Many people have experienced difficulty paying the child support they owe. Often, people find themselves in this position following the loss of a job or a decrease in their work schedule. However, this is not the only reason parents fall behind on child support. Sometimes, a medical emergency can make it incredibly difficult to stay current on these payments, especially if the health crisis was not anticipated at all. However, it is crucial for a parent who is facing these challenges to know what their options are and stay caught up on their child support obligations.
Medical emergencies take a variety of forms and can interrupt a person’s life in all sorts of ways. Not only can hospital bills be extremely expensive, but there are other problems someone may face in this position. For example, they may not be able to continue working temporarily or permanently, which can make it even more difficult to pay child support. Moreover, someone may experience financial challenges because they have helped one of their loved ones out while they were facing a health-related crisis.
Unfortunately, missing child support payments can make things even tougher for someone who is struggling with the aftermath of a medical emergency (physical pain, sleeplessness, financial hardships, losing a job, etc.). Parents going through this should explore all of their options and may want to see if modifying their child support order is possible. Our section on family law covers a plethora of topics that are related to divorce issues involving children.