New Online Questionnaire Speeds Up Child and Spousal Support Process

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Individuals applying for child or spousal support for the first time will now have the option to complete a new questionnaire online that will help speed-up the process, saving time for the clients and the courts.

"By moving the questionnaire online, it will ease access to services for Pennsylvania's children and families who rely on financial support to help keep them safe and healthy," Department of Public Welfare Acting Secretary Beverly Mackereth said. "This questionnaire streamlines the existing manual process and allows for a more efficient and effective child and spousal support system."

The online questionnaire can be used by anyone requesting child or spousal support for the first time, and offers an alternative to the paper data sheet used during intake interviews at the local county Domestic Relations Section office. It will take 30 minutes to complete online. Once complete, the information is uploaded into the electronic child support system to be quickly accessed by the Domestic Relations Section, when the applicant comes into the office for the intake interview.

Applicants must file for support at their local Domestic Relations Section office within 60 days of submitting their online questionnaire. If the client does not appear within 60 days, the questionnaire will be taken out of the system and will no longer be available to the client or to the courts.

"The creation of the new online questionnaire is just another example of why Pennsylvania's Child Support Enforcement Program consistently ranks first in the nation for its child support collections efforts," Mackereth said.

To access the online questionnaire, visit www.childsupport.state.pa.us.

For more information about the Department of Public Welfare, visit www.dpw.state.pa.us or call 1-800-692-7462.

Media contact: Carey Miller or Donna Kirker Morgan at 717-425-7606.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare