Public Disclosure Request of Case Notes from DCS

[JAB]

Anyone that has been on the wrong side of DCS knows that they can come down on you like a load of bricks.  And why not, as you are out trying to make a living, live a normal life, these guys are dedicated to turning it upside down in the name of support. And if you thought that the one person calling you is out there terrorizing you on their own, think again, there are probably several people working to gun you down.

The one good weapon you have on your side is the Federal and State Public Disclosure Laws.  Publick Disclosure Laws were designed to ensure that our government has the right to do it's business, but as a citizen you are not giving up your right to open government that allows you to investigate through an open door just what they are doing.

And, DCS is not immune to them.  So, how does this work you ask.  It's quite simple, within DCS, whenever they do anything regarding your case, or have a conversation with someone regarding your case, they have to record notes in your case file.  Key word here - YOUR CASE FILE.  You have a right to know what is in your case file, as a matter of fact, through Public Disclosure Requests (PDR) you can get information on many cases, staff members, policies, procedures, and even the application of actions and the laws that authorize them.

My recommendation to any paying parent is to call, email, or write a letter several times a year to get a copy of your case notes.  You may be shocked at what you find, or what you don't find.  But, if you don't know what you don't know, then you can't defend what you need to defend.  Once you have done it and gotten a chance to read your notes, you will be addicted.  I bet you will start dipping into the PDR pool at your schools, water district, Public Utilities, Courts, etc. to solve questions to issues you have had.

Best of all - it's free.  You have to pay for copy charges for documents you get.  Always ask for an electronic version if available - they are free.  And always ask for inspection of the documents so you only pay for what you want.  If they call and tell you your docs are available for pickup, and didn't inform you of the number of pages an the cost - challenge them to review them first.  I suspect you will then get them for free - they have to advise you of the cost up front.

Have any great stories of things you have found through a PDR request - let us know, we may be missing out on something important or fun.

[FatherTime]

I just called to request a disclosure form and the lady on the other end was a *itch.  I hung up. 

Rude, interupting, and most probably not ready for primetime.

[warights]

Its not necessary to get a disclosure form.  Simple mail a letter to them at the Tacoma address -
DSHS
P.O. Box 11250
Tacoma, WA  98411

Subject - Public Disclosure Request

In the letter, be sure to state your case number, and request very simply - Under the Washington State Public Disclosure Laws, I would like to request a copy of my case notes betweent he following period - x/xx/xxxx - xx/xx/xxxx. 

Here is the deal, you have the right to review the documents.  They won't let you review them because they don't want to let you see their screens.  If they don't offer an opportunity to review them, and simply print them out, there is no charge to you for the copies.  Do not let them attempt to charge you if they did not give you a chance to review them first.

Best of luck.

BTW, she was not being a B***H, she was only treating you like the blood sucking snake in the grass you are, after all, you don't have custody of your children, like the other 92% of the dads in our state don't, so you must be.  Lets get shared parenting the standard in our state, and wave goodbye to her as she hits the unemployment line.

BTW, check out LBloom.net.  It's a great site that will tell you how much she earns.  It will help put her nasty disposition in line.  Afterall, she probably makes about the same as a bagger at Safeway, and probably the level of education.
 

[warights]

BTW, according to the DCS manual, you do not have to make your request in writing.  It's simple, just pick up the phone, and request them.  If they refuse to accept over the phone, ask to speak to their Public Disclosure Officer.  They will know the rules and take your request.

If you have issues, please post them hear, we can learn from them, and possibly help you out with solutions to getting what you need.

We'll be creating a wiki on this site soon, and when it is complete, we will start posting all of the DCS policy manual and their "Canary Notes", which are updates to their manual. 

[coreyclarks]

  My name is Corey Clarks and I have a sticky situation. I have 3 kids by 3 differnet mothers and child support is kicking my behind. I do not make alot of money annually ($19,000) and they are hitting me up for just over $1000 total. I have tried repeatedly going back in for a reduction but lost out everytime due to my "potential income" that i can make and did make in the past (about $25,000). 1 mother in particular is getting twice as much as the other 2 combined. She claims while still living at home with her parents that she pays them $600 a month for day care costs. As for proof the court has accepted her reciept given out every month from her to her mother of $600 paid for daycare. Any person can go and buy a $2.00 reciept book and write it out as such. However this is satisfoactory with the court on several occasions. I cannot understand this. What mother is going to charge thier daughter this kind of money to babysit thier own grandchild that lives in the same resisdence? Not likely. So i'm getting taken to the cleaners by this women and our failed court system is buying it. It is my belief that the courts need to change the law to a more individual basis when dealing with $$$ amounts pertaining to who gets how much. They seem to have an overall system and going with that. We cannot be all lumped into 1 sum. I have no issues paying support, just when it leaves me with about $700 a month total left over, it becomes impossible to live. Rent, food, house bills, automibile....impossible. The courts also do not account for taxes that have to come off your pay-checks. If you owe back support like i do...forget about it. They will sink you and do not care.They look at what you make say $1000.00 month and go with that amount. Not what you actually get. So deduct approx. $175 for taxes from that amount. Now you have $825.00 and half automatically comes off that for support and back support owing. Now your left with about $413.00 per month to live on. How is that humanly possible? Not likely.

Child custody and visitation rights are not much better. If i am paying...then why can i not see my kids. Why does the mother get all the say in that and when it works for her? I have tried the courts with 1 of them. They directed me to a mediator. We have gone through this process about 4 times over the last 4 yrs. Now my daughter is almost 6 yrs old. Please feel free to contact me to this letter or e-mail me personally at:        corey1967@hotmail.com       for faster response. Thank you for your time.

[warights]

Corey,

The problems you are having are seen by many each and every day here in Washington State.  We need people such as yourself to not accept the status quo, and begin to fight these issues.  Having equal access to your children, so they grow up with a father, and a person that can teach them the difference between right and wrong is critical.  Obviously, the mother that is cheating on the daycare expenses is not going to teach that child how to be honest and respectable.  That child will rely on you to bring that into his/her life.

I wonder if you could request copies of the cancelled checks for the daycare payments she is making.  And, you can contest this in Administrative courts.  It is my understanding that you can not be forced to pay more than 50% of your total pay, after taxes.  Of course, this would put you into the arrears each month and create new issue, but it is a consideration.

With regards to your visitation, it has nothing to do with what is paid, and needs to be addressed quickly to ensure it doesn't continue.  Mediation is not for missed visitations, it is for conflicts and disputes.  Not turning a child over for a visitation is not a dispute, it is a contempt of a court order. 

[JoJo]

These public disclosure requests are the bomb!  I did one and got my notes.  It's incredible what you can learn from them.  I had no idea these f'heads were sending subpoena's to telephone companies and the power company for records.  What right do they have to do that?

I recommend everybody that sees something that stinks to write a public disclosure request and get the goods.  If it looks to stink, it probably does, especially with DCS.