San Antonio Educational And Medical Expenses Lawyer

Are Medical And Educational Expenses Covered In Child Support?

When a child's parents are no longer in a relationship with each other, such as when married parents decide to get a divorce or unmarried parents separate, child support orders will typically be established. Child support is meant to cover essential needs that kids have – fundamentals like food, shelter, and clothing. However, there are other important needs that parents may be required to address. If arrangements are not made to ensure that both parents contribute to child-related expenses, this may put one parent at a disadvantage due to their need to shoulder the financial burdens required to raise their children. To avoid problems and ensure that all family members' needs will be met, parents will want to determine how they will share different types of expenses related to their children.

Family law issues can be confusing, stressful, and unnecessarily expensive if they are not addressed properly. At Brandon Wong & Associates in San Antonio, Texas, we provide practical and effective guidance in child support cases of all kinds. We can help parents address their concerns about certain types of expenses that they may encounter and ensure that these issues are properly addressed in a child support order. If necessary, we can also assist with the modification of child support orders based on changes that affect parents or children, including determining how to handle new and extraordinary expenses that are necessary to meet children's needs.

Cost-Effective Resolution of Challenging Child Support Matters

While child support obligations are intended to account for expenses related to children's basic daily needs, parents are likely to encounter multiple other expenses. If these costs are not accounted for in a child support order, the parent who initially pays expenses may struggle to receive payments from the other parent, and they may experience financial difficulties. Three common child-related needs that parents are likely to encounter include expenses related to education, medical care, and daycare or child care. By addressing these expenses in a court order, parents can avoid disputes while ensuring that all of their children's needs will be provided for.

Parents will typically be required to provide medical and dental support for their children in addition to other child support obligations. They may do so by ensuring that children are covered by a health insurance policy and/or dental plan that is included in benefits provided by a parent's employer. Alternatively, private health insurance coverage may be purchased, or a child may qualify for government health benefits. Both parents may be required to contribute to premiums necessary to provide coverage, as well as other out-of-pocket expenses, and the amount a parent pays in medical and/or dental support may be deducted from their income when determining their net resources for the purposes of calculating child support payments.

Expenses related to a child's education are factors that may be considered when determining child support obligations. If the court believes it is necessary, certain expenses may be added to child support, such as school fees and the costs of books, school supplies, school uniforms, or tutors. Parents may also agree in their divorce settlement or other family law cases that they will divide certain educational expenses, such as the costs of tuition when they have decided that children will attend private schools. While Texas law does not require parents to contribute to their children's college expenses, parents may agree to do so, and these agreements may specify the amounts that each parent will contribute or the types of costs they will help their child pay.

Contact Our Behar County Child Support Attorneys for Educational and Medical Expenses

If you are unsure about how different types of expenses will be handled when establishing child support orders or addressing issues related to child custody, our lawyers can advise you of your options and provide you with representation. We can answer questions about who will pay for extraordinary medical expenses, orthodontic treatment, psychotherapy, and more. We will help you craft a workable child support order or request modifications to child support when necessary. To talk to an experienced lawyer about your case, contact us today at 210-201-3832.