More Tennessee child support collected

July 22, 2009 State officials say child support payments in Tennessee increased during the last fiscal year, despite a stumbling economy. The Tennessee Department of Human Services collected more than $557 million for children through its child support program. The figure eclipsed the previous year's record $530 million in collections. DHS Commissioner Gina Lodge said her department and child support partners in all 31 judicial districts across the state are committed to ensuring that children benefit from court-ordered support payments. While the majority of child support collections come through wage withholding from a parent, DHS also uses state license revocations, federal offset programs and liens to collect support. In the fiscal year just ended, $33.25 million was collected by taking more than 24,000 tax refunds. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Next Page undefined Previous Page