Governor Paterson Proclaims August Child Support Month in New York State

ALBANY, NY (08/07/2009)(readMedia)-- Governor David A. Paterson has issued a Proclamation declaring August as Child Support Month in New York State, recognizing the importance of child support payments to helping New York's children and families achieve and maintain economic security.

Throughout August, the State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), the agency charged with administering the child support program, will highlight the importance of child support and recognize the outstanding achievements of counties and hospitals in ensuring the well-being of children across the state.

"Child support is critical to the financial security of children and families throughout the state, even more so during these difficult economic times," said Kristin Proud, Deputy Director of State Operations, who is overseeing OTDA. "New York State's efforts to maintain and increase collections are helping the families of more than 1 million children to meet their needs."

New York State's child support program provides custodial parents with assistance in obtaining financial support and medical insurance coverage for their children by locating parents, establishing paternity, establishing support orders and collecting and distributing child support payments. OTDA handles more than 892,000 child support cases and provides services for 1.1 million children. In 2008, New York obtained record-high child support collections of more than $1.7 billion.

This summer, OTDA will be recognizing child support staff in Westchester, Saratoga and Schoharie counties for posting the best overall performance rates in 2008 among similar-sized counties, based on federal performance standards. Each of these counties had the best combined rates for their performance in: establishing paternity for children born out-of-wedlock; obtaining child support orders for custodial parents; collecting current child support from noncustodial parents; and collecting past-due child support from noncustodial parents.

"New York's child support enforcement program would not be so successful without the extraordinary daily efforts at the local level," said Deputy Commissioner Scott Cade, who oversees OTDA's Center for Child Well-Being. "Child support professionals across the state continue to demonstrate their commitment to improving outcomes for children and families, including New York City which recently achieved its highest performance ever for establishing paternity and obtaining child support orders."

OTDA will also honor Community Memorial Hospital in Madison County, St. Mary's Hospital at Amsterdam in Montgomery County, and Southside Hospital in Suffolk County for having the best hospital-based acknowledgment of paternity rates for facilities their size. Through these efforts, hospital staff assists unmarried parents with establishing legal paternity for their child prior to leaving the hospital, and without going to court. Establishing paternity is a critical first step toward ensuring that children have two parents who will be there to support them and ensure their well-being.

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