Well, I haven't gotten a payment since Matthew's birthday so I called about it and they said they thought he wasn't working and were going to send a address verification again. They did that and I got word that they finally verified it and Iowa decided to help and so an interstate case was opened. I was told to wait 6-8wks to call back again and it hasn't even been a month I don't think and I already got a letter.

Basically it says my records have been transferred to the collection services center in Iowa. Redirection of payment is 2/4/08. Total support ordered as of 1/19/08 is 2,809.86. The kicker: Reimbursement to the payee in a single payment of 2121.86! Let's just hope I get it lol.

I couldn't figure out where these amounts came from so I just did the math and the 2809.86 is what he owes me from what he already paid. For a year I should have gotten 4128 and he paid 1318.14 so that subtracted from the total amount is 2809.86

I just wish I was getting something from him. I told him as long as I was getting something I would file but he never contacted me so I filed and now he's not even doing his court appointed obligation. I'd be happy with $50/month at this point just so I could get diapers.

keep ur head up girl...his day will come and ull get paid!

she owes me from November 7 and i have not seen a dime.she takes the stand and will lose custody on the 30 of jan. pay back is a bitc#

at least hes paying

don't count on anyone but yourself

One word girl:

Independence.

Yeah don't know what that means.

And he isn't paying. I haven't gotten a payment in 7months. I've been looking for a job but noone wants to call me in for an interview.

song bird don't they have WIC or anything where you live?helps with baby food,milk and stuff till the child is five.Big help.
As for support I'm glad you are persueing it.The other parent needs to help.

Yeah, I've been on WIC since I got pregnant. It did help with formula. He's on lactaid milk now so I only get 1 gallon per check cause it's more expensive. I'm thinking of having them switch him to regular milk next month when he gets recertified so I can get more milk cause he drinks the half gallon in 2 or 3 days.

I wish you luck :)

I have to use lactaid milk because of lactose intolerance. Is that why he is on it?

Yeah, he was on enfamil lactofree formula as a baby and so they kept him on the lactose free whole milk once he switched. He was always really gassy and constipated as a baby so I figured it was from the lactose cause I've never been able to drink milk or handle much dairy. He's had 2% regular milk though so that's why I'm thinking of switching him cause he does fine with it.

Guess the first thing is to stop waiting for a "Zero to become a Hero". Sounds harsh but the sooner you accept it the better for your kid, and you, since statisticlly the odds are against you collecting anything and the longer you are in poverty the more problems you are going to have the faster you become your own HERO (notice the first three letters are HER?) the better.
That said there are numerous resources for single parents with dependent children.
And easy way to get a host of resources is to call your city or the nearest city to you for the "United Way First Call For Help". They can tell you about cash assistance programs, houseing, day care,meducal care ect ect ect. They know also local resources and can give you the program names, addresses, phone numbers and times they are open. I suggest keeping a note book and writing down notes as you work through each resource. Just because you do not qualify for one does not mean you will not qualify for another. Some are income based others also count assets. Some programs only serve "first come first serve" until the money runs out so don't mess around. If you miss it this year you may get it next. Check zip codes and do a mapquest then cross match for public transportation sometimes it is actually cheaper. Sometimes you can call for applications or down load them from the computer web site. Salvation Army might help with a Mass transit card or a gas card for a small amount. Even if you have a car the mass transit is a good way to save gas and keep you from getting busted driving with no tags or insurance or a broken tail light which will definitly get you locked up even if you have a kid. There are half fare cards. Many of the job programs provide mass transit cards.
Sign up for a college class. Community colleges are really cheap. Even one hour credit class entitles you student privileges and discounts for a semester if not the entire year.Full time students can get student health insurance for very low rates. And most banks give free student checking acounts.
WIC is an excellent place to start especially for a child with allergies; the doctor has to say that you have to have the higher priced milk substitutes but that is no biggie for even a public clinic Physician's assistant to do under the supervision by a doctor if you have any medical records that state that. Good reason to keep copies of all medical records.
If you have not had income this month then by all means apply for emergency food stamps. First however go to a Food bank and get a food basket THEN buy around what you get to streach your food dollars. Also apply for all public programs. If you collect support you can always turn it down but you do not have to give it back if it comes before you collect.
It is possible if your child has a medical condition that you can get a reduced rate for your utilities so make application.
If you are seeking employment as a low income single parent there are a host of agencies that will help you. Start first at your local Child Protective Services for assistance.
An outstanding program Nation Wide is Family Promise. It is a comprehensive program.
So is Habitat for Humanity. They can help you qualify for a home to be built for you and even if you become disqualified because you start collecting or find a better job they can tell you how to become a home owner through other programs. Home Ownership is the best possible guarantee for economic independence. Habitat does NOT discriminate against couples who live together.
Also go to your Community College and ask for a Displaced Home Maker Program. They have FREE comprhensive testing and scholarship assistance for you to cover the costs to live and educate yourself so you can have job skills to be financially independent.
Try talking to the Urban League in your local community. They have EXCELLENT job training and placement programs. You do not have to be a minority to qualify for urban league they count women as a minority.
Talk to Unions. Many women can find training and high paying employment in union positions. Some are "untraditional" jobs but there are an amazing number of jobs that are just crying for workers.
Talk to your local faith leaders and give them a photo resume of all possible job skills. You would be amazed at how well a larger "church" can network you. Many have free or subsidized daycare, job search groups, and a host of other ministries to familys. They also can hook you up with elderly people who need an occasional helping hand to suppliment your income. Currently middle age people like myself are paying anywhere from $15 to 25 an hour for home helpers and "babysitters" for their elder adults.
Take any job you can get; especially if it is a part time job where they offer pre- employment drug testing. Once you get the results you can use them as proof to other employers that you are drug free. Also don't necessarily believe that places you hear are bad places to work are because retailers and chains tend to hire and promote people who stick around and have good attendance after a year. If you have any prior employment or education where you can document perfect attendance be sure and work that into interviews.
Good Luck! I will keep you on my prayer list.

Wow that's a lot of info you got there Pacific and thank you for all that. I am on WIC and I do have Medicaid as does my son. I'm not in school this semester because my tuition from last semester isn't paid off. I only got $330 from Pell Grant and my A+ didn't pay because my GPA was too low. I got it up to a 2.1 but it has to be a 2.5 for A+ to pay. So I can't go to school until the tuition is paid off. I am looking for a job. I've applied 4 places and none of them called me in for an interview and all of them said they were hiring. I do live at home with my parents so they help me out but things are really tight cause there's 5 adults, a toddler, and a newborn. My sister works but she's on maternity leave right now so she only has what's left from her last paycheck. She does help me with diapers and wipes if I don't have money or if my parents can't get them. My mom pays on my tuition and my dad pays for my car. My sister gets WIC too. I might go apply for foodstamps though. I was denied before and I was an unemployed student then too.

Anyways, I'll check into some of the stuff you mentioned tomorrow but I need to get to bed for now.

mine owes me from the year 2000. Dont hold your breath. Its up to you to tend to your youngin. Lotsa luck especially in tennessee!!!!

I take it you have a special needs child and you're trying to get a loser to pay up. Good luck on him paying up. As far as the special needs if the child is under 3 yrs of age call your local school dist. and ask about a program called ECI or Debt. They are awesome and VERY helpful, at least they are here in TX. As far as the milk go to your Dr. and ask for a Rx for the right milk. WIC should supply more that way because it's Drs orders. I'm telling you this because I'm dealing with ECI and WIC for my daughter. She has to have PediaSure to gain weight. Granted her weight is not the only issue ECI is working with us on. She has Epilesy, CP and Failure to Thrive. Oh and I'm going after her dad for child support too.

No, he's not special needs. I talked to them about pediasure too cause he's always been in the 25 percentile range for his weight. They say it's ok because he's always been in the 90th percentile for height. I talked to my doctor and he didn't seem to think it was that big of an issue so I was like ok. Mainly I wanted it for nutrition because Matthew is really picky at times and won't want anything but his milk or he'll only eat crackers. He's a light eater and eats on the run lol.

I don't hold my breath but I was told by another mom that because it's tax time I probably will get a good lump sum of money. That's the only reason I have hope right now.

It's a good thing we have medicaid because Matthew had surgery at 7months so if I didn't have insurance or medicaid to pay it all you bet your bippy I'd be after him to help with that.

Oh ok. ECI may not help then. A word of advice from past experience with my sister. Watch how much milk you do give him cause we nearly lost my sister when she was younger. Due to the fact all she wanted was milk. My parents let her have it not knowing to much milk would cause dehydration. I don't know how much he drinks, but you might keep a watch on him.