Many parents in Missouri rely on child support. This money goes toward all the essentials in a child’s life, like food and clothes. However, it also chips in on things like rent or the mortgage — to keep a roof over the child’s head — and gas — in order to get the child around, like to dance recitals and football practice. The parent also needs to be able to get to work in order to continue to provide.
Due to the fact that so many parents have to heavily rely on child support payments, it can become worrisome and frustrating when the money does not arrive on time.
This has been the case for some parents living in Kansas City, Rolla, Sikeston and St. Joseph counties in Missouri. Some of these parents are now experiencing delays outside of their control.
A number of parents opted in to receive their child support on prepaid cards. This was all fine, except when Missouri switched card providers to SMI One Visa there must have been some type of glitch as many parents did not receive their cards on time. This means many are scraping by or doing without while waiting for the news cards to arrive.
Sadly, in this type of situation there is not much a parent can do but wait. However, when payments are late due to the other parent not paying on time, a parent’s hands are not as tied as there are actions that can be taken.
In cases where payments are continuously late, this could also be a sign of a larger issue. The paying parent may not be able to afford the amount set, or simply does not understand how important child support is and what the repercussions are for not paying.
When child support is an issue, an attorney with experience in determining, modifying or enforcing child support may be a great resource for either parent.
Source: KCTV, “Frustration mounts as many wait for prepaid cards with child support money,” Bonyen Lee, Oct. 25, 2013
