Telephonic Hearings – Child Support Services

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Going to Court

Telephonic Hearings

The court may grant either or both parents permission to appear by telephone. The most common reasons are the parent lives far away; the parent has a disability; or appearing at court would be an undue hardship on the parent. Due to Covid-19, the court is encouraging parties to appear by telephone and is granting all requests for telephonic appearance.

If you would like to appear by phone, you must ask the court's permission using the Request for Remote Appearance form along with the Cover Sheet and register on LACourtConnect. The request for telephone appearance should be filed with the court at least 12 court days before the hearing. You must file the request directly with the court. You may email filed copies to CSSD. DO NOT email unfiled copies to CSSD. You can file the form in person, by mail, or by faxing your request to (442) 247-3946 with the Cover Sheet. Please see the detailed filing options here. In order to participate remotely in your hearing, you are also required to register with LACourtConnect. See the LACourtConnect Quick Reference Guide here and have your court case number readily available. If you have technical issues, the Court’s LACC Help Desk Phone Number is 213-830-0400.

You may send your filed request to CSSD by emailing your telephonic appearance request to the office that manages your case:

Email addresses:

CSSD-VanNuys@cssd.lacounty.gov

CSSD-Commerce@cssd.lacounty.gov

CSSD-Pomona@cssd.lacounty.gov

CSSD-SouthLA@cssd.lacounty.gov

CSSD-Torrance@cssd.lacounty.gov

CSSD-AntelopeValley@cssd.lacounty.gov

CSSD-Intergovernmental@cssd.lacounty.gov

If possible, provide the number of a landline (not a cellular or other mobile phone) where you can be reached at the time of the hearing.

Any documents you want the court to consider must be filed with the court and served on the CSSD and any other party to the case at least 12 court days before the hearing.

Once you have requested a telephonic hearing and registered on LACourtConnect, you can do the following to find out if the request has been granted:

1) Contact the clerk’s office during phone hours at (213) 351-7500 from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

2) Check on the LA Superior Court website. http://www.lacourt.org/casesummary/ui/index.aspx?casetype=familylaw (http://www.lacourt.org) .

For detailed information on how to test your connection prior to the hearing, please refer back to the LACourtConnect Quick Reference Guide here.

On the date of the hearing and 15 minutes ahead of your hearing, you must find your confirmation email from when you registered on LACourtConnect and follow the instructions listed there based on whether you requested to appear remotely by Video or Audio.

Once the court commissioner hears the case and makes an order, the CSSD will mail you a copy.

Glossary Terms

Answer: A legal document that responds to a Complaint and must be filed with the court by the Person Paying Support. In general, an Answer can be used to ask for genetic testing or a chance to go to court about the amount of child support. A blank Answer form is served on the Person Paying Support with the Summons and Complaint/Proposed Judgment.

Arrears: Past-due unpaid support, including interest.

CalWORKs: Welfare Program

Central Civil West (CCW): Central Civil West District of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. The courthouse is located at 600 S. Commonwealth Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90005.

Court Hearing: If the PPS files an Answer with the court clerk, the case will be scheduled for a court hearing. A PPS may request Genetic Testing to determine if he is the biological father of the child and may ask the court to decide the amount of child support. If the PPS does not attend the hearing, the court may make an order without him or her.

CSSD: Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department – The agency responsible for managing the child support program in Los Angeles County.

Default: An action that is automatically taken when someone does not respond to legal papers or show up to court as expected.

Default Judgment: In general, if the PPS did not file an Answer to the S&C within 30 days, and a stipulation has not been reached, the judicial officer may enter a Judgment by default. This means the judicial officer may enter a final Judgment based on the terms of the Proposed Judgment, without a court hearing and without any input from the PPS.

Direct Deposit: You can have the payments automatically deposited into a checking or savings account. There are several ways to enroll

Electronic Payment Card (EPC): You receive a Mastercard branded card that works like a debit card. You can receive support payments easier, faster and have access to the funds 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The card can be used everywhere Mastercard is accepted. Some fees may be associated with the Electronic Payment Card.

Emancipate: Refers to legal emancipation, which frees a minor child (under 18) from the parents’ control if the minor marries, joins the armed forces, or gets a court order of emancipation. A parent does not have to pay current child support for an emancipated minor.

File: Submitting paperwork to the court clerk.

Guideline Calculator: The California Guideline Child Support Calculator – Online tool that can be used to estimate the amount of child support that may be ordered in your case. The calculator is based on child support guidelines set by law in California.

Income Withholding Order (IWO): Income Withholding Order – A document that tells an employer to withhold a specific amount of money from a Person Paying Support's wages for support and to send it to the State Disbursement Unit.

Judgment: A final determination by the court about the rights and responsibilities of the parties in a case, which usually establishes parentage (who the parent of the child is), and orders child support and health insurance.

Judicial officers: A Judge, or a Commissioner who is appointed by a Judge to hear a child support case.

Local child support agency (LCSA): The agency in each county that is responsible for managing the child support program.

Modification: A court-ordered change to an order, e.g., the amount of current child support ordered may be modified up or down.

National Medical Support Notice (NMSN): A notice that acts as an order requiring the employer (or other group providing health insurance) to enroll the employee’s child in the employer’s health insurance plan.

NRPS: A document that tells the Person Paying Support that support payments must be made to the State Disbursement Unit.

Order: A command of the court that decides an issue or directs action.

Parentage: Parent-child relationship (who the parent of the child is).

Passport Denial Program (PDP): Passport Denial Program.

Person Paying Support (PPS): Parent who the child does not live with most of the time.

Person Receiving Support (PRS): Parent or legal caretaker who the child lives with most of the time.

PPS: Person Paying Support - Parent who the child does not live with most of the time.

PRS: Person Receiving Support – Parent or legal caretaker who the child lives with most of the time.

Serve: Deliver legal paperwork to a party.

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA): Servicemembers Civil Relief Act – Provides special protections to active members of the armed forces.

State Disbursement Unit (SDU): State Disbursement Unit – A central payment processing site that is responsible for collecting and distributing child support payments.

Stipulation: Agreement.

Summons and Complaint and Proposed Judgment (S&C): Summons and Complaint/Proposed Judgment – A set of legal documents filed with the court and served on the Person Paying Support telling him or her of the lawsuit for parentage or child support.