Washington Code 74.20A.056 – Notice and finding of financial responsibility pursuant to an acknowledgment of parentage — Procedure for contesting — Rules
Current as of: 2023 | Check for updates
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(1)(a) If an acknowledged parent has signed an acknowledgment of parentage that has been filed with the state registrar of vital statistics:
Terms Used In Washington Code 74.20A.056
- Department: means the state department of social and health services. See Washington Code 74.20A.020
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- person: may be construed to include the United States, this state, or any state or territory, or any public or private corporation or limited liability company, as well as an individual. See Washington Code 1.16.080
- State: means any state or political subdivision, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See Washington Code 74.20A.020
- Superior court order: means any judgment, decree, or order of the superior court of the state of Washington, or a court of comparable jurisdiction of another state, establishing the existence of a support obligation and ordering payment of a set or determinable amount of support moneys to satisfy the support obligation. See Washington Code 74.20A.020
- Support obligation: means the obligation to provide for the necessary care, support, and maintenance, including medical expenses, of a dependent child or other person as required by statutes and the common law of this or another state. See Washington Code 74.20A.020
(i) The division of child support may serve a notice and finding of financial responsibility under RCW 74.20A.055 based on the acknowledgment. The division of child support shall attach a copy of the acknowledgment or certification of the birth record information advising of the existence of a filed acknowledgment of parentage to the notice;
(ii) The notice shall include a statement that the acknowledged parent or any other signatory may commence a proceeding in court to rescind or challenge the acknowledgment or denial of parentage under RCW 26.26A.235 and 26.26A.240;
(iii) A statement that the person required to pay support, and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support who is a parent of the child or children covered by the order, are responsible for providing health care coverage for the child if accessible coverage that can be extended to cover the child is or becomes available to the obligated person through employment or is union-related as provided under RCW 26.09.105;
(iv) The party commencing the action to rescind or challenge the acknowledgment or denial must serve notice on the division of child support and the office of the prosecuting attorney in the county in which the proceeding is commenced. Commencement of a proceeding to rescind or challenge the acknowledgment or denial stays the establishment of the notice and finding of financial responsibility, if the notice has not yet become a final order; and
(v) A statement that the support obligation under the order may be abated to ten dollars per month per order as provided in RCW 26.09.320 if the person required to pay support is confined in a jail, prison, or correctional facility for at least six months, or is serving a sentence greater than six months in a jail, prison, or correctional facility.
(b) If neither party to the notice files an application for an adjudicative proceeding or the signatories to the acknowledgment or denial do not commence a proceeding to rescind or challenge the acknowledgment of parentage, the amount of support stated in the notice and finding of financial responsibility becomes final, subject only to a subsequent determination under RCW 26.26A.400 through 26.26A.515 that the parent-child relationship does not exist. The division of child support does not refund nor return any amounts collected under a notice that becomes final under this section or RCW 74.20A.055, even if a court later determines that the acknowledgment is void.
(c) An acknowledged parent or other party to the notice who objects to the amount of support requested in the notice may file an application for an adjudicative proceeding up to twenty days after the date the notice was served. An application for an adjudicative proceeding may be filed within one year of service of the notice and finding of parental responsibility without the necessity for a showing of good cause or upon a showing of good cause thereafter. An adjudicative proceeding under this section shall be pursuant to RCW 74.20A.055. The only issues shall be the amount of the accrued debt and the amount of the current and future support obligation.
(i) If the application for an adjudicative proceeding is filed within twenty days of service of the notice, collection action shall be stayed pending a final decision by the department.
(ii) If the application for an adjudicative proceeding is not filed within twenty days of the service of the notice, any amounts collected under the notice shall be neither refunded nor returned if the person required to pay support under the notice is later found not to be required to pay support.
(d) If neither the acknowledged parent nor the person entitled to receive support requests an adjudicative proceeding, or if no timely action is brought to rescind or challenge the acknowledgment or denial after service of the notice, the notice of financial responsibility becomes final for all intents and purposes and may be overturned only by a subsequent superior court order entered under RCW 26.26A.400 through 26.26A.515.
(2) Acknowledgments of parentage are subject to requirements of chapters 26.26A, 26.26B, and 70.58A RCW.
(3) The department and the department of health may adopt rules to implement the requirements under this section.
(4) The department has rule-making authority to enact rules consistent with 42 U.S.C. § 652(f) and 42 U.S.C. § 666(a)(19) as amended by section 7307 of the deficit reduction act of 2005. Additionally, the department has rule-making authority to implement regulations required under 45 C.F.R. Parts 302, 303, 304, 305, and 308.
[ 2020 c 227 § 11. Prior: 2019 c 148 § 38; 2019 c 46 § 5053; 2018 c 150 § 108; 2009 c 476 § 8; 2007 c 143 § 9; prior: 2002 c 302 § 707; 2002 c 199 § 6; 1997 c 58 § 941; prior: 1994 c 230 § 19; 1994 c 146 § 5; 1989 c 55 § 3.]
NOTES:
Effective date—2020 c 227 §§ 3-13: See note following RCW 26.09.320.
Findings—Intent—2020 c 227: See note following RCW 26.09.320.
Rule-making authority—2020 c 227: See RCW 26.09.916.
Effective date—2009 c 476: See note following RCW 26.09.105.
Severability—2007 c 143: See note following RCW 26.18.170.
Short title—Part headings, captions, table of contents not law—Exemptions and waivers from federal law—Conflict with federal requirements—Severability—1997 c 58: See RCW 74.08A.900 through 74.08A.904.