Hearings Department

The Muskingum County Child Support Enforcement Agency conducts Mistake of Fact, Modification and Administrative hearings at the agency. 

Mistake of Fact Hearings are held when the absent parent does not agree with the amount of arrearage on a Default Notice. Default notices are sent to the absent parent when they are behind in their child support and the agency is going to add an additional fee to the current child support order for collection of these arrears.

Modifications are completed in our agency. Modifications are case reviews where each party is asked to supply the agency with the last three-year pay history, along with other pertinent information (daycare cost, insurance cost, other support orders, union dues, etc.), to determine if the current child support order needs increased or decreased. The process takes approximately 93 days to complete. Once the results are mailed certified, to each party, they have 30 days to ask for a modification hearing. When a child or children are on public assistance, a child support case must be reviewed every three (3) years to determine if a child support order will be increased or decreased, depending upon the circumstances of the case. Cases that are not on public assistance are reviewed at the parties request.

Modification Hearings are held when one or both parties object to the results of the modification. The hearing is held at the agency with a Hearing Officer. The Hearing Officer will review the results of the modification and evaluate the parties information presented at the hearing, and then issue findings. If the parties object to the Hearing Officer’s findings, they have the option of requesting a court hearing.

With the Administrative process the agency has the ability to establish paternity and establish both child support and medical orders without the parties having to go to court.

Agency Contact Person

Kerry Haddox / Attorney/CSEA Manager
740.455.7146 ext. 113
1.800.450.7146 ext. 113