Family law unit warns of funding shortfall as child‑support caseloads rise

John Graso, chief of the county family‑law unit, briefed the Board of Commissioners on Nov. 4 on how state pass‑through funding for child‑support enforcement has fallen behind caseload demand.

Graso said the unit’s mission is to establish paternity, set and enforce child‑support orders and pursue modification and contempt cases when parents do not comply. He noted the office handles cases across multiple counties in Eastern Washington, including bankruptcy matters related to child support, and that the state sets the award amount without local participation in the allocation.

Graso described staffing levels — five attorneys, nine paralegals, two secretaries and one investigator — and said last year the office handled roughly 900 cases and expects to surpass that this year. He reported the unit’s award letter reflects funding reductions that have strained budgets and that indirect cost recoveries taken from the grant further reduce available dollars for operations.

Commissioners asked about enforcement across state lines and were told the state Division of Child Support coordinates interstate enforcement. Graso said the office has absorbed some costs historically but that increasing workload, a recent attorney retirement and rising personnel costs make ongoing reliance on general‑fund supplementation problematic.

The staff asked the board to accept the state award; the item will appear on the consent agenda. No vote was taken during the briefing.