ALBANY, NY – Laws to make it easier for families to find and collect unclaimed child support payments were signed by Governor Cuomo on Friday. The law provides a process whereby unclaimed funds are forwarded to the State Comptroller Office so families can more easily find unclaimed payments.

The state has tens of millions of dollars in undistributed funds because Local Social Services (LDSS) sometimes struggle to find parents who need payments. Money is crucial to keeping families out of poverty.

“Many parents who have economic difficulties are dependent on child benefit payments for the basic needs of the household. Unfortunately, the bureaucratic process of collecting these payments has made it impossible for some to access these funds, ”said Cuomo. “With this new law, we are simplifying the previously unnecessarily difficult administrative process and making it more efficient for families to receive the funds to which they are entitled.”

The old process required the LDSS to file a petition with the family court for the funds to be deposited with the district treasurer. The funds had to remain with the county treasurer for five years before they could be turned over to the state comptroller. It would take seven years or more for the funds to be searched on the auditor’s website.

The new system allows LDSS to transfer unclaimed funds to the State Comptroller Office of Nonclaimed Funds after LDSS spent two years trying to track down the family entitled to the funds. By eliminating the need to go to the family court, the time it takes families to seek remedies is reduced by five years.