WASHINGTON, DC-Today, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) and Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Danny K. Davis (D-IL) released the following statement after the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a letter to states that they should exercise their discretion and refrain from collecting child support from very low-income parents during a time of family crisis:
“Recent news reports exposed that some states are automatically collecting child support from low-income parents as a way to ‘pay back’ the state while children are temporarily in foster care. This is counterproductive to the goal of family reunification, and only deepens these parents’ financial instability during a time of crisis. We are relieved that HHS has clarified existing policy through this guidance and is encouraging states to treat each case individually rather than immediately establishing support orders on low-income households."
