Meeker County HHS reports higher-than-average child support performance and millions in reimbursements

Meeker County Health and Human Services staff presented an overview of their child support and accounting units during the board’s Oct. 7 meeting, reporting service metrics above state averages and multi-million-dollar reimbursement collections.

Jenny Dale, child support and accounting-unit supervisor, described the child support unit as a four-person team that establishes paternity, obtains and enforces child-support orders and processes payments. "Child support is money that one parent pays to the other parent or the caregiver to support their child," Haley Carlson, child support officer, said, describing the program’s role in establishing orders and enforcing support across jurisdictions.

Accounting technician Jenny Michalicek described the accounting unit’s responsibilities: submitting insurance reimbursement claims for services such as transportation, specialized equipment and targeted case management, processing childcare assistance claims and providing grant-tracking and monthly and quarterly state reports.

Michalicek reported that in February 2024 the county collected just over $2,700,000 in reimbursements from MA, PrimeWest and Blue Plus and that 2025 year-to-date collections were about $2,500,000. She also said the total dollar amount dispersed for payments reached more than $2,900,000.

The child support section reported nearly 600 cases with payments received, about 174 cases with cost-of-living adjustments and 36 modified orders in 2024; staff said the program serves about 820 children and that roughly 41% of participants are registered to view their cases online.

Commissioners asked how child-support collections interact with county assistance programs. Carlson explained that medical and childcare support obligations collected through child support may be directed to the state when a participant is on MA (Medical Assistance) or childcare assistance; for MFIP cases, she said, a pass-through rule generally gives the participant the month’s support but directs arrears to the state under some conditions.

The presentation noted service limitations under state law; staff cited Minnesota statute 518.735 when listing matters the child support office does not handle (for example, divorces, custody, and spousal-maintenance order establishment except in limited circumstances).