A modification, or review and adjustment, is a change of prior support orders based upon a substantial change in circumstances of one or both parties.  If the child is not receiving public assistance, a review will only be done at the request of one or both parties.  The review that will be performed is called a "desk review", which means the information is submitted to a case manager and no one appears in person. 

The CSEA is required to conduct, or may initiate, an "administrative review" when:

  • The child is currently receiving Ohio Works First (OWF) and 36 months have passed since the most recent support order;
  • There is a medical support provision for both parties to report when private health insurance coverage for the child becomes available;
  • One of the parties reports that private health insurance coverage for the child has become available; and
  • A health insurance obligor has not been identified.

Parties will automatically be notified to request an administrative review every 36 months, from the date of the most recent order, or upon being incarcerated for more than 180 days.

Review and Adjustments Fact Sheet

Modifications FAQ

There are several reasons to request an administrative review prior to the 36 month timeframe.  To find out if you are eligible for a review and adjustment, please review the questionnaire provided by the State Office of Child Support here https://jfs.ohio.gov/OCS/pdf/Admin_Review_Questionnaire.pdf.  Common reasons that qualify for a review include:

  • You have been unemployed or laid off, through no fault of your own, for at least 30 consecutive days.
  • Either party has experienced at least a 30% decrease in gross income of income-producing assets for a period of six months because of circumstances beyond their control, and the decrease is expected to continue for an extended period of time.
  • Either party has experienced a 30% increase in gross income or income producing assets for a period of six months, which can reasonably be expected to continue.

The CSEA is not required to conduct an administrative review when:

  • Neither party resides in Ohio, unless the request is from a member of the armed services.  When the CSEA denies such a request for an  administrative review, the CSEA shall notify the requesting party to contact the IV-D agency in the requesting party’s state of residence.
  • It has been less than 36 months from the date of the most recent child support order and the CSEA determines the request for the administrative review is a frequent request, and there is no evidence to support the request.  “Frequent Request” is defined as more than one request for an administrative review per party in a three-month period.  When the CSEA denies such a request, the CSEA shall notify the requesting party of the denial and the reason for the denial.
  • It has been less than 36 months from the date of the most recent child support order, and the CSEA determines that the requesting party has failed to provide evidence or information to support the administrative review request.  When the CSEA denies such a request, the CSEA shall notify the requesting party of the denial and the reason for the denial.

The CSEA can only administratively review and adjust the a.) child support obligation, b.) cash medical support obligation, c.) the payment on arrears, and d.) the medical support provisions that may be contained in the child support order. 

The CSEA cannot review or adjust other provisions of the order, such as a.) tax exemptions, b.) the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities for the care of the child, or c.) spousal support.

Once an application is received, it will be reviewed to determine whether or not it meets one of the criteria listed on the application.

  • If it is determined that the review request does not meet the criteria, a denial notice will be sent to the requesting party.  The requesting party has 90 days from the mailing date of the denial letter to request a state hearing.
  • If it is determined that the review request does meet the criteria, the desk review will be scheduled at least thirty (30) days in the future. The CSEA will mail both parties a Administrative Adjustment Review Notification to the last known address of the parties. This notice informs the parties of the scheduled review, that it is not necessary to attend, and requests financial and medical insurance information, along with any other relevant information necessary to review the support order. Failure of the requesting party to return the information by the date listed in the notice will result in the review of the support being dropped.

If the order being modified was established prior to March 28, 2019, the CSEA cannot conduct a review without a valid address on file for both parties.

The CSEA must complete the review within 180 days from the scheduled date of the review.  Once the review has conducted, the parties will receive an administrative adjustment recommendation in the mail.

Parties have 14 days to review the new recommended amounts for child support, medical support, and health insurance obligations.  If either party wishes to object, they must do so by completing the “Request for an Administrative Adjustment Hearing”, which is the last page of the recommendation.  Failure by either party to object will result in a final revised child support order being issued with the amended amount from the review.

Once an objection is received by either party, the CSEA will schedule an administrative adjustment hearing.  Parties will receive a hearing notice in the mail at least 10 days before the hearing is conducted.  This will be sent to their last known mailing addresses, by regular mail.  The hearing is conducted by a licensed attorney who has significant training or experience in conducting hearings that are subject to court review.  The hearing officer shall not have contact with either party about the case, outside of the hearing process.

At the hearing, each party will be given the opportunity to present evidence and testimony to support whether the CSEA correctly evaluated information provided.  Either party may bring a representative to the hearing.

Within 10 days of the administrative adjustment hearing, the CSEA will issue the administrative adjustment hearing decision to the last known address of both parties by regular mail. This notice contains each party’s right to file for a court hearing, to object to the administrative adjustment hearing within 14 days.  This should be done directly with the court, and the party should notify CSEA of the objection.

For further information, please contact the Division of Child Support at 330-451-8930.