ARREARS: Money which is overdue and unpaid. Under Kansas law, child support, once it becomes past due, is a judgment.

BI-WEEKLY: There are 26 pay periods when an individual is paid bi-weekly (compare with “semi-monthly.”) Generally, in a bi-weekly pay structure, an individual is paid every two weeks.

CASE NUMBER (or court order number): The number assigned to the case upon the filing of a petition with the Clerk of the District Court. Example: 03 CV 1234. Older case numbers may appear as: 82 C 1234. The “C” or “CV” simply means the case is civil in nature. A criminal case number would look like this: 03 CR 1234. An older criminal case might appear as 82 K 1234.

CEJ: Continuing Exclusive Jurisdiction (interstate cases only)

CINC: Child in Need of Care

CITE (or citation): To summon; to command the presence of a person; to notify a person of legal proceedings against him and require his appearance.

CONTEMPT (also known as civil contempt or indirect contempt): Willful failure to comply with an order of the court.

CSTC: Continued Subject To Call means no further hearings scheduled at this time.

DCF: Department for Children and Families

DCT: District Court Trustee

DEFENDANT: The person defending or denying; the party against whom relief or recovery is sought in an action or suit, or the accused in a criminal case.

DELINQUENT NOTICE: A notice generated by the Office of the District Court Trustee, as required by Local Rule 26, to notify an obligor that a payment has not been made within 7 days of its due date; notification to an obligor that a delinquency exists in the case.

DRA: Domestic Relations Affidavit

EE: Obligee

GARNISHMENT: As an aid to the enforcement of a judgment, an order of garnishment can be obtained and must be issued from the Clerk of the District Court from which execution is issuable, either in connection with an execution or independently as designated by the written direction of the party entitled to enforce the judgment. The written direction must designate whether the order for garnishment is to be issued for the purpose of attaching earnings or for the purpose of attaching other property of the judgment debtor. A garnishment is not the same as an income withholding order.

HO: Hearing Officer

INCOME: Any form of periodic payment to an individual, regardless of source, including, but not limited to, wages, salary, trust, royalty, commission, bonus, compensation as an independent contractor, annuity and retirement benefits, workers compensation and any other periodic payment.

INCOME WITHHOLDING ORDER: An order issued which requires a payor to withhold income to satisfy an order for support or to defray an arrearage. This is not the same as a garnishment, because an income withholding order involves periodic payments (see definition of income). State and Federal law requires income withholding in most cases. It is not a punitive measure.

IV-D (or Title IV-D): Part D of Title IV of the Federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 651 et seq.) as amended, to be processed by the Department of Children and Families under the state’s plan for providing IV-D services such as child support services. (See “Federal IV-D program” for additional information.)

IW: Income Withholding

IWO: Income Withholding Order

JE: Journal Entry

JJA: Juvenile Justice Authority

KPC: Kansas Payment Center

NOA: Notice of Assignment

OBLIGEE: Person or entity to whom a duty of support is owed

OBLIGOR: Person who owes a duty of support to another

OR: Obligor

PAYEE: The person to whom a bill or note or check is made payable.

PAYOR: Any person or entity owing income to an obligor or any self-employed obligor and includes, with respect to a medical child support order, the sponsor or administrator of a health benefit plan. The person by whom a bill or note has been or should have been paid; the person who is to make a payment of a check, bill or note.

PETITIONER: One who presents a petition to a court. The status of the parties (Petitioner or Respondent) always remains the same.

PLANTIFF: A person who brings an action; the party who complains or sues in a civil action and is so named on the record. The status of the parties (Plaintiff or Defendant) always remains the same.

POE: Place of Employment

PRO SE: Appearing for oneself, as in the case of one who does not retain a lawyer and appears for himself pro se.

PURGE PLAN: A written statement by the obligor, to the Court, outlining why support payments have not been made as ordered in the past, and a proposal and/or explanation as to how the support obligation will be addressed in the future.  Conversely, the Court can also order it's own purge plan for the obligor to follow after a finding of contempt.

RESPONDENT: The one who answers to the petition.

SEMI-MONTHLY: There are 24 pay periods when an individual is paid semi-monthly (compare with “bi-weekly”).  Semi-monthly means twice a month.

TANF: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

UIFSA: Uniform Interstate Family Support Act.

WARRANT: A written order which is made on behalf of the state and is based upon a complaint issued pursuant to statute and/or court rule and which commands a law enforcement officer to arrest a person and bring him before the court.

WC: Worker’s Compensation