(a) As authorized by subdivision (d) of Section 704.120 of the Code of Civil Procedure, the following actions shall be taken in order to enforce support obligations that are not being met. Whenever a support judgment or order has been rendered by a court of this state against an individual who is entitled to unemployment compensation benefits or unemployment compensation disability benefits, the local child support agency may file a certification of support judgment or support order with the Department of Child Support Services, verifying under penalty of perjury that there is or has been a judgment or an order for support with sums overdue thereunder. The department shall periodically present and keep current, by deletions and additions, a list of the certified support judgments and orders and shall periodically notify the Employment Development Department of individuals certified as owing support obligations.
(b) If the Employment Development Department determines that an individual who owes support may have a claim for unemployment compensation disability insurance benefits under a voluntary plan approved by the Employment Development Department in accordance with Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 3251) of Part 2 of Division 1 of the Unemployment Insurance Code, the Employment Development Department shall immediately notify the voluntary plan payer. When the department notifies the Employment Development Department of changes in an individual’s support obligations, the Employment Development Department shall promptly notify the voluntary plan payer of these changes. The Employment Development Department shall maintain and keep current a record of individuals who owe support obligations who may have claims for unemployment compensation or unemployment compensation disability benefits.
(c) Notwithstanding any other law, the Employment Development Department shall withhold the amounts specified below from the unemployment compensation benefits or unemployment compensation disability benefits of individuals with unmet support obligations. The Employment Development Department shall forward the amounts to the Department of Child Support Services for distribution to the appropriate certifying county.
(d) Notwithstanding any other law, during the payment of unemployment compensation disability benefits to an individual, with respect to whom the Employment Development Department has notified a voluntary plan payer that the individual has a support obligation, the voluntary plan payer shall withhold the amounts specified below from the individual’s unemployment compensation disability benefits and shall forward the amounts to the appropriate certifying county.
(e) The amounts withheld in subdivisions (c) and (d) shall be equal to 25 percent of each weekly unemployment compensation benefit payment or periodic unemployment compensation disability benefit payment, rounded down to the nearest whole dollar, which is due the individual identified on the certified list. However, the amount withheld may be reduced to a lower whole dollar amount through a written agreement between the individual and the local child support agency or through an order of the court.
(f) The department shall ensure that the appropriate certifying county shall resolve any claims for refunds in the amounts overwithheld by the Employment Development Department or voluntary plan payer.
(g) No later than the time of the first withholding, the individuals who are subject to the withholding shall be notified by the payer of benefits of all of the following:
(1) That the individual’s unemployment compensation benefits or unemployment compensation disability benefits have been reduced by a court-ordered support judgment or order pursuant to this section.
(2) The address and telephone number of the local child support agency that submitted the certificate of support judgment or order.
(3) That the support order remains in effect even though the individual is unemployed or disabled unless it is modified by court order, and that if the amount withheld is less than the monthly support obligation, an arrearage will accrue.
(h) The individual may ask the appropriate court for an equitable division of the individual’s unemployment compensation or unemployment compensation disability amounts withheld to take into account the needs of all the persons the individual is required to support.
(i) The Department of Child Support Services and the Employment Development Department shall enter into any agreements necessary to carry out this section.
(j) For purposes of this section, “support obligations” means the child and related spousal support obligations that are being enforced pursuant to a plan described in Section 454 of the Social Security Act and as that section may hereafter be amended. However, to the extent “related spousal support obligation” may not be collected from unemployment compensation under federal law, those obligations shall not be included in the definition of support obligations under this section.
(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 115, Sec. 155. (AB 1817) Effective January 1, 2020.)