Several parents in Florida are complaining that an update to the state Department of Revenue's computer system is causing their child support checks to arrive late. Further frustrating to the parents is that the agency appears to be offering few answers to the problem.

The Florida Department of Revenue announced the update to its computer system in December. At the time, the agency said the new system, called the Child Support Enforcement Automated Management System, would help it better serve its child support clients.

However, since the overhaul began, custodial parents have found that their child support checks are coming late, if at all. Two parents interviewed in a news report said they are still waiting for their December checks. Both said they have called the Department of Revenue, but received little information after spending a long time on hold. One Jacksonville, Florida, father went to the agency's local office in person, but left without his check.

Another parent said she has been calling for more than a month without any results. She said she has spent hours on the phone over the missing check, often long periods on hold before reaching someone at the agency, only to be told there was no new information.

An agency spokeswoman admitted that the Department of Revenue was still updating case files on the new system. But she said that the agency has been disbursing child support checks to parents within one business day since Jan. 9. She claimed that any late or missing checks at this point are due to other problems than the system update.

Source: Firstcoastnews.com, "Child Support Frustration Hits Nerve on First Coast," Roger Weeder, Jan. 19, 2012