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GLOSSARY OF TERMS
RELATING TO CHILD SUPPORT AND PATERNITY
- Absent parent
- The parent who does not live with or have custody of the child, but does have responsibility for paying child support. (Now known as Non-Custodial Parent / Non-Custodial Party (NCP)
- AFDC
- Aid to Families with Dependent Children. No longer an active public assistance program. Replaced by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. (TANF)
- Arrearages
- Unpaid child support payments for past periods owed by a person who is legally obligated to pay.
- Arrest Warrant / Body Attachment
- Order of the court commanding that law enforcement place a person in custody and to bring them without delay before the court. In child support matters, Arrest Warrants are ordinarily issued only upon a failure to appear by the non-custodial party for a court date after proper notice was given to appear. Arrest Warrants are not issued when a non-custodial party has merely fallen behind in child support payments. In such case, a Rule To Show Cause must be filed and actual notice given by the Sheriff before the court will enter an arrest warrant for failure to appear.
- Assignment of support rights
- Giving up rights to receive child support to the State of Indiana in exchange for TANF and/or Medicaid benefits.
- Certified copy
- A copy of a court document which the Court Clerk certifies in writing is a true and correct copy of the original document.
- Complaint
- Written document filed in court in which the person starting the action names the persons, allegations and relief wanted.
- Contempt
- Disobeying a court order when a person has the ability to comply. (E.g., a knowing failure to pay child support, in violation of a court order which commands payment.)
- Custodial Parent / Custodial Party (CP)
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The person with primary physical custody of the child; is usually a parent, but may be another relative or someone authorized by the Court. The Custodial Parent/Party typically receives child support payments on behalf of the child.
- Default
- Failure of a defendant to file an answer or appeal in a court case within a certain number of days after being served with a summons or complaint.
- Default judgment
- Court Order entered by the Judge when the defendant fails to answer or appear after proper service of process is made.
- Entry By Agreement / Stipulation
- A binding agreement between the parties to an action which the court makes an order or judgment.
- Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS)
- A service operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to assist the state in locating absent parents for the purpose of obtaining child support payments.
- Felony
- A criminal offense punishable by imprisonment for more than one (1)year.
- Income Withholding Order (IWO) / Garnishment
- A legal order requiring a person's wages to be withheld and applied to payment of a child support.
- Joint Custody
- A legal term where one parent has full-time physical custody of the child and the other parent is entitled to give input on major life decisions of the child like choice of church or school, etc. Joint custody does not mean that both parents have the child and equal amount of time.
- Judgment
- The official decision or finding of a court upon the individual rights and claims of the parties to an action.
- Jurisdiction
- Legal authority which a court has over a particular person and certain types of cases, in a defined geographical area.
- Legal father
- A man who is considered by law as the male parent.
- Levy
- The taking of property by a Marshal or Sheriff, with a Writ of Execution.
- Lien
- A claim against certain property owned by an Obligor to prevent sale or transfer until a debt is satisfied, typically an automobile.
- Longarm statute
- A law which allows one state to claim personal jurisdiction over someone who lives in another state.
- Medicaid support
- Health insurance coverage for the supported children, paid for by either or both parents at little or no cost, including vision and dental care coverage.
- Misdemeanor
- A criminal offense where the punishment cannot be longer than imprisonment for one (1) year.
- Modification
- A court order which changes the terms of an earlier court order.
- Motion
- A request to the court for an order.
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Non-Custodial Parent / Non-Custodial Party (NCP)
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A person who does not live with or have primary physical custody of the child and typically is ordered to pay support (formerly known as Absent Parent)
- Order to Show Cause (OSC)
- A court order telling a person to appear in court and to explain why a certain order should not be entered. (E.g., An Order to Show Cause why a parent should not be held in contempt for failure to obey an order to pay child support)
- Parenting Time / Visitation
- The right of the non-custodial parent to visit or spend time with a child, subject to the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines. The State of Indiana and the Prosecuting Attorney is forbidden from any involvement in parenting time and visitation disputes.
- Paternity judgment
- Legal determination of who is the father of a child.
- Plaintiff
- Person who brings a legal action or lawsuit.
- Primary Physical Custody
- Court ordered requirement that one of the parents provide food, shelter, clothing, and basic necessities for the child.
- Probation
- A period of time during which the sentence of a Defendant is suspended, subject to compliance with certain terms and conditions of good behavior, avoiding actual jail time.
- Probation officer
- A county officer of the Judge, charged with the responsibility of supervising those persons on formal probation.
- Public Assistance
- Money given to a person or family for living expenses from the State/Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program(welfare and foster care, TANF) or Medicaid benefits paid for a person or family receiving Medicaid.
- Retroactive Child Support
- Child support that is ordered to be paid beginning at a date in the past and which would create an immediate child support debt. Under Indiana law, retroactivity can only be applied back to the date of filing of the Petition or Motion.
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Rule To Show Cause (RTSC)
- A court order telling a person to appear in court and to explain why a certain order should not be entered. (E.g., An Order to Show Cause why a parent should not be held in contempt for willful failure to obey an order to pay child support).
- Stipulation
- An agreement between the parties to an action which the court makes an order or judgment.
- Summons
- A written notice and warning to appear in court on a given date, usually for a hearing or trial.
- TANF (formerly AFDC)
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. See "Public Assistance."
- UIFSA
- The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, which permits enforcement of child support and paternity orders between separate States. (Formerly known as URESA, the Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act)
- Visitation
- The right of the non-custodial parent to visit or spend time with his or her child. (See "Parenting Time.")
- Writ of Execution
- A court order telling the Sheriff or Marshal to seize property to satisfy a court judgment.
Abbreviations
ACF - Administration for Children and Families
AFDC - Aid to Families with Dependent Children
AFSE - Annual Support Fee
AVR - Automated Voice Response System
CCD+ - Cash Concentration and Disbursement "Plus"
CCPA - Consumer Credit Protection Act
CEJ - Continuing Exclusive Jurisdiction to modify a support order
CP - Custodial Party
CSE - Child Support Enforcement Agency
CTX - Corporate Trade Exchange
DCS - local Department of Child Services office
DHHS - United States Department of Health and Human Services
DOB - Date of Birth
EDI - Electronic Data Interchange
EFT - Electronic Funds Transfer
FEIN - Federal Employer Identification Number
INSCCU - Indiana State Central Collection Unit
IRS - Internal Revenue Service
ISETS - Indiana Support Enforcement Tracking System
IV-A - Title IV-A of the Social Security Act
IV-D - Title IV-D of the Social Security Act
IV-E - Title IV-E of the Social Security Act
IWO - Income Withholding Order
NACHA - National Automated Clearing House Association
NCP - Non-Custodial Parent
OCSE - Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement
PRWORA - Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
SDU - State Disbursement Unit
SSA - Social Security Administration
SSN - Social Security Number
TANF - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
UIFSA - Uniform Interstate Family Support Act
UPPA - Unreimbursed Past Public Assistance
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