1. What is the duration of support in your state? Include the age of majority when the support obligation ends in the absence of other factors. Include your state's statutory citation(s). |
18, unless the child is still enrolled in school. If he/she is enrolled, we terminate support at either 19 or the date of graduation, whichever comes first.
Citation is SC Code 63-3-530, section 17.
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2. If not addressed in the order, at what age is child support automatically terminated as a matter of state law? Qualify, if necessary. |
18 years of age per state law, however there is no automatic termination of support obligations in South Carolina. An order must be filed with the court in order to terminate the support obligation.
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3. Does the date of the order determine the law that is applied to the duration of support? If yes, describe. |
No.
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4. Does your state law allow support to be paid beyond the age of majority under certain circumstances (for example, if the child has a disability or is in college)? If yes, describe. |
Yes. When there are physical or mental disabilities of the child, or other exceptional circumstances that warrant the continuation of child support beyond the age of eighteen for as long as the physical or mental disabilities or exceptional circumstances continue.
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5. What are your state's laws regarding the emancipation of the child that would result in early termination of the child support obligation? Describe. |
If the child is married or becomes self-supporting, as determined by the court.
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6. Does child support end if the child no longer lives with the custodial parent but does not emancipate according to state law? For example, the child graduates from high school at 17 and no longer lives with the custodial parent? |
Yes. Support can be terminated when the child no longer lives with the custodial parent prior to emancipating by statute.
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7. For orders that include multiple children, does your state automatically reduce the current support owed for remaining children after one of the children in the order reaches the age of majority or otherwise emancipates? If yes, describe. |
No. South Carolina does not have an automated process for the reduction of support for orders that include multiple children. The support amount remains as ordered previously until such time a modification order is filed.
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8. Does your state provide IV-D services to establish support for a child who is no longer a minor but for whom state law provides post-majority support (for example, if the child has a disability or is in college)? If yes, please describe the specific circumstances. |
No.
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1. What guideline type or method does your state use to calculate child support (for example, Income Shares Model, Percentage of Income Model, Melson Formula)? |
South Carolina uses the Income Shares Model for calculation of child support.
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2. Does your state have any statute(s) addressing interest on arrears? If yes, indicate the amount of interest charged, any related conditions, and the statutory citation. |
No.
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3. Does your state's IV-D agency calculate interest on arrears? If yes, indicate the amount of interest charged and any related conditions. |
No.
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4. Does your state charge interest on retroactive support? If yes, indicate the amount of interest charged and any related conditions. |
No.
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5. Will your state enforce a medical debt for any uninsured portion? If yes, under what circumstances? |
The family courts have the authority to enforce medical debt for uninsured portions, but our program does not.
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6. If your state has issued an order, and another IV-D agency asserts that the person/entity entitled to receive child support payments has changed from the person/entity designated in your state's order (due to a change in placement or foster care status), what does your state require in order to change the person/entity entitled to receive payments? |
South Carolina would require a UIFSA petition from State B to change the payee, and South Carolina would then file an action to redirect payments to the new person/entity.
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6.1. Does it matter if the child receives TANF or Medicaid-only? If so, explain. |
No.
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7. Does your state require that a custodial party, who is not one of the biological parents, have legal custody of a child before enforcing an order for support that was issued to the biological parents as the parties for non-public assistance cases? |
No.
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8. Does your state IV-D agency give the noncustodial parent credit toward child support for Auxiliary Benefits received directly by the custodial parent on behalf of a child as a result of the noncustodial parent's Social Security Retirement, Survivors, or Disability Insurance (RSDI) benefit? |
Yes.
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9. Does your state abate support? If yes, explain the circumstances and provide your statutory citation. |
No.
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1. Does your state law require custody and visitation to be addressed at the time of paternity/parentage establishment? If yes, please describe and provide the statutory citation. |
No.
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2. What is the percentage of probability for genetic testing that creates a rebuttable or conclusive presumption of paternity? |
95% or greater.
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3. What is the state law citation that makes paternity acknowledgment conclusive? Please describe (if appropriate). |
SC Code 63-17-50
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4. Does marriage constitute a rebuttable presumption of paternity/parentage without exceptions? Please describe and provide your statutory citation. |
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5. Does the father's name on the birth certificate constitute a conclusive presumption of paternity? Please provide your state citation. If no, please describe. |
No.
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6. Does your state have any other paternity/parentage-related presumptions? If yes, please describe. |
Yes.
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7. What, if any, is the agency name and link for your state's putative fathers' registry? |
The Responsible Father Registry is maintained by our parent agency, the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
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8. What documents regarding paternity can your state's IV-D agency provide to other IV-D agencies? Are there any charges to the requesting IV-D agencies? |
Our agency can only provide copies of paternity and/or support orders that we obtain. We would also provide any copies that had been obtained from one of the parties to the action. Our South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Office of Vital Records maintains all other paternity-related documents.
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9. Does your state’s bureau of vital statistics charge any fees to other states or private individuals for requesting searches, paternity/parentage documents, and data? |
Yes. And, generally, they will provide these materials only to a parent or legal guardian of the child - not to a requesting agency. They will also accept an order of the court compelling the records.
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9.1. Describe any circumstances under which these fees may be waived? |
That would be up to the Office of Vital Records.
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10. Is common-law marriage currently recognized in your state? If yes, describe the standard that defines common-law marriage and the date the standard went into effect. |
No.
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11. If there was a prior common-law standard in your state that is no longer in effect, what were the dates that standard was in effect? Describe the standard. |
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12. If there is more than one child with the same custodial party and the same alleged father, should an initiating jurisdiction send one intergovernmental packet to your state (with a separate Declaration in Support of Establishing Parentage forms for each child) or a separate intergovernmental packet for each child? |
The initiating jurisdiction should send one packet with a separate Declaration in Support of Establishing Parentage forms for each child.
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1. Does your state use an administrative, judicial, or a combined process to establish a support obligation? |
South Carolina uses administrative and judicial processes, with most being established administratively.
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1.1 If your state can establish both administratively and judicially, under what circumstances would your state use the administrative process? Please provide the statutory citation for your state's administrative procedures. |
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1.2. Under what circumstances would your state use the judicial process? Please provide the statutory citation for your state's judicial procedures. |
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2. When setting support using your state's guidelines, whose income is considered in addition to the noncustodial parent's (for example, custodial parent, spouse, child)? |
South Carolina uses the Income Shares Model, which takes into account both the custodial and noncustodial parents' income.
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2.1. What documentation is required as proof/evidence of this information? |
Suitable documentation of current earnings, preferably for at least one month, using such documents as pay stubs, employer statements, or receipts and expenses if the parent is self-employed. Verification of current earnings, whether reflected on a financial declaration or not, can be supported with copies of the most recent tax returns filed by the payor. Income can also be verified through the SC Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) or through the SC Department of Revenue (SCDOR).
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3. What criteria for rebutting your presumptive guidelines have been established in your state? |
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4. Will your state establish support orders for prior periods of support? If yes, please describe (for example, from the birth of the child, from date of separation, prenatal expenses, five years retroactive). |
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4.1. What information or documentation does your state require to proceed with establishing support for prior periods? |
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4.2. Will your state allow a petition for support for a minor child when the only issue is retroactive support? |
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4.3. If there are limitations upon your state's ability to establish support for prior periods, specify those limitations. |
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5. Does your state require that a custodial party, who is not a biological parent, have legal custody of a child before establishing an order for support when public assistance is being expended? |
No.
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5.1. What about when public assistance is not being expended? |
No.
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6. When your state has issued an order that reserves support, and now child support should be ordered, does your state require establishment or modification? |
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7. When there is an existing support order between the parents of a child and the child's residence changes from one parent to the other, does your state require that the new custodial parent obtain legal custody before child support is addressed? Please describe. |
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1. What are specific sources of income not subject to withholding? |
SSDI.
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2. Does your state law adopt the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) income withholding limits? Please provide the statutory citation. |
Yes.
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2.1. Does your state have policies or procedures allowing the agency to use lower limits than the CCPA? |
No.
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2.2. What are the withholding limits for non-employees? |
CCPA limits still apply for non-employees.
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3. What is the maximum fee for the administrative cost that an employer may charge for processing income withholding orders? (45 CFR 303.100 (e)(iii). |
$3 per payment.
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4. Does your state charge any fees to the noncustodial parent that the employer must withhold and remit to the state? If yes, please explain. |
Statutorily required 5% collection costs.
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5. Is an employer required to begin withholding after the date of service, receipt, or mailing of an income withholding order? |
Date of receipt.
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5.1. How many days following the first pay period that occurs after service, receipt, or mailing of an income withholding order is an employer required to begin withholding? |
Next pay period after receipt.
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6. When must an employer remit amounts withheld from an employee's pay? |
Within seven business days of pay date.
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7. What are your state's sanctions for employers for not implementing income withholding? |
If payor willfully fails to withhold or pay over income pursuant to a Notice to Withhold, the court upon notice and hearing may enter judgment and direct the issuance of an execution against the payor for the total amount that the payor willfully failed to withhold.
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7.1. What are the penalties to an employer for failure to remit payments withheld? |
Fine may not exceed $500.
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8. Does your state allow other jurisdictions to send income withholding orders for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits directly to your state's UI agency? If yes, please explain your process and include any additional required documents. |
No.
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8.1. If no, what is your state's process to aid the other jurisdictions in withholding UI benefits? Please describe and include the required documents. |
We require registration of Orders for enforcement.
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9. Does your state allow other jurisdictions to send income withholding orders directly to a noncustodial parent's financial institution in your state? If yes, please explain your process and include any additional required documents. |
Yes. Most of our financial institutions honor them, but if they are returned to the sending state, we ask them to send them to us, and we will attach a cover letter.
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9.1. If no, what is your state's process to aid the other jurisdiction in collecting from a financial institution? Please describe and include the required documents. |
The cover letter that we attach, when necessary, instructs the institution to follow the instructions on the other state's levy notice.
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10. How does a noncustodial parent contest an income withholding in your state? |
He/she must petition the family court.
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11. How does your state allocate payments when there is more than one claim against the noncustodial parent's income? Should the payment be divided equally or pro-rated among the cases? (See 45 CFR 303.100(a)(5).) |
Prorated.
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12. When calculating disposable income for child support purposes, what are the mandatory deductions from gross income required by state law, such as union dues or medical insurance premiums? |
Federal, State, City taxes, FICA, disability contributions, and other retirement deductions.
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13. When does your state require the employer to send notice of an employee's termination? |
20 days after the date of termination.
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14. When your state is enforcing an order and receives payment through income withholding that is not enough to cover the full amount ordered, how does your state apply the payment to the types of support (for example, current, arrears, medical, spousal support, other)? Please describe and provide the statutory citations, if appropriate. |
Current support, health insurance premiums, then arrears.
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1. What data matches (for example, financial institution, state lottery) and enforcement remedies are available through Automated Administrative Enforcement in Interstate Cases (AEI) in your state? (See AT-08-06: Implementing Section 466(a)(14) of the Social Security Act, High-Volume, Automated Administrative Enforcement in Interstate Cases.) |
FIDM
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2. What criteria must be met, and in addition to Transmittal #3, what documentation does your state require to proceed with an AEI request? |
Certified pay history and court order.
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3. What are your state's criteria for reporting a noncustodial parent's child support information to credit bureaus? |
Arrears balance of $10,000.
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4. To which credit bureaus does your state report a noncustodial parent's child support information? |
Equifax.
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5. Is the method for credit bureau reporting judicial, administrative, or both? |
Administrative.
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6. Can a noncustodial parent who no longer has a past-due account have the report removed from the credit bureau? If so, what must the noncustodial parent do?" |
He/she must file a dispute with the credit bureau.
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7. When your state is the responding state, does it submit past-due cases to OCSE for federal administrative offset? If yes, what is the minimum required past-due amount? |
No.
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8. When your state is the initiating state, does it submit past-due cases to OCSE for federal administrative offset? If yes, what is the minimum required past-due amount? |
Yes. $150.00.
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9. When your state is the responding state, does it submit past-due cases to OCSE for insurance match? If yes, what is the minimum required past-due amount? |
No.
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10. When your state is the initiating state, does it submit past-due cases to OCSE for insurance match? If yes, what is the minimum required past-due amount? |
Yes. $1,000.00.
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11. When your state is the responding state, does it submit past-due cases to OCSE for MSFIDM? If yes, what is the minimum required past-due amount? |
No.
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12. When your state is the initiating state, does it submit past-due cases to OCSE for MSFIDM? If yes, what is the minimum past-due amount? |
Yes. $1,000.00.
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13. When your state is the responding state, does it submit past-due cases to OCSE for passport denial? |
No.
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14. Are the financial institution attachment procedures in your state judicial, administrative, or both? |
Administrative.
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15. Are there specific account types exempt from the administrative financial institution attachment process in your state? If yes, which account types are exempt? |
No.
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16. Is the financial institution attachment process in your state centralized and/or automated? |
Centralized, and automated.
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17. What are the criteria to attach an account in a financial institution in your state? |
Balance of $1,000 or greater.
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18. Does your state's law require financial institutions doing business in your state to accept enforcement actions directly from other states? If yes, provide the statutory citation. Please explain. |
No.
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19. If there are no statutory criteria required to attach an account, describe the process for requesting a financial institution attachment from another child support agency (for example, a Transmittal #3) and list additional documentation required. |
A Transmittal #3, certified pay history, and court order.
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20. Does your state's income withholding definition include amounts in financial institutions? |
No.
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21. Does your state require sending a notice of intent to the noncustodial parent when attaching an account in a financial institution? Who notifies the noncustodial parent - the state, the financial institution, or both? |
Yes. Both.
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22. How long does the financial institution have to hold funds before sending the noncustodial parent's assets to your child support agency? |
30 days.
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23. Does your state law or policy require the financial institution and/or state to hold the attached assets during the challenge or appeal time frame? If yes, provide the statutory citation and time frames. |
No.
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24. What amount or percentage of the noncustodial parent's financial assets are eligible for attachment? Is this different for joint accounts? Please explain. |
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25. What are the criteria for a noncustodial parent and/or joint account holder to contest a financial institution attachment? |
He/she can claim that they are not the obligor in question, or that they do not owe the stated arrearage.
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26. Does your state have procedures to liquidate non-liquid assets (for example, stocks, bonds, etc.)? If yes, provide the statutory citation and the procedures to follow. |
No.
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27. What are your state's criteria for driver's license revocation/suspension for nonpayment of support? |
An arrearage of at least $500.00; and, no full payments received within the past sixty days.
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28. What are your state's criteria for driver's license restoration/reinstatement, including hardship exemptions? |
Lump sum payment of at least three times the monthly obligation. In extenuating circumstances, we will negotiate the lump sum amount.
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29. Does your state allow temporary or conditional driver's licenses? If yes, what are the criteria? |
Yes, the Department of Motor Vehicles has this provision.
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30. What are your state's criteria for professional license revocation/suspension for nonpayment of support? Specify the professional license types. |
An arrearage of at least $500.00; no full payments received within the past sixty days. We act against professional, occupational, business, and commercial licenses.
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31. What are your state's criteria for professional license restoration/reinstatement, including hardship exemptions? |
Lump sum payment of at least three times the monthly obligation. In extenuating circumstances, we will negotiate the lump sum amount.
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32. Does your state allow temporary or conditional professional licenses? If yes, what are the criteria? |
The criteria, if any, are determined by the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation.
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33. What are your state's criteria for recreational license revocation/suspension for nonpayment of support? Specify the recreational license types. |
An arrearage of at least $500.00; no full payments received within the past sixty days.
We act against hunting and fishing licenses.
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34. What are your state's criteria for recreational license restoration/reinstatement, including hardship exemptions? |
Lump sum payment of at least three times the monthly obligation. In extenuating circumstances, we will negotiate the lump sum amount.
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35. Does your state allow temporary or conditional recreational licenses? If yes, what are the criteria? |
The criteria, if any, are determined by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
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36. What are the criteria for initiating/filing a lien in your state? |
The obligor must owe an arrearage of at least $1,000.00.
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37. Is the lien process in your state primarily judicial, administrative, or both? Please describe. |
Administrative.
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38. Does your state enforce property seizure and sale? If so, is this process primarily judicial, administrative, or both? Please describe. |
No.
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39. Does your state have a state income tax refund offset as an enforcement remedy? If yes, describe whether the process for this remedy is primarily judicial, administrative, or a combination. |
Yes. Administrative.
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40. Does your state intercept lottery or other types of gaming/gambling winnings in your state? If so, what kind of winnings are included? |
Yes. Lottery.
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40.1. If yes, is this enforcement judicial, administrative, or both? |
Administrative.
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41. What other administrative enforcement procedures are available in your state that are not otherwise described in the IRG? |
None.
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42. What other judicial enforcement procedures are available in your state that are not otherwise described in the IRG? |
None.
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1. How frequently does your state conduct order reviews in IV-D cases (for example, every year or every three years)? (See 45 CFR 303.8.) |
Every three years.
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2. What is your state's modification procedure? Briefly describe. |
An administrative review process is used to determine if the case meets the criteria for order modification. If the criteria are met, the case is scheduled for an administrative process negotiation conference to modify the order. If no agreement can be reached in an administrative setting, the cases are scheduled for a judicial hearing.
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3. What are the criteria for modification under your state's guidelines (for example, a change that is more than $50 or 20% upward or downward from the current amount ordered)? |
20% upward or downward from the current amount ordered.
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4. Which of the following criteria for demonstrating a change in circumstances apply for modifying an order? |
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4.1. The earnings of the noncustodial parent have substantially increased or decreased. |
Yes
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4.2. The earnings of the custodial parent have substantially increased or decreased. |
Yes
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4.3. The needs of a party or the child(ren) have substantially increased or decreased. |
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4.4. The cost of living has changed. |
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4.5. The child(ren) has extraordinary medical expenses not covered by insurance. |
Yes
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4.6. There has been a substantial change in childcare expenses. |
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4.7. What other criteria does your state use for demonstrating a change in circumstances for modifying an order? |
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5. Does your state have a cost of living adjustment (COLAs) for orders? If yes, what index does your state use? (See 45 CFR 303.8(b)(1)(ii).) |
No.
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6. After learning that a parent who owes support will be incarcerated for more than 180 calendar days, does your state elect to initiate a review of an order without the need for a specific request, i.e., automatically? (See 45 CFR 303.8(b)(2).) |
No. We are currently reviewing our Child Support Guidelines and will address this requirement through the review's outcome.
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