Parents who get their court-ordered child support payments through the mail can now use a debit card to access the money, according to the District of Columbia’s attorney general’s office.
The new system allows parents to receive their money more quickly and easily and should alleviate tension over the money between the parents, a spokeswoman said.
“It allows custodial parents immediate access to child support payments — which means kids don’t have to wait to get the things they need, and parents can avoid costly check-cashing fees,” Acting Attorney General Linda Singer said Tuesday.
About 8,000 parents in the city who have received their checks through the mail are now eligible for the new program.
The cards work just like a bank debit card and can be used anywhere that accepts Visa or at any automated teller machine.
The cards are safer and more convenient than paper checks and the money can be accessed 24 hours a day, according to Office of the Attorney General spokeswoman Traci Hughes.
The goal is to make the child-support system entirely paperless, Hughes said.
The Child Support Services Division, the agency that oversees the payments, will distribute the cards. The District gets involved after court orders a parent to pay child support.
More than 77,000 kids and their families depend on the agency to receive funds needed for food, shelter, health care and education.
