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COVID Court closures are expected to create a significant backlog of family cases and delays getting to trial and resolution. This is especially difficult for families whose complex situation calls for Court intervention, but access to the Court has been quite limited. What options do these families have while they await rescheduled hearing and trial dates & their day in Court?
This series of articles explores options to help stabilize families in crisis through:
· Parent Coordination
With families of divorce, summer is often a time that kids spend significant amounts of time with non-primary custodial parents. Even in an ordinary summer, extended visits with that parent are often accompanied with anxiety and trepidation. Parents worry: Will her father make sure she does her summer school work? His mother won’t give him his medications. He does not worry about Sarah’s allergies. Where will they be staying? I need to know! The kids have their own concerns: Will I get to see my friends? I don’t like it there.
If you have time on your hands, seize the opportunity to catch up on those “to do’s” needing wrap up after your child support or alimony case. Check out these tips to see if any apply to your support order or agreement.
Tip 1: Timing
Confirm & calendar:
· Due dates for payments.
· Termination events & dates of final payments.
You may find yourself with time on your hands while staying at home. This is an opportunity to catch up on the “to do’s” that still need tending after your child custody and parenting case has finished.
The relief of the end of a case usually leads to a new normal, followed by forgetting those items that still need tending. Now may be a good time to wrap up that outstanding to do list.
Tip 1: Make a Calendar
If you find yourself with time on your hands, now is an opportunity to catch up on those after divorce “to do’s”.
Often, clients are so relieved the divorce is over, they put their divorce documents in a drawer, understandably wanting to move on. However, there are often deadlines, timelines, and follow up needed after the divorce. Now may be a good time to tend to those items that need wrapping up.
Tip 1: Retirement Transfer Orders
Welcome to the latest article in a series about mediation. Here are earlier articles about:
· Online Mediation Technology Tips
· An Overview of the Online Mediation Process
Before jumping into how to prepare for settlement discussions in mediation, let’s first address what mediation is:
This article expands upon an earlier one discussing mediation, online mediation, and technology do’s and don’ts, which you can read here.
So, what should you expect during online mediation?
Video Conferencing Software
The IRS’s Economic Impact Payment Information Center contains a lot of helpful information and is well worth reading. Plus, the IRS’s website has an online tool for checking the status of your payment, how your payment will be made (check or direct deposit), and to submit bank information if not on record.
What if I’ve lost income during COVID-19 and am required to pay child support?
Overview
If you’ve lost income due to unemployment, reduced hours, or furlough, you can file to modify child support. To modify child support means a change in child support. Child support can be modified when a “material change of circumstances” has occurred.
Changes in circumstance can include changes in a parent’s income or in a child’s expenses.
Retroactive Modification of Child Support
What if I’ve lost income during COVID-19 and am required to pay alimony?
Overview
If you’ve lost income due to unemployment, reduced hours, or furlough, you may be eligible to request modification of your alimony obligation. It depends upon how your alimony obligation was decided.
Court Decided Alimony