Read-Weikel named to committee to update state's child support system

Navigating the state’s child support system can be complicated.

But thanks to one-time federal funding, new technology is being developed that may simplify the process for custodial and non-custodial parents alike.

Lesa Read-Weikel, supervisor, Division of Child Support in the LaRue County Attorney’s office, is serving as a subject matter expert on the exchange portal specialization team. 

Read-Weikel, who has worked with County Attorney Dale Morris since January 2003, said it was “an honor to have been asked personally by the deputy commissioner, Steve Veno, to serve.”

“In LaRue County alone, we are responsible for collecting nearly $1.8 million of child support each year,” she said. “We rank one of the top in the state due to our diligence in establishing and enforcing child support.”

Team members have 202 collective years of child support experience and have suggested several improvements.

With the new technology, federal and state government agencies will be able to share information through use of an electronics forms database which will improve access for CSE caseworkers. Read-Weikel said one practical application is to locate non-custodial parents.

Another is JusticXchange, a multi-state database of inmates and incarceration histories.

One of the major changes is a customer service website that will allow custodial and non-custodial parents to view details of their case, such as payments, appointments and their case status, according to the Kentucky Child Support Enforcement Program. The public can access general child support information, view court dates, or apply for services online. The new website also will allow for online payments to be made by the non-custodial parent.

“I believe the modernization of Kentucky’s child support system will encourage participants to become more involved in their own case,” Read-Weikel said. “Thanks to the electronic world, we have become a more hands on, self-service society.”

Veno said the ultimate goal of the modernization is to make it easier for customers to get information about their own cases.

The upgrades will be accessible to the public as they are completed. The entire upgrade should be accessible by August 2012.

 For more information about the Kentucky Child Support Enforcement, visit http://chfs.ky.gov/dis/cse.htm.