Child Support Payments and Getting a U.S. Passport

Child Support Payments and Getting a U.S. Passport

 If you are certified to Passport Services by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be in arrears of child support payments in excess of $2,500, you are ineligible to receive a U.S. passport . If this applies to you, Passport Services strongly recommends that you contact the appropriate State child support enforcement agency to make payment arrangements before applying for a passport. This is because:

• The State agency must certify to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that acceptable payment arrangements have been made.
• Then, HHS must notify Passport Services by the removal of your name from the electronic list HHS gives to Passport Services. (Passport Services cannot issue a passport until your name has been deleted by HHS.)

Please note that it can take 2-3 weeks from the time you make payment arrangements with the State agency until your name is removed from HHS' electronic list. Passport Services has no information concerning individuals' child support obligations and has no authority to take action until HHS removes your name from its list.

Please direct any questions to the appropriate State child support enforcement agency. You may go to the Department of Health and Human Services - State Child Support Enforcement Web Site for a listing of HHS state and local agencies.

expansion of NJ FamilyCare

On July 8, 2008, Governor Corzine approved the expansion of NJ FamilyCare parent eligibility to200% of the federal poverty level. This means thousands of additional New Jersey parents are noweligible to receive health care coverage through NJ FamilyCare.
AMERIGROUP Community Care is a health plan that offers free or low-cost coverage for children andadults through NJ FamilyCare.With AMERIGROUP, these families may receive such important services as:

http://www.myamerigroup.com/English/Documents/NJMKT-0209.pdf

NJ plan to prevent child abuse- regional mtgs to be held with parents, faith based, community leaders, etc.

The following is a letter from NJ officials seeking your input:


Dear Parents and Community Partners:

We ask for your help with a ground breaking project that will positively impact the lives of many children and families across our state. Governor Jon S. Corzine and the NJ Legislature entrusted the Department of Children and Families'(DCF) Division of Prevention and Community Partnership (DPCP) and the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect (NJTFCAN) to create a statewide plan to prevent child abuse and neglect in New Jersey.
We want this plan to reflect as many voices as possible.

To meet this goal, we are gathering vital information from the broadest and most diverse group of New Jersey residents. The active involvement from parents, faith-based and community-based leaders, government officials and other interested child advocates will help us craft this roadmap for strengthening families and preventing the maltreatment of New Jersey's most vulnerable citizens.

Please take 15-20 minutes to complete this web-based survey (see following link) http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=j0gQ01X1_2fn7DhE0A3mcBQg_3d_3d.
(Please note: If the link does not bring you automatically to the online survey, please try to cut and paste the address into your preferred Internet browser.)

If you are a community provider, we ask that you please assist parents and community members to complete the survey if they do not have access to the Internet to complete it themselves. You may also access a printed copy (pdf) of the survey at the following link to assist others: http://nj.gov/dcf/prevention/.
If you utilize the printed survey, please return it to the following address:

CFAR - Center for Applied Research, Inc.
ATTN: Michellana Y. Jester, M.P.P.
44 Brattle Street, 4th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138

We also ask that you join us at one of four regional meetings designed to get feedback from parents and community partners.
These regional meetings are tentatively scheduled for February 26th, 28th, and March 4th and 6th. All meetings will occur from 2:30-4:30PM and 6:30-8:30 PM. Further details about these regional meetings will be emailed to you and posted on the DCF website.

If you are already not included on DCF’s general communications distribution list, which receives DCF press releases, RFP information, and other important messages, you may add yourself by sending an email to communications@dcf.state.nj.us requesting to be added.

You can also access the link to the survey by visiting the DCF Web site at www.nj.gov/dcf. Please note a Spanish version of the survey will be made available in the near future, and an additional note will be sent when it is available.

We are counting on your voice and support throughout this process. Without contributions from people like you, the statewide prevention plan may lack important ideas and strategies. Should you have any questions about the survey or the prevention planning process, please call DPCP at 609-984-0678.

Again, thank you for your participation and support.

Sincerely,

Darrell Armstrong, Director, Division of Prevention and Community Partnerships

Jonathan Sabin, Executive Director, NJ Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect NJ, Prevention Plan Steering Committee

NJ Kids on Parent's Health Insurance Until 30 Yrs Old

Did you know that New Jersey's insurance law changed and parents can keep their children on their health insurance policies until they are 30? (Note their are some exceptions) See some articles about this topic below. Also see info below about insurance for low income families or people who recently lost their jobs.

The state Department of Banking and Insurance has prepared answers to frequently asked questions about health insurance coverage for dependents to age 30. See the Web site: www.state.nj.us/dobi/dependentsunder30.htm

http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.asp?a=prod_lh&id=73573

http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/60/20030

http://www.larslarson.com/NationalHeadlines/129461.aspx

Parents, are you looking for information on low-cost health insurance for yourselves and your children? NJ FamilyCare provides information that will help you determine whether you qualify for low-cost or no-cost health insurance. You can also download an application or view frequently asked questions. http://www.njfamilycare.org/