Which State To Modify Child Support

by Mary
(Boone County, IL)

My daughter was born out of wedlock in February of 2006 in Madison, WI. Her father and I were never married. He has seen her exactly twice, both times before the age of 1. She lives with me full time. I am a full-time student and work 2-3 nights/week as a waitress in Rockford, IL. We live in a duplex in Belvidere, IL. The father has been paying me $725/month in child support and carries her health insurance.

I carried the health insurance for the first year and a half. We are arguing over a $200 medical bill that is not being payed by the insurance due to an unsatisfied deductible. My contention is that I am not responsible for the deductible. and am making a little more than half what I used to when the order was complied. We went to a mediator and agreed on $725/month.

At the time, I was making around $30,000/year. The father was supposed to bring his W2 from the previous year, but brought one month's worth of checkstubs instead. He in an on-premise wine salesperson and earns 4 quarterly and 1 yearly bonuses in addition to his salary. He owns his own home. When my daughter was 1 1/2, we moved to Illinois. I did not seek to change the order for the sake of ease. It is automatically deposited into an account in WI where I have a car loan and I do not currently have a bank account in IL.

The support order states that we each pay 50% of anything medical that is not covered by insurance. I have never asked him to do this. There is no dental and I have paid over $800 out of my own pocket. I have paid all co-pays and medicine. Am I still able to recover half of these expenses? And if so, how? They span the last 3 years, as my daughter is now 4 1/2 years old. The support order also stated that I would be seeking Daycare and was unsure of the expense at that time. I never requested help from the father for this expense.

Am I entitled to reimbursement? If I decide to have the support order revisited, would I go through Wisconsin or Illinois? Do I have a choice which state to go through? If so, what is the better option for us? I cannot afford a lawyer.