule. |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
3. How does your state attach different types of lump sum payments? For example, does your state use the OMB-approved income withholding order for employer-issued bonuses, a lien, and levy notice for workers' compensation (if workers' compensation is considered a lump sum payment in your state), etc.? |
12. Cost Recovery And Fees
1. Does your state elect to recover costs in excess of any fees collected to cover administrative costs in your child support state plan? (See section 454(6) of the Social Security Act and 45 CFR 302.33(d).) If yes, does your state collect excess actual or standardized costs on a case-by-case basis? Please describe. |
1.1. If yes, does your state recover costs from the custodial parent or the noncustodial parent? (Note: No costs can be assessed against a foreign custodial parent applying through a Central Authority in a Hague Convention country, a foreign reciprocating country, or a foreign country with state-level reciprocity.) |
2. Does your state recover costs on behalf of an initiating state that has elected to do cost recovery? If yes, describe. |
3. How does your state impose and collect the mandatory $35 annual fee (after collecting the first $550)? This fee is applicable in IV-D cases in which individuals who never received IV-A assistance are receiving IV-D services. (See 45 CFR 302.33(e).) See options below. |
3.1. Is it retained by the state from support collected? |
3.2. Is it paid by the individual applying for child support services? |
3.3. Is it recovered from the noncustodial parent? |
3.4. Is it paid by the state out of its state funds? |
13. Insurance Match
1. Does your state have legislation requiring insurance companies to work with child support agencies to identify claimants who owe past-due child support? Describe the requirements and provide the statutory citation. How does your state allocate payments when there is more than one claim against the noncustodial parent's income? Should the payment be divided equally or pro-rated among the cases? (See 45 CFR 303.100(a)(5).) |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
2. What criteria must a noncustodial parent meet to be eligible for your state’s participation in the federal insurance match program? |
3. What process does your state use to intercept insurance payments? |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
4. How does another state initiate and intercept collections from your state’s workers’ compensation agency? |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
5. Does your state participate in the Child Support Lien Network or CSLN (which provides insurance match services)? |
14. Family Violence
15. CSENet
1. When your state is the initiating state, does it send a Child Support Enforcement Network (CSENet) case closure transaction to let the responding state know your state has closed its case (including the reason for closure) and/or the responding state's intergovernmental services are no longer needed? (MSC P GSC15; 45 CFR 303.7(c)(11).) |
2. When your state is the responding state, does it send a CSENet case closure transaction to notify the initiating state that its case is closed based on one of the following reasons: (MSC P GSC16)? Initiating state failure to take an action essential for the next steps? (45 CFR 303.11(b)(17).) The initiating state requested the responding state to close the case? (45 CFR 303.7(d)(10).) |
3. When your state is the initiating state, does it send a CSENet case closure transaction to notify the responding state that it must stop any income withholding orders or notices and close the intergovernmental case? (MSC P GSC17; 45 CFR 303.7(c)(12).) |
4. When your state is the responding state, does it send a CSENet case closure transaction to notify the initiating state that, per its request, the case is closed, and your state has stopped its income withholding order? (MSC P GSC18; 45 CFR 303.7(d)(9).) |
5. Does your state send CSENet transactions to request interest information? (MSC R GRINT) |
6. Does your state send CSENet transactions to provide another state with interest and arrears information? (MSC P GSTAI) |
16. Copies Of Orders And Payment Records
1. What are the procedures and associated costs for obtaining a certified copy of a court order? |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
2. What are the procedures and associated costs for obtaining a certified payment record? |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
17. Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA)
1. What is the statutory citation for your state's enactment of UIFSA? |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
2. How does your state define the tribunal (See UIFSA 103)? |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
3. How many copies or sets of documents does your state need for an intergovernmental case referral that is not sent electronically? |
4. Does your state require initiating states to send intergovernmental forms in a one-sided format (when sending paper copies)? |
18. International - Reciprocity
1. With which foreign countries or other jurisdictions (such as Quebec) does your state have state-level reciprocity for child support? (Do not include federal foreign reciprocating or Hague Convention countries.) |
2. Does your state exercise its option for enforcement of spousal-only orders for a foreign reciprocating country, a Hague Convention country, or a foreign country with which your state has state-level reciprocity? (See section 454(32)(B) of the Social Security Act.) |
3. Does your state agency accept direct applications for services from individuals residing outside the United States (See UIFSA 307 - Alternative A), or does your state's law allow discretion in accepting these applications (See UIFSA 307 - Alternative B)? |
19. International Information For Hague Convention Countries
1. When a Hague Convention country seeks registration of a Convention support order in your state, does your state allow the country to send an abstract (or summary) of the order on the Hague Abstract of a Decision form in lieu of the complete text? (See UIFSA 706(b) (1).) |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
2. Does your state send and receive pleadings and documents electronically in international cases? If yes, specify the types of pleadings and documents your state can send and receive electronically. |
3. What methods of personal service does your state use? |
4. When establishing a child support order, what can be included as add-ons to the child support guideline amount? Please provide the relevant statutory or case law citation. (See also question 1 under Support Details.) |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
5. Does your state encourage amicable solutions between parents to promote voluntary payment of support, such as the use of mediation, conciliation, or similar consent processes? If yes, describe. |
6. What circumstances will cause your state to end child support before the normal duration? |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
20. International Payments
1. How does your state disburse child support payments to foreign reciprocating and Hague Convention countries when your state is the responding state in a case? |
2. What actions does your state take to reduce the costs and fees associated with international payment processing? |
3. Does your state accept electronic payments from foreign reciprocating or Hague Convention countries in international cases? If so, provide payment instructions. |
21. Tribal Non IV-D
1. Has your state established cooperative arrangements with any Indian tribes or tribal organizations that don't have a tribal IV-D program? |
1.1. If yes, list the tribes and identify services provided, if less than full services. |
For Additional Information - No Link Provided |
2. Does your state have any IV-D attorneys licensed to practice in the courts of Indian tribes or tribal organizations that don't have tribal IV-D programs? |