Lorain County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA)
42485 North Ridge Rd Elyria, Ohio 44035
Phone: (440)284-4401 Fax: (440)462-0624
Lobby Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Call Center Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday 7:45 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
The purpose of the child support program is to provide children with the opportunity for a better life. Working with both parents to establish and enforce support orders is essential in helping children receive the financial and medical support they deserve. The program also strives to benefit taxpayers by defraying the cost of public assistance by helping families become and remain self-sufficient. Next to public education, no other social service program nationally, statewide, or locally, affects more children than the child support enforcement program.
Lorain County CSEA administers nearly 24,000 active child support cases for over 35,000 children. To date, 70% of current child support obligations are regularly met to support the children. The agency collects approximately $43 million annually.
The CSEA also offers many services including: Genetic testing, administrative establishment of paternity, support orders, and locating of non-residential parents. The agency routinely works with the Sheriff’s Office, the Prosecutor’s Office, Domestic Relations, and Juvenile Courts to enforce support orders.
We are here to assist with the following functions:
- Location of custodial or non-custodial parents or alleged fathers.
- Paternity establishment.
- Establishment of administrative child support and medical support orders.
- Enforcement and modification of court child support and medical support orders.
- Collection of support payments.
- Assistance seeking employment.
What the CSEA does NOT do:
- Deal directly with issues of visitation and/or custody.
- Discuss a case with a third party without having written consent of the payor or payee (i.e., private counsel unless the attorney of record, spouse, parent, child, et cetera).
- Provide copies of Domestic or Juvenile court orders. The parties to the case must request these from court directly.
- Offer and/or provide legal advice. The parties to the case should contact private counsel or contact Domestic Relations Legal Resource Center directly.
- Represent the payor or payee at court proceedings. While the CSEA will have attorneys present at hearings held at court, he or she represents the CSEA and NOT the payor or payee individually.
- Assign different case managers based on the request of the parties of the case. Case managers are neutral and responsible for the establishment and enforcement of support orders. They do not represent either party.
- Give credit for payments made directly from one party to the other outside of the CSEA. By law and as stated in your order, direct payments are considered a gift.
- Instruct how support is used by the payee or monitor.
- Give advice on tax exemption questions.
- Enforce unreimbursed medical costs.
- Fax payment information.
- Cannot grant a deviation in the child support calculations.
- Consider bills or expenses in calculating child support obligations.
- Use current spouse (of either party) income to determine support order obligations. Only the income of the parties to a case are used in establishing or adjusting a child support order.