You can address most concerns about our part in your child support case by contacting us directly.

You can also contact our agency’s Ombudsperson for help addressing issues with how the Colusa, Sutter, Yolo Regional Child Support Agency has handled your case.  

What the Ombudsperson Does

The Ombudsperson assists parents, employers, and others we work with as part of a child support case. The Ombudsperson answers questions about the child support program and works to address issues as soon as they come up.

The Ombudsperson will work with you before, during, and after you file a complaint

The Ombudsperson can address issues about our part in your child support case. These issues concern our part in:

• Deciding to open or close a case
• Establishing a court order for child support
• The collection and distribution of payments
• The calculation of past-due payments
• Changing your current child support order
• The timeliness of service
• Enforcing your order

Many issues in a child support case can only be addressed by the courts, not the child support program. This means that the Ombudsperson cannot help you with:

• The amount of child support or child support debt that the court has ordered
• The amount of spousal support that the court has ordered
• Custody or visitation orders
• Determinations of parental relationships
• Violations of civil rights
• Other concerns or complaints about court services

For help with these issues, we recommend contacting a Family Law Facilitator or another legal support service.

Call 866-901-3212 or email childsupport@csy.cse.ca.gov. Experience suggests that the Ombudsperson can address most issues with a phone call.

You can also file a formal complaint by completing this form: The Request for Complaint Resolution. You can return the form to us by mail or in person.

You must file your complaint within 90 days of the date you knew (or should have known) about the subject of your complaint.

We will direct someone other than the caseworker involved with your complaint to investigate it.  

If the complaint falls outside of our regional area, we will send it to the appropriate office within five days.

The investigator will tell the local or regional child support agency  how to resolve the issue.

A written response to your complaint must be issued within 30 days of receiving it. The response will include an explanation of your right to a State Hearing.

Certain types of complaints can also be reviewed at a State Hearing. These hearings allow an Administrative Law Judge to review your child support case.

You can request the hearing by completing this form: The Request for State Hearing. You must request a State Hearing within 90 days after you receive our response to your complaint. (Or, if the agency does not respond, you must request it within 90 days after you filed your complaint.)

Once you complete the form, make a copy for your records. Mail the original signed and completed form to:

Department of Child Support Services
Office of Legal Services, State Hearing
P.O. Box 419087
Rancho Cordova, CA 95741

The Ombudsperson can explain how to prepare for your State Hearing.

The State Hearing will be held within 45 days after the State Hearing Office receives the request.

The Ombudsperson can also help arrange for reasonable accommodations and translation services if you need those at a State Hearing.

Only certain kinds of complaints can be heard at a State Hearing. These are complaints that:

• Your application for child support services was denied or has not been acted upon within the required timeframe.
• You believe the child support agency acted improperly on your case.
• You did not receive child support payments or were given the wrong amount.
• The child support agency closed your child support case.

Complaints that cannot be heard at a State Hearing include:

• The amount of child support or child support debt that the court has ordered
• Issues related to contempt hearings
• Custody or visitation orders
• Determinations of parental relationships
• Violations of civil rights
• Any other matter that must by law be heard by a court