The Warren County CSEA caseworker will conduct a pre-administrative hearing interview to identify the parent's employment and any other sources of income. The Warren County CSEA may need to impute potential income under certain circumstances. In addition, the CSEA may be able to verify income by accessing some governmental databases.
If both parties are present at the hearing, the Administrative Hearing Officer will go over the income information and ask questions related to the Child Support Worksheet. The Administrative Hearing Officer will run the worksheet and will clearly explain the amount of support to be ordered and medical order information. If the party is unemployed, the Administrative Hearing Officer may choose to issue a Seek Work Order. An Administrative Order will be sent. Each party has objection rights to the Administrative Order. The CSEA does not have the authority to deviate from the child support guidelines, to issue any orders with respect to parenting time, or to allocate the tax exemption. These matters will not be addressed at the hearing.
The law requires all orders for support to be calculated using the Ohio Child Support Guidelines. The Ohio Support Guidelines and Worksheet can be found in the Ohio Revised Code 3119.01. The Administrative Hearing Officer will use the Ohio Child Support Guidelines and Worksheet to calculate the amount of support to be ordered. Parties will be asked to provide verification of all relevant information including income information, proof of health insurance costs and availability, and child care costs. A more specific list of requested information will be sent to each party before the hearing.
The answer to this question is generally no. These amounts are not included on the Ohio Child Support Guidelines worksheet. The Child Support Guidelines tables were developed using cost of living studies and include information about typical living expenses. The Administrative Hearing Officer is required to follow the Ohio Child Support Guidelines and Worksheet and is not permitted to deviate. Generally, the courts have a greater discretion in deviating from the Ohio Child Support Guideline and Worksheet formula. If you disagree with the Administrative Order that the Warren County CSEA has issued you have the right to object.
Only the incomes of the parents are considered when calculating child support. The only exception to this is when both parents are minors, in which the incomes of the grandparents may be considered.
The Administrative Hearing Officer has discretion with this matter. The Hearing Officer may choose to impute income to either or both parties and calculate support based on that information. The Administrative Hearing Officer may also choose to issue a Seek Work Order, which orders individuals to appear at Workforce One on a specific date and time until employment is secured.
The answer to this question is no. Per ORC 3111.81 and OAC 5101:12-45-05.3, it is the standard practice of the Warren County CSEA Hearing Officer to set the effective date 14 days after the date of the Administrative Hearing. Parties are free to seek legal counsel to pursue this request further.