Ombudsman assists with delay in ending child support payment

Editor’s note: The Dayton Ombudsman Office provides weekly columns to the Dayton Daily News to bring awareness to issues it sees in the community.

Recently a man contacted the Ombudsman for assistance in ending his ongoing payments for child support for his youngest child. The man represented that the emancipation should have taken place a year ago, because that is when his daughter graduated from high school. There was a hearing in April, during which all documents required to end the support order were presented. The Magistrate wanted to expedite the process because it had been going on so long, and the documents were delivered to the agency on the very day of the hearing. At the point when the man contacted the Ombudsman, the agency was holding $3,500 and was still taking out payments from his paychecks. There is a waiting period of 14 days for the decision to receive action; that time had passed and yet there was no action.