Child Support Investigator

Douglas County • Douglas County Superior, WI

19h • Onsite

About The Position

The role of a Child Support Investigator is to establish a legal determination of paternity for children; collect financial and health insurance support for children and modify court-ordered support obligations on local and intergovernmental cases.

Requirements

• High school graduate, associate or bachelor’s degree preferred, with emphasis on paralegal, accounting, criminal justice, public or business administration, communications, or other related human services field.
• Experience as a child support worker or collections officer, experience in work related to the child support field, experience as an eligibility worker in a human services agency, experience with the legal system and experience in collection work outside the public sector may be considered in lieu of educational requirements.
• Successful adjudication of State Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) fingerprints and criminal background check pursuant to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 1075 Publication are required due to access to Federal Tax Information (FTI). (at the time of hire and every 4.5 years, thereafter.

Responsibilities

• Locate absent parents and employment information by performing confidential investigations utilizing automated, internet, and manual resources available to assist in establishing and enforcing child support and medical support orders.
• Contacts parents, employers, insurance companies, attorneys, responsible parties, and/or other public and private entities to investigate facts needed to establish, enforce, or modify support obligations.
• Initiates verbal or written communication with a parent to affect payment of court-ordered child support obligations, debts assigned to the County or State, and court-related costs.
• Collect DNA samples in paternity cases.
• Collect birth costs owed to the State of Wisconsin.
• Examine confidential financial records and public records of involved parties such as legal orders for support, custody and placement; real estate ownership; mortgages; tax returns; Social Security Administration; financial institutions; bankruptcy claims; financial disclosure statements; and other related materials in order to determine ability to pay.
• Obtain, review and interpret financial information to determine appropriate child support obligations pursuant to Wisconsin State statutes and child support guidelines.
• Determine the availability of medical insurance.
• Select the appropriate administrative tools to enforce child support orders without the need for a court hearing.
• Prepare legal referrals recommending felony prosecution on cases with extensive record of non-payment of support.
• Prepare cases that are settled prior to litigation by negotiating the terms of the agreements with both parents and/or attorneys; composes the legal documents setting forth the terms; obtains written consent of all parties and submits the documents to Corporation Counsel attorneys for approval and filing with the court.
• Make initial assessments of venue and jurisdiction for litigation which includes a determination of where the case should be heard and whether the hearing should be held in Wisconsin or another state.
• Make recommendations for legal actions and assists in the preparation of the case for court.
• Compose and prepare a variety of legal documents including affidavits, summons and petitions, motions, orders to show cause and stipulations and orders.
• Appear as a witness in court, testifying to actions taken to establish, modify, or enforce financial support and health insurance obligations.
• Enforce orders through the use of administrative actions.
• Identify potential fraud documents, financial records, and correspondence related to cases.
• Initiate intergovernmental referrals and respond to referrals made by other states for the full range of child support services.
• Serve as liaison with social services and legal authorities in matters related to cases.
• Provide customer service and may answer inquiries for clients, attorneys, employers, law enforcement, and other state agencies and the judiciary.
• Comply with federal time requirements for taking action and determine if a case is eligible for closure in accordance with federal criteria.
• Maintain case files in a statewide computer database.
• May train, assign, or monitor the work of others.
• Perform other duties as required.

Benefits

• Annual wage increase based on eligibility
• Paid, on-the-job training and advancement opportunities
• 85% County contribution to health and dental premiums
• Health Saving Account (HSA) available to all employees enrolled in the county's medical plan, with annual contributions provided by the employer and the health plan
• Wisconsin Retirement- One of the most well managed retirement systems in the nation- Contributions are paid according to current year rates set by WRS Employee Trust Fund. Refer to www.etf.wi.gov for further detail.
• County paid life insurance coverage – coverage at 1 times your annual salary.
• Supplemental, Additional, and Spousal/Dependent life insurance available at Employee’s expense
• Competitive paid time off including vacation, sick time, personal days and holidays
• Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Employer

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED