Child support check error repeated

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- For the second time in recent months, the state has double-issued a batch of child support checks and is trying to reclaim the money from custodial parents.

The latest mistake occurred as the state was trying to route checks to people through the St. Louis circuit court clerk's office. A total of 133 checks, accounting for about $63,000, were errantly sent twice to recipients, state and local officials confirmed Friday.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, the state double-issued $1.2 million in child support checks, about two-thirds of which has since been recovered.

The St. Louis mistake happened after Christmas but was noted by the state only this past week, said Deb Hendricks, spokeswoman for the state Department of Social Services, which oversees the child support division.

But St. Louis Circuit Clerk Mariano Favazzo said the checks were issued sporadically in late December and January and that officials became aware of the problem more than a month ago.

"Somebody made a mistake ... and bang, some extra checks went out," Favazzo said. "We discovered it, we stopped those we could, and now the Division of Child Support Enforcement is going to get our money back."

Child support used to be collected from non-custodial parents by circuit clerks' offices, which then paid the money to custodial parents.

But after a change in federal and state law, that responsibility was gradually shifted to the state beginning in 1999. By last July, the state was handling all child support payments.

Through the combined state and local efforts, about $300,000 of the balance has been paid to custodial parents, Favazzo said.

To accomplish that, the state had to void some uncashed checks and reissue them after learning correct mailing addresses.