Do I Have to File Contempt to Get Medical Reimbursement

[worriedmommy]

My question involves child support in the State of: TX

I have sole custody and also carry insurance for our daughter age 6. He is ordered to pay 50% of out of pocket and monthy primiums. We are currently in in court for a custody modification and support modification. Custody will most likely stay the same, visitation willl change, and support will also be changed. My lawyer wants to get all daughters medical bills and copys of primiums paid and file contempt on ex. It willl cost me too much to pay my lawyer to file this contempt. Do I have to file contempt to get this medical support or can we just request at trial that it be added to arrears? He owes over 17,000 and was just approved for ssdi so now is the time to get that paid. Can his ssd lump sum be garnshed to the full amount?

[Mr. Knowitall]

We have no way of knowing what prior requests for reimbursement you've made from your ex-, when you made those requests, or why you are talking about "get[ting] all daughters medical bills and copays of premiums" instead of simply pulling together the copies of the requests you made that went unanswered. If you have chosen not to document medical bills to your ex- for a matter of years, you may have waived a good portion of the amounts at issue and your ex- won't be held in contempt for not paying money that was never requested from him.

The child should receive a lump sum payment when her father receives his; normally that would be applied to arrears. Your lawyer can clarify the details.

[worriedmommy]

I have notified my ex as per court order (cert. mail) of all copays and medical bills within the time frame in court order. I wrote him an e-mail letting him know I have not recieved any payments on the bills and that his 30 days to pay them have passed. In the same e-mail I requested that he make at least some effort if he couldn't pay all of it. He replied telling me that he tried to pay $20 towards medical but the child support office would not note that it was medical and he did not way to pay me and not recieve credit for it. Im not looking to file contempt I just want it to be noted that the money is owed.