Bill > AB2395

This bill aims to improve the statewide child support arrears compromise program, which allows the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) to accept offers to settle past-due child support payments and accrued interest owed to the state for families receiving public assistance, specifically aid paid under the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Act (often referred to as CalWORKs). Key changes include making it optional for an obligor (the person ordered to pay child support) to be in compliance with current support orders before their arrears can be compromised, and increasing the amount of arrears a local child support agency administrator can compromise from $5,000 to $10,000. The bill also removes a provision that made determinations about accepting or rescinding compromise offers final and unappealable, and instead mandates that the DCSS, in consultation with stakeholders, develop uniform forms, standards, and procedures for local agencies to ensure the program is applied consistently across California. These new regulations will prohibit requiring an offer of repayment on the application itself and will inform applicants of their right to use a complaint resolution process. Local agencies will also be required to post information about the program on their websites, act on applications within specific timeframes, and consider various factors, such as employment history and barriers, when negotiating repayment amounts that may be less than initially determined by eligibility standards. Finally, the bill establishes reporting requirements for local agencies to help the state evaluate the program's effectiveness and uniformity.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB2395