63.2-1901 - Purpose of chapter; powers and duties of the Department.
§ 63.2-1901. Purpose of chapter; powers and duties of the Department.
It is the purpose of this chapter to promote the efficient and accuratecollection, accounting and receipt of support for financially dependentchildren and their custodians, and to further the effective and timelyenforcement of such support while ensuring that all functions in theDepartment are appropriate or necessary to comply with applicable federal law.
Nonattorney employees of the Department are authorized to complete, sign andfile petitions and motions on forms approved by the Supreme Court of Virginiarelating to the establishment, modification, or enforcement of support inDepartment cases in the juvenile and domestic relations district courts.Orders entered prior to July 1, 2008, shall not be deemed void or voidablesolely because such petitions and motions were signed by nonattorneyemployees.
When so ordered by the court or the Department, support for financiallydependent children and their custodians shall be paid by obligors to theDepartment's State Disbursement Unit (SDU) or in district offices locatedwithin the Commonwealth for processing by the SDU. The Department shall haveauthority to enter into contracts with any appropriate public or privateentities to enforce, collect, account for and disburse payments for child orspousal support.
The Division of Child Support Enforcement within the Department shall beauthorized to issue payments to implement the disbursement of funds pursuantto the provisions of this section.
(1974, c. 413, § 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.)