Adopting a child with special needs in Minnesota is like adopting any other child, with a few differences. Five things you should know about special needs adoption include:
1. “Special needs” can refer to a variety of issues – Special needs children waiting for adoption may have mental, emotional, physical, or behavioral disabilities. MN Adopt
Most grandparents view the opportunity to spend time with their grandchildren as a major gift. When those children rely on grandparents with limited income for primary support, however, our Minneapolis child support attorneys often recommend that they can — and should — seek child support payments.
Continue Reading Grandparents Can Pursue Child Support in Some Cases
Divorce may create the legal end to marriages, but it does not end relationships, particularly when ex-spouses have children. The final divorce decree sets forth many conditions, and the most important settlement issues involve custody, parenting time and financial support of the children. Unless parents take legal action to change them, these terms are basically set in stone.
Continue Reading Child Support Decrees Cannot Be Used as Post-Divorce Equalizers
No matter how carefully the terms of child custody and support are determined during divorce, few parents walk away feeling that the agreement is fair. This is understandable, considering that any time away from the children, combined with potentially fewer funds to care for them are natural concerns.
Continue Reading Minnesota Legislators Are Considering Changes to Child Support Formulas
Expenses related to children remain the same regardless of whether they reside with both parents or just one. Most commonly, however, one parent moves away from the children long before the divorce process even begins, and certainly before the court finalizes child support decisions.
Continue Reading Understanding the MN Expedited Child Support Process
Regardless of the overall direction of the U.S. economy, the cost of goods seems to always trend upward. This means that, over time, child support payment buying power is reduced. While child support orders often allow for Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) every other year, our Minneapolis child support lawyers warn that the adjustments are not always automatic. If you receive child support, or if you need to contest a COLA, you need to take specific action.
Continue Reading MN Child Support Can Change Based on the Cost of Living
The following vivid (although fictional) account demonstrates the pain and helplessness that far too many mothers and fathers in Minnesota experience as they try to reclaim their lives.
When a parent fails to make good on child support payments, the negative effects impact not only the children and the other parent but also the entire dynamic of the post-divorce relationship. In some cases, the delinquent parent simply cannot afford to pay. In other cases, the parent deliberately refuses out of a belief that
Minnesota law considers the best interests of the children to be a primary factor in virtually any aspect of divorce, and providing health care is certainly a major issue. However, our Minneapolis child support lawyers warn that covering the children under either parent’s health insurance is only the most basic consideration.
Continue Reading Health Care is an Important MN Child Support Issue
New MN statutes now make allowances for parenting time when computing the child support obligations shared by both parents. This relatively simple change adds complexity to the calculations, requiring parents to consider many underlying factors accurately to receive fair treatment.
Continue Reading Determining a Parent’s Child Support Obligations is a Complex Process