The Collections and Support section of the Department of Law provides legal advice to and represents the Alaska Child Support Services Division in local and interstate child support actions. These include actions to establish or disestablish paternity, to establish and modify child support orders, to obtain and enforce medical support orders, and to enforce support obligations through civil process, such as by obtaining orders requiring non-custodial parents to apply for their permanent fund dividends and allowing the child support agency to attach retirement and pension benefits and Native corporation dividends for payment of child support.
The Department of Law also prosecutes criminal non-support cases under state law and assists federal authorities in prosecuting federal criminal non-support cases. The Office of Special Prosecutions and Appeals in the Criminal Division handles these cases, with the assistance of the Collections and Support section.
The Department of Law only becomes involved in a child support matter when the Child Support Services Division refers the case to us. The Child Support Services Division handles most routine child support without our involvement. Therefore, unless you receive paperwork directly from the Department of Law, you should contact the Child Support Services Division to obtain information or assistance relating to your child support case. For information on how the Child Support Services Division can help you, please visit their web site at http://childsupport.alaska.gov/.
Please understand that the Department of Law cannot represent or provide legal advice to parents or other private individuals in child support matters. If you need assistance in a child support case, you should contact a private attorney. If you do not have a private attorney, the Alaska Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service can help you find one. This service can be found at http://www.alaskabar.org/servlet/content/lawyer_referral_serv.html, or by calling 1-800-770-9999 in Alaska, or (907) 272-0352.
In addition, the Alaska Court System has a Family Law Self-Help Center that can provide basic information on court rules and procedures, as well as forms and instructions for obtaining, modifying, or enforcing a support order through the Alaska courts. You can obtain information about the Self-Help Center through the center’s web site, at http://www.state.ak.us/courts/selfhelp.htm, or by calling the center at (907) 264-0851 or toll-free in Alaska (but outside Anchorage) at (866) 279-0851.
