Vermont Family Courts can take a number of actions to recoup past-due child support and enforce medical support, including:

Civil Penalties:

If the court determines that the parent is deliberately refusing to pay, it may require the non-custodial parent to pay a penalty of up to 10% on any amount of support that has been past due for more than 30 days.

Holding Assets in Escrow:

In certain circumstances, the court may require certain assets owned by the non-custodial parent to be held in escrow to guarantee that he or she will pay the support due. The escrow may not exceed the value of four months of support payments.

Contempt of Court:

If the court finds that the non-custodial parent had the ability to pay support but willfully failed to do so, it may find the parent in contempt of court and order him or her to pay certain arrears or face imprisonment.

License Suspension:

The court may order the suspension of any Vermont-issued license (e.g., driver’s license, professional/trade license, and recreational license) held by a non-custodial parent who has failed to pay support for three or more months.

Liable for Medical Expenses:

The court may find an employer who failed to enroll a child in health insurance liable for any medical expenses that would have been paid had the child been enrolled.

Work:

If the paying parent is unemployed at the time of an enforcement hearing, the court can order the parent to seek employment immediately and report to the court, the other parent, or OCS on a weekly basis regarding efforts to find work. If the parent fails to look for work, the court can find the parent in contempt.

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