The Washington County Child Support Enforcement Agency has teamed up with other agencies it works with in order to reimburse the county tens of thousands of dollars spent in helping them.
Kim Hinkle, director of the Washington County Child Support Enforcement Agency, said her organization is funded both federally and from the state, but is overseen by the Washington County commissioners. She said the Child Support Enforcement Agency uses county services like the juvenile court, domestic relations court, clerk of the court and the sheriff’s office to help accomplish the department’s goal of getting child support funds to parents. She said she will be using federal Title IV D funds to pay back the county for a portion of their time spent on cases.
“We provide 66 percent of the total spent by each agency…It’s basically us reimbursing them,” she said.
For 2019, Hinkle said the state will be paying back those county agencies that helped the Child Support Enforcement Agency complete their mission a maximum of almost $76,000. The largest receiver of reimbursements, the juvenile court, hasn’t been under contract with the Child Support Enforcement Agency for the last three years. Hinkle said juvenile court’s maximum reimbursement is projected to be just over $31,000 this year.
Timothy Williams, Washington County Juvenile Court judge, said his attention was drawn to making the contract with Child Support Enforcement Agency by the commissioners. Williams said he hadn’t been contacted by the Child Support Enforcement Agency since 2015 and felt it was their responsibility to start the process, but started it himself by contacting them.
“I heard the commissioners wanted us to get under contract again with the CSEA…so I contacted Miss Hinkle and we are getting it worked out,” he said.
Williams said the majority of the funds received will be put toward the salary expenditure of Randall Jedlink, the magistrate of the Juvenile Court, for his time working on Child Support Enforcement Agency’s cases.
Commissioner David White said he wasn’t given very much reasoning why the contract between Child Support Enforcement Agency and the juvenile court lapsed, and wanted it back in place.
“The only reason given by (Williams) was that he didn’t have the time,” said White. “I’m certainly glad this is getting done. I’ve been pushing for this for some time,” he said.
Hinkle said she must turn in a monthly expense report to the state in order to receive those funds. She also said in the off chance that the required reimbursement exceeds the $76,000 for the year, she can make an appeal to the state.
“I will be looking very hard at it in September,” she said.
Hinkle said even though her organization doesn’t gain anything financially from the contracts, she knows she’s helping residents get the most from their local government.
“There is a lot of work involved,” she said. “But it’s good for Washington County.”
At a glance
•The Washington County Child Support Enforcement Agency will pay back county agencies 66 percent of the expenditures used on the organization’s cases.
•The projected reimbursement amount for 2019 is $75,968.
•The county organization receiving 2019’s largest reimbursement of $31,127, the juvenile court, hasn’t been under contract for the last three years.
Source: Kim Hinkle, director of Washington County Child Support Agency.