Two Portland moms say they’ve acquired invoice from state to pay again baby help | Native Information

By Last updated May 18, 2021

PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) – Two women in the Portland area seek answers after being told they must repay the state their child support payments.

Nakia Casey received a letter in the April 17 mail informing her that she owed the State of Oregon a debt of $ 380.34.

The notice told Casey that a child child support received from the state was “reversed” by the issuer and that she had 90 days to repay the state or that it would be taken to collections. Casey quickly called the Oregon Child Support Program thinking the state had made a mistake.

“My understanding is that they thought they had money from him, it could have been a tax refund, it could have been an incentive, something. And then the IRS … it’s the government that says’ actually that money comes to us first ‘”. said Casey.

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Amy Cartwright received a similar letter saying she owed the state $ 3,000.

“I work in the service industry. My bar and restaurant that I work in were closed for a year. I mean, that money was used. You know? I used it to pay for expenses like utilities and groceries and the like.” “he said to Cartwright.

State law treats the “debt” as an overpayment, and the Justice Department has the authority to collect funds from the women who receive child maintenance checks.

A DOJ spokesman said the agency was trying to find the person responsible for paying child benefit. If this is unsuccessful, however, the state cannot absorb the loss, so that the debt falls back to the recipient of the child benefit for payment. According to the DOJ, more than 8,000 people received letters of debt like Casey and Cartwright’s after the state deployed a new software system to better track overpayments.

Both women deny the debt and request an administrative review.

“It’s up to us to fight it, I think. I’m not a policy maker, but I know I don’t have to pay the DOJ because my ex didn’t pay his taxes,” Casey said.

Casey and Cartwright have both turned to their respective state officials for assistance.