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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>75830</law_id><section_number>63.2-1901</section_number><catch_line>Purpose of chapter; powers and duties of the Department</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>63.2-1907</reference><reference>8.01-271.1</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="63.2">Welfare (Social Services)</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="V">Administrative Child Support</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="19">Child Support Enforcement</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="1">General Provisions</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>It is the purpose of this chapter to promote the efficient and accurate collection, accounting and receipt of support for financially dependent children and their custodians, and to further the effective and timely enforcement of such support while ensuring that all functions in the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> are appropriate or necessary to comply with applicable federal <span class="dictionary">law</span>.
		Nonattorney <span class="dictionary">employees</span> of the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> are authorized to complete, sign and file <span class="dictionary">petitions</span> and <span class="dictionary">motions</span> on forms approved by the Supreme <span class="dictionary">Court</span> of Virginia relating to the establishment, modification, or enforcement of support in <span class="dictionary">Department</span> cases in the juvenile and domestic relations district <span class="dictionary">courts</span>. <span class="dictionary">Orders</span> entered prior to July 1, 2008, shall not be deemed void or voidable solely because such <span class="dictionary">petitions</span> and <span class="dictionary">motions</span> were signed by nonattorney <span class="dictionary">employees</span>.
		When so ordered by the <span class="dictionary">court</span> or the <span class="dictionary">Department</span>, support for financially dependent children and their custodians shall be paid by <span class="dictionary">obligors</span> to the <span class="dictionary">Department</span>&#x2019;s State Disbursement Unit (SDU) or in district offices located within the Commonwealth for processing by the SDU. The <span class="dictionary">Department</span> shall have authority to enter into <span class="dictionary">contracts</span> with any appropriate public or private entities to enforce, collect, account for and disburse payments for <span class="dictionary">child</span> or spousal support.
		The Division of <span class="dictionary">Child</span> Support Enforcement within the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> shall be authorized to <span class="dictionary">issue</span> payments to implement the disbursement of funds pursuant to the provisions of this section.</p></section></text><history>1974, c. 413, &#xA7; 63.1-249; 1975, c. 596; 1976, c. 357; 1987, cc. 658, 706; 1998, c. 727; 2001, c. 573; 2002, c. 747; 2008, cc. 136, 845.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
