In trouble because of his name
DHS paternity goof is haunting this man
DHS paternity goof haunts Tulsa man

By Randy Ellis
Published: August 10, 2008

© Copyright 2008, The Oklahoman

Tulsa athlete Micheal Thomas swears he never met Lawton drug user Tiffany Dickson.

Featured Video

Advertisement

Dickson says she never met him.

That didn't stop the Oklahoma Department of Human Services from getting Thomas declared the father of Dickson's baby daughter and badgering him until he dropped out of college, forfeiting a football scholarship.

It also didn't stop DHS from taking a portion of his biweekly paychecks and seizing his $290 state and federal tax refunds.

"This is unbelievable. This is crazy,” said Thomas, 21, a former running back at Tulsa's Victory Christian School.

It gets worse.

Thomas took DNA tests that proved he wasn't the father, DHS records show. However, DHS continued to take money from his paychecks and refused to tell him the results, Thomas said.

He said it wasn't until he got a lawyer that DHS stopped seizing money from his checks. Thomas still hasn't gotten his money back.

Tulsa Attorney Billy Wiland III, who agreed to take Thomas' case without pay, said he has uncovered evidence that DHS filed untruthful reports with a Comanche County judge, who could have ended the bureaucratic mix-up.

One report falsely claimed Thomas had "not responded to OKDHS letters, phone calls, or diligent search efforts” and had "not made any attempt to make contact with OKDHS.” The report was made at a time when Thomas had already taken two paternity tests and was having money withheld from his paycheck by the agency, Wiland said.

Legal claim filed
Wiland has filed a legal claim with the state asking for $167,000 to compensate Thomas for the "intentional or reckless infliction of severe emotional distress.” Taxpayers ultimately could pay the tab.

Richard Freeman, a DHS attorney, said the matter is under investigation.

DHS spokesman George Johnson said the agency "is hopeful that this matter may be resolved short of litigation.”

Wiland said the inexplicable naming of his client as the father and "blatant bureaucratic bullying” to which Thomas was subjected make him wonder whether Thomas was the victim of profiling.

"Were these actions by DHS due to a prejudicial discrimination against Mr. Thomas ... due to the fact that Mr. Thomas is a young black male who might fit the role which they hope he will play?” Wiland asked attorneys for DHS.

Thomas said an older friend told him the same thing happened to him 20 years ago. Thomas wonders how many other men have been falsely accused of being fathers by DHS and had money taken from their paychecks.

Freeman said he doesn't believe it happens often or DHS' legal division would have received more complaints.

‘The wrong guy'
Thomas' problems began March 31, 2005, when Dickson gave birth to a baby girl in Comanche County, records show. The baby was taken away by the state the next day after DHS reported both mother and daughter tested positive for cocaine and marijuana.

DHS filed a report with a Comanche County judge in June 2005 that said Dickson did not know the father's last name.

"Tiffany said that she knows his first name is Michael, but she is not sure of his last name,” the report said. "Tiffany believes that Michael is running from the law.”

Reached by telephone at her mother's house in Hollis, Dickson told The Oklahoman that she told her DHS worker she thought the last name of the father was Thomas and that he lived in Lawton.

"When I met him, see, I was on drugs really bad, so he might have gave me a fake last name,” Dickson, 27, said. "I know for a fact he has never lived in Tulsa. They have the wrong guy.”

Even back in 2005, DHS had plenty of reasons to know they had the wrong man.

A DHS report filed with a Comanche County judge in December 2005 stated that one of Dickson's relatives had said the purported father was in the Jackson County jail. The DHS worker reported she checked with the jail and was advised "Mr. Thomas was released Oct. 17, 2004.”

The Oklahoman checked with a Jackson County jail spokeswoman and was told the jail did release a Michael Thomas on that date. The inmate's date of birth was May 21, 1967, which would have made him 37 when Dickson's daughter was born.

The Micheal Thomas DHS falsely accused of being the father was only 18 when Dickson gave birth. He spelled his first name differently and lived 200 miles away.

Shock; a bad car; a missed test
Thomas said he was "pretty much shocked” in the summer of 2005 when he and his mother got letters from DHS claiming he was the father of a baby he knew nothing about.

"I just thought they got the wrong person,” he said. "I mean, there's a lot of Michael Thomases in Oklahoma and across the world.”

Thomas said he had a phone conversation with a DHS official and agreed to take a DNA test.

The worker said Thomas would receive details by mail.

When the letter arrived, however, it said Thomas would have to travel to Lawton — 200 miles away — to take the DNA test.

"I had a car, but the car wasn't in shape for me to be driving down to Lawton,” Thomas said. "Let alone, I had school that I was trying to take care of and I also was working a part-time job.”

Thomas didn't go.

He said the next thing he knew, DHS was telling him he was the "father by default” because he hadn't shown up to take the DNA test.

"That's when they started sending me child support letters,” he said.

Thomas said he called DHS back and begged for a chance to take the DNA test in Tulsa.

Thomas said he took the test and was told the test results would be sent to DHS and DHS would send a copy of the results to him.

"I never got any results from DHS,” he said.

College bound
Wiland said the first Tulsa test took place in the spring of 2006 and Thomas then went on to Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan.

Thomas said the letters and calls to him stopped while he was at Tabor, but the agency escalated contacts with his mother.

Faced with pressures from DHS, a breakup with a girl-friend and other issues, Thomas said he dropped out of Tabor and headed home in the spring of 2007.

Thomas said DHS demanded that he take another paternity test, which he did around March 2007. Once again, he said DHS never sent him the results.

"The second time, when I called back, I was really upset by then,” Thomas said.

He said DHS officials refused to give him the results and refused to let him talk with his caseworker.

"They just said, ‘Well, Mike, you need to get an attorney.'”

Thomas said he couldn't afford an attorney so he went to work as a security guard at Walmart.

He soon discovered DHS was taking child support payments from his wages and had seized his income tax refund.

Thomas said he was counting on the refund to buy a car.

"The neighborhood I work in is kind of rough,” he said. "I don't want to be walking back and forth. Me being a ... security guard, I get threats at Walmart enough as it is.”

Thomas said he demanded to talk to Dickson and see the baby at one point, and was told DHS couldn't arrange that because of confidentiality. Thomas sarcastically said that he even inquired about custody, since this was supposedly his child. He said he was told he would have to visit with his attorney about that.

‘Crazy' situation
Thomas said he finally caught a break when a church official put him in touch with his attorney, who agreed to take on the case for free if Thomas would sign an agreement to pay $2,500 if he was found to be lying about not being the father.

"He signed the agreement and never even blinked,” his attorney said.

Thomas said he hopes the mess is close to being straightened out and he wants people to know that if he got a woman pregnant, DHS wouldn't have to hunt him down.

"I understand there are a lot of guys out there who are not taking responsibility as far as being a father and a parent,” he said. "But if I was to get any woman pregnant and have a baby by anybody, I'm going to be there. I'm going to take care of my daughter or my son.”

"It's crazy,” Thomas said.

"I just thought they got the wrong

person. I mean, there's a lot of

Michael Thomases in Oklahoma and across the world.”

Micheal Thomas

Toolbar sponsored by: David Stanley Ford
Bookmark and Share

Related Topics: Culture and Lifestyle, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Family


Your thoughts!

Thank you for joining our conversations on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.

Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on local crime or fatality stories.

Leave a comment

Log in below or sign up (it's free).





A grand jury investigation of DHS is long over due. The State Legislature needs to pass a law that awards a victim of a DHS error, whether it be willful or not, of at least costs and a punitive award of $500, 000 from the DHS employee(s) that produced the damage. This would stop most all of this nonsense.
Tom, Edmond - Jan 1, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore Tom
Surprise Surprise, another case of DHS bullying another innocent man because he may or may not be a child's father. Funny how we can live in American and have all this freedom, yet DHS can literally take almost any lawful or unlawful actions they require to get the job done. They have teams of people to help any random knocked up girl who could be a meth head but if it comes to the supposed father, his only option is to hire a lawyer and pay all kinds of legal fee's. It's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty not the other way around. Look on OK's DHS website. They have about a 60 page handbook on what they can do to hunt down the father and what actions they can take. Want to know how many pages they have for the father's rights? 1 page. Look for yourself. --Rush
- Dec 26, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore
Surprise Surprise, another case of DHS bullying another innocent man because he may or may not be a child's father. Funny how we can live in American and have all this freedom, yet DHS can literally take almost any lawful or unlawful actions they require to get the job done. They have teams of people to help any random knocked up girl who could be a meth head but if it comes to the supposed father, his only option is to hire a lawyer and pay all kinds of legal fee's. It's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty not the other way around. Look on OK's DHS website. They have about a 60 page handbook on what they can do to hunt down the father and what actions they can take. Want to know how many pages they have for the father's rights? 1 page. Look for yourself. --Rush
- Dec 26, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore
Phil, for once I agree with you. Yes, it is close to 2:00 PM & I am on leave today. I have been with this monstrosity called state government for almost 20 years. The people running this organization reek of hypocrisy. The say it is all for families and for the kids, but the reality is it is all about them. I promise you, anyone higher up than the lowest level supervisor must sell their soul to advance in DHS. If you acknowledge there are problems, then you simply are not a team player. When I was in Child Welfare, I was told to do something diametrically opposed to policy and refused to do it. I had too many witnesses for them to fire me. These people are evil. This self serving group of individuals will not go voluntarily. They think they are above the law. I can do more from the inside than the outside that is why I stay.
Vlad, Oklahoma City - Aug 26, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore Vlad
The overwhelmingly simple way to describe DHS problems in two words are BAD MANAGEMENT!!! Bad managers continually promote bad mangers. If someone competent is promoted, then they will expose the profoundly retarded administration for what it is.
Vlad, Oklahoma City - Aug 26, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore Vlad
Phil, for once I agree with you. Yes, it is close to 2:00 PM & I am on leave today. I have been with this monstrosity called state government for almost 20 years. The people running this organization reek of hypocrisy. The say it is all for families and for the kids, but the reality is it is all about them. I promise you, anyone higher up than the lowest level supervisor must sell their soul to advance in DHS. If you acknowledge there are problems, then you simply are not a team player. When I was in Child Welfare, I was told to do something diametrically opposed to policy and refused to do it. I had too many witnesses for them to fire me. These people are evil. This self serving group of individuals will not go voluntarily. They think they are above the law. I can do more from the inside than the outside that is why I stay.
Vlad, Oklahoma City - Aug 26, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore Vlad
I think we've strayed from the topic which is this man was hounded by one of the many agencies of our government to collect a debt he didn't owe, morally, ethically or actually. This is NOT an aberration, it is disturbingly common. The action of assuming that children born in a marriage are the children of the husband is rooted in old English law. Today, we know that some wives are unfaithful and some of those bear children from a man other than her husband. A 1999 study by the American Association of Blood Banks found that in 30 percent of 280,000 blood tests performed to determine paternity, the man tested was not the biological father. It is not just DHS that is the problem. Many state's laws make it clear that if a man can be duped long enough, he's stuck, meaning that if a father discovers(accidentally or intentionally) a few years late that "his" child isn't his, he is still treated as if they were, including and especially paying child support to the mother, and that's exactly what this whole problem is created by, about and for. It is called "father shopping"; trying to name the wrong, but wealthier man, as dad. This problem has nothing to do with children being abused, killed or even adoptions. It is legally committed fraud that happens very, very often.
Phil, Yukon - Aug 20, 2008 at 8:06 am
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore Phil
Dennis, I looked for it and could not find it either hmmm....
Voter, Oklahoma City - Aug 18, 2008 at 12:09 am
Off Topic...What has happened to the Forums page? Did NewsOK discontinue it?
Dennis, Oklahoma City - Aug 16, 2008 at 6:24 am
Thank you for voting ! Please ask your representive's to vote against this bill. S. 3038, The Improved Adoption Incentives and Relative Guardianship Support Act of 2008 http://www.washingt onwatch.com/ bills/show/ 110_SN_3038. html This bill goes back up for a vote in September10,2008 In memory of children adopted out & killed by the people who adopted them : http://www.amfor.net/KillerAdopters/
Voter, Oklahoma City - Aug 13, 2008 at 3:30 pm
As another state worker I'm sorry I have to disagree with James - DHS is very Incompetent. I do not work for DHS but working for the state I understand that decisions and other things are policitally based, sometimes greatly. However, I have had dealings with DHS & they were not pleasant or handled very well, in fact it is still unresolved. My daycare is operating illeaglly accoridng to the rules & regulations the director is uncertified as well as most of the workers however, they are premitted BY DHS to continue operating on a work permit - for over a year now. This is very frustrating because DHS says they can't do anything about it - my problem has nothing to do with paternity or child support (however I'm still waiting on them to collect child support from my ex for over 12 years now) but it does show how incompetent that they are overall.
SHARI, Blanchard - Aug 13, 2008 at 11:39 am
I think it is a shame this happened to this young man and it needs to be fixed. However, I hesitate to throw a blanket over OKDHS and say they are incompetent. This is one case. And we hear about a few every so often. Unfortunately in Oklahoma DHS handles hundreds of thousands of cases ranging from food and energy assistance to collection of money from deadbeat parents. It is suprising there aren't more errors or mistakes. Hopefully, DHS will do as we all do and take the experience from this and fix the problem. I hope Mr. Thomas will be able to go on with his life and do great things. (Maybe he will come up with a new improved DHS system in 2015? :) )
C, Oklahoma City - Aug 13, 2008 at 11:37 am
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore C
A review of Child Welfare data found that from April 1, 2006 through March 31, 2007 employee stability for Child Welfare workers was 61.6%. Stability of Child Welfare supervisors during this same period was 75.4%. On April 1, 2007 there were 100 vacant Child Welfare worker positions.----- The state of Oklahoma has set a workload standard for Child Welfare workers of 136.6 points. Points are based on caseload size and duties. On April 1, 2007 the average workload points for Child Welfare workers was 163.4 points. This shows a need for 186.7 more Child Welfare workers in order to meet the workload standard of 136.6 points.----- OKDHS data, from April 1, 2007, shows that Child Welfare workers, (excluding CPS) average 23.5 children per caseload. This exceeds the Child Welfare League of America’s (CWLA) recommendation of 12-15 children per caseload. OKDHS data, from April 1 2007, shows that Child Protective Service (CPS) workers in the state average 13.4 cases, slightly higher than the CWLA’s recommended 12 active cases per month.----- In an effort to reduce turnover within the Child Welfare program, monetary incentives have been implemented. In October 2004 and 2005 all OKDHS employees were given $1,000 stipends from federal bonus awards the agency received for high performance in several of its programs. Pay increases were provided to Child Welfare specialists and supervisors in November 2005 and December 2006. A performance based pay incentive was implemented per State legislation in 2006. Eligibility for the performance based pay is dependent the county’s annual State CFSR results, time employed in the county office, annual employee evaluation, and completion of training hours.----- http://www.okdhs.org/NR/rdonlyres/ED09C032-6662-498E-A583-E6C420D9AC4E/0/statewideassessment_cfsd_06202007.pdf
Dennis, Oklahoma City - Aug 13, 2008 at 10:13 am
This story doesn't add up. There is more to it than what we have read here.
We, ThePeople - Aug 12, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore We
I am a mother who has been using dhs to get my child support for the last 3 yrs and it is amazing that they went after this guy so fiercly. Her dad goes months without paying me a dime and they don't do anything about it. I call them and talk to some rude opperator who tells me they are doing all they can, if I have a case worker I couldn't tell you who it is. I make to much money to get assistance with just food thats all I would like help with but they like to give that money to drug dealing moms who claim to go to school. Trust me I know some who do that they live in my poor neighborhood.
Kimberly, Edmond - Aug 12, 2008 at 6:05 pm
wish i got paid to do nothing!!!!
Robert, Oklahoma City - Aug 12, 2008 at 1:25 pm
DHS is a joke!!! Have you ever tried to call the 800 number or visit a caseworker? You are either on hold for ever or you can't see the case worker without an appointment set 2 weeks out.
Robert, Oklahoma City - Aug 12, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Really people, it does not matter if you are a ncp or cp, support your children and don't depend on anyone else.. Maybe if DHS drug tested everyone on TANF/food stamps they would realize their funds aren't going on taking care of kids anyway. I never relied on anyone and i have 3 girls,, ITS CALLED GET A JOB AND DEPEND ON YOURSELF.
sonja, burns flat - Aug 12, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Patricia, if you read my previous posts, you will know that that is EXACTLY what they are doing..quitting. These kids quickly get enough of the job and seek greener pastures. They are only required to do the most rudimentary of searches. I have already admitted that this was a major screw up, but one of the posters is correct. This whole thing could have been avoided if Mr. Thomas had shown up for his appointment. One of the posters said that he had been making payments to his ex-wife for the child support and got a notice to start paying DHS instead. The reason is that your ex-wife filed a request for TANF and Foodstamps. When that happens, federal regulations demand that DHS take over the child support collections. You people may not like it, but most of the problems (not all, obviously), could have been avoided by simply complying with the initial requests from CSED. You may not agree, but thats how the system works. Also, anytime anyone gets involved with two of the most disgusting events in human life (battle for child custody and child abuse investigation), someone is going to be mad and not be happy about the referee in the middle...that's us. BTW...I'm on my lunch break.
J, Anonymous - Aug 12, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore J
Wonder who the judge was?
Thomas - Aug 12, 2008 at 11:43 am
Kevin you are right there arent just dead beat dads there are dead beat moms also..i feel that moms should have to pay child support if they are the ncp..my case is a pvt case i have never received a check/food stamp/housing/daycare assistance from dhs. My payments are to run through the registry, on advice of my attorney i completed paperwork for them to activly pursue. As a result I have been threatened if i dont give all info i have (I thought that was "their" job, to research). I did provide all info i had even bank account info and you see from my previous comment what i got. i have had a job since i was 19 i am now 39. so i take care of my children, but what about dad?..Just because mom & dad are no longer together dont mean children stop needing support. All dads arent dead beat, and all women arent sleeping w/every tom dick and harry. the issue here is the inadequate work of dhs. if they pursued 50% of the men/women that "really" owe half as hard as this did this "wrong" man. How much arrears would be taken care of? Underpayment ....please all state employees are underpaid i agree, but does that give the right to "underwork". H--- no..get off that mess right now, if you dont like the pay quit. i understand why so many complain about the job/pay(state empl) and not quit because they can draw a paycheck and not do any work or sloppy work..this is obvious by the service that is received from this agency. If you dont want to be a public servant dont work in state government jobs. bottom line.
patricia, oklahoma city - Aug 12, 2008 at 8:11 am
Kevin you are right there arent just dead beat dads there are dead beat moms also..i feel that moms should have to pay child support if they are the ncp..my case is a pvt case i have never received a check/food stamp/housing/daycare assistance from dhs. My payments are to run through the registry, on advice of my attorney i completed paperwork for them to activly pursue. As a result I have been threatened if i dont give all info i have (I thought that was "their" job, to research). I did provide all info i had even bank account info and you see from my previous comment what i got. i have had a job since i was 19 i am now 39. so i take care of my children, but what about dad?..Just because mom & dad are no longer together dont mean children stop needing support. All dads arent dead beat, and all women arent sleeping w/every tom dick and harry. the issue here is the inadequate work of dhs. if they pursued 50% of the men/women that "really" owe half as hard as this did this "wrong" man. How much arrears would be taken care of? Underpayment ....please all state employees are underpaid i agree, but does that give the right to "underwork". H--- no..get off that mess right now, if you dont like the pay quit. i understand why so many complain about the job/pay(state empl) and not quit because they can draw a paycheck and not do any work or sloppy work..this is obvious by the service that is received from this agency. If you dont want to be a public servant dont work in state government jobs. bottom line.
patricia, oklahoma city - Aug 12, 2008 at 8:11 am
Kevin you are right there arent just dead beat dads there are dead beat moms also..i feel that moms should have to pay child support if they are the ncp..my case is a pvt case i have never received a check/food stamp/housing/daycare assistance from dhs. My payments are to run through the registry, on advice of my attorney i completed paperwork for them to activly pursue. As a result I have been threatened if i dont give all info i have (I thought that was "their" job, to research). I did provide all info i had even bank account info and you see from my previous comment what i got. i have had a job since i was 19 i am now 39. so i take care of my children, but what about dad?..Just because mom & dad are no longer together dont mean children stop needing support. All dads arent dead beat, and all women arent sleeping w/every tom dick and harry. the issue here is the inadequate work of dhs. if they pursued 50% of the men/women that "really" owe half as hard as this did this "wrong" man. How much arrears would be taken care of? Underpayment ....please all state employees are underpaid i agree, but does that give the right to "underwork". H--- no..get off that mess right now, if you dont like the pay quit. i understand why so many complain about the job/pay(state empl) and not quit because they can draw a paycheck and not do any work or sloppy work..this is obvious by the service that is received from this agency. If you dont want to be a public servant dont work in state government jobs. bottom line.
patricia, oklahoma city - Aug 12, 2008 at 8:11 am
Unfortunately this is not unusual. This is the result of pressure from the higher ups at DHS on the caseworkers to collect child support. There are penalties on DHS if they fail to collect support a certain levels. What happened here happened many times. A caseworker, under pressure to clear cases mearly linked the subject from the Social Security lists to the mothers case file without adiquate background checking and apparently based only on the name. When the subject failed to appear for testing, it was all over. Many attorneys in Oklahoma have similar stories of misidentification of fathers. Inadequate research is not limitied to the child support enforcement division of DHS, when attempting to notice the fathers in deprived actions, workers and States attorneys also fail to search and do legally required background work to notify the fathers of the children. Many father's never care, but there are those who are trying to find their children because mothers have fled and concealed the children. (Yes there are occasions where hiding is justified.) The underlying reason behind this and many problems with DHS is that the legislature in Oklahoma refuses to adequately fund this program in addition to many others. Unfortuantely this means either a reallocation of resources or more funds. (read taxes)
Neil, Oklahoma City - Aug 12, 2008 at 7:54 am
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore Neil
The State of Oklahoma owes this man much more than a couple of hundred thousand dollars. Pay him.
John, Texas - Aug 12, 2008 at 5:47 am
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore John
Just curious--even this rag used to carry a column about 'dead beat dads.' How come even in today's climate of political correctness and equality we never hear anything about 'dead beat moms?' I know they're out there...
Kevin, Oklahoma City - Aug 11, 2008 at 8:32 pm
James, are you a DHS employee? If so, I feel for you. I can't imagine dealing day after day with these so called "parents" and these poor children that are born into such sad circumstances. I do agree there needs to be some changes with DHS but I get so angry listening to the whiners that absolutely will not take responsibility for creating their situations. If you can't take care of the kids...quit having them...quit laying down with every Tom Dick and Harry.
K, Edmond - Aug 11, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore K
C, if you will look at my posting dates and times, you will see they are on Sunday, and before and after work today. "," or whatever you name is. Your suggestion is EXACTLY what quality workers are doing. So, what you get left with are the few older workers who are absolutly dedicated to their work, and the younger ones that are taking the job until they can find something else and don't give a damn. Get what you pay for. If in your business you paid only 2/3's of what your competitor paid, you might get some employees, but they wouldn't stay, wouldn't be happy, and would leave just as soon as they could find another job. That is exacly what is happening at OKDHS. I have heard suggestions that we disband OKDHS into lots of different stage agencies. We tried doing that several years ago. Do you know that OU Hospital and Children's medical center used to be part of DHS? How about Rehab? Yep, them too. Juvenile Justice and Oklahoma Health Care Authority (Medicaid) also. Before the split, we had an agency administrative costs of around 10% (personnel, IT, purchasing, legal, admin office of all division). When we split off those agencies, they immediatly spent MILLIONS establishing those admin offices and functions. I might point out that those state agencies are not exactly examples of good management. So, watch what you wish for, you might get it, but your taxpayers dollars expended will go up. I have an idea, let's just shut us down. That will work. No child support. Custodial parents, you are on your own. Dead and abused kids, not our fault. Beat up old people, don't look for us. If you think that is a good idea, go ahead.
J, Anonymous - Aug 11, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore J
I have never had any dealings with DHS, but from everything I have read, they certainly need an overhaul. I have to wonder however, why are there so many children is this system in the first place? Why? Because there are too many incompetent people having babies and noone to take care of them. That is the real tragedy here.
K, Edmond - Aug 11, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore K
I am a custodial parent(private case) who has to do all of my own legwork for CSED because the caseworkers don't do anything. THE NCP is in arrears of more than $116,000 and they have not tried to increase the payment or anything. I have went to several court dates and have provide everything but a pair of dirty underwear and the ncp comes in with a report card that has nothing to do with our case and his payment has been dropped. THE ncp requests modification hearings and does not show up because he did not sign a certification slip showing that he received any information from the csed but my information is sent regular mail. I guess if I had ever received TANF or assistance from DHS I would get better results....Oh by the way Pete from broken arrow all of my caseworkers handling this case have been caucasian...so what does that mean?
Andrea, Oklahoma City - Aug 11, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Sorry, that should be not paying or sitting in jail.
pat, bartlesville - Aug 11, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore pat
This is just another example of how incompetent DHS is. They are supposed to be so faithful in collecting back child support and arresting dead beat dads. My ex-son-in-law owes over $100,000 in back child support for three children and he is still paying or sitting in jail. DHS is a joke.
pat, bartlesville - Aug 11, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore pat
James, Are you on vacation? If not,how long are the lunch breaks at the DHS offices. You have been at this for a long time. Are you on my time????
C., Dover - Aug 11, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore C.
I have read this entire comment section, and posted on it once. I want to add one FACT to the discussion. There has been more than one here try to excuse those bad/criminal employees by saying the DHS jobs don't pay as much as private sector jobs. Know what? If the job doesn't pay enough, DON"T TAKE IT! Because it pays less DOES NOT mean you can do a bad or partial job! If you hire on to do a job, and you get payed, then DO YOUR JOB!!!!
Phil, Shawnee - Aug 11, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore Phil
The problem is that DHS treats all fathers as if they are dead beat dads whether they are or not. They all the time take and sieze funds from dads who are completely paid up in their child support payments. Call them about it and you'll get a big fat "we don't care. You owe." And they don't. All they care about is that the money keeps rolling in. Doesn't matter if you're paid up or not.
Kevin, Jones - Aug 11, 2008 at 2:14 pm
The whole system is not just broken but intentionally so. I have heard Mr. Hendrick testify in front of more than one committee in reference to child support and custody/visitation. He talks like fathers are scum and mothers are always long-suffering angels. At each meeting I have seen, there were at least 10 employees of DHS in the audience wearing buttons or carrying small signs denoting their wish to increase child support amounts and/or limit father's involvement. It was all very politically correct but if you've never gone, do so, only do not expect to be allowed any input. Several well-respected authorities that had requested time to speak in opposition to the bill were disallowed because they opposed the preconceived plan. In other words, they have their minds made up, don't confuse them with facts.
Phil, Yukon - Aug 11, 2008 at 1:58 pm
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore Phil
I have an aunt who is a social worker here in Oklahoma. She tells me that the problem is just the right hand not talking to the left. Plus, she has a masters in Human and Family Services and brings home less than $30k per year. I am sure that she isn't the only under paid, over worked DHS employee. Not to make excuses, but we need to realize that until we can figure out a way to properly compensate these people, this is the kind of work were going to see out of our state agencies. The same is true with ODOT, or DEQ.
JOSHUA, Normanlahoma City - Aug 11, 2008 at 1:55 pm
deann that was the best one i heard all day. good for you guys..
patricia, oklahoma city - Aug 11, 2008 at 1:11 pm
My daughter received a Day Care subsidy for a short time from DHS while she was completing her degree. Even though her caseworker had proof that the father of her child was deceased (he died in surgery), she still got hateful letters from the state office demanding the name and address of her child's father "Under Penalty of Law". Each time she would submit a copy of the father's death certificate, and refer them to her caseworker. Her caseworker wrote to the state office, and that didn't help either. The last time she received a letter demanding that she provide the name and address of the father of her child; we sent it back (with ANOTHER copy of the death certificate) listing his name and "heaven" as the address! We also included a letter that said if she received another threatening letter (we will garnish your wages for all past benefits if you don't cooperate) it would be turned over to an attorney and the Attorney General of Oklahoma. Low and behold, she never heard from them again.
Deann, Crescent - Aug 11, 2008 at 12:48 pm
patricia, oklahoma city - Aug 11, 2008 at 12:26 pm
First let me say i am a state employee and the way dhs handles "their business" makes all state employess look "BAD" to say the least. If dhs would persue real delinquent dads the way they did this young man, then maybe there would not be as much arrears owed to custodial parents. I will give you a prime example, I have a 22 year old daughter (college) student with a child of her own, and her father is still paying child support payments to me (why you say) Because he would pay when he got ready sometimes there was no payment for 7 or 8 years. dhs never suspended his DL, or froze his assets. There was a time when he was making a six figure income for a period of approx 6 or 7 yrs (music industry) they never touched him. My youngest child is 16 and she is from my x-husband (different dad) he pays when he gets ready too. His child support payments were ordered in my divroce decree, we've been divorced for 6 years, and he is in arrears of over 15,000. when they(dhs) found his bank account (thanks to my work not theirs), there was a small amount in it less than 300 or 400 dollars they said they couldnt take it and wouldnt because he has 45 days to appeal. well you know at the end of that 45 days the money "disappeared". I think that dhs is a crock of bs and the agency should be dismantled and child support among their other fake --- services should be handled by another source. Maybe then these children would get the child support they deserve and more of our children would still be alive. I am an avid voter so much that i even vote on school bond issues, the people at the voter pole where i vote know me by name and face. We as oklahomans need to petition and get these non caring individuals out. Even the judge that gave Kelsey back to her mom was allowed to resign. He should have been fired as that decision caused the death of that baby. But i guess his "dignity" was more important than her life. That ultimately what dhs protected isnt it. everything that agency touches will crumble until a change is made......
patricia, oklahoma city - Aug 11, 2008 at 12:26 pm
My husband had a brief fling that resulted in the birth of a child. A child he did not know about for 8 years...yes I said EIGHT! He had the paternity test, the child was his and DHS began taking his wages, our taxes, etc. They were nice enough to tell me I could recoup my losses by filing an injured spouse with the IRS. They took him back to the child's birth in arrears, even though the child had been raised as another man's child, born during their marriage...in Oklahoma that makes him the presumptive father, aside from the fact HE, her husband, signed the birth certificate! Didn't matter to DHS, they took it all!! Told my husband it wouldn't be on the credit record...LIES!!!!! It was! When we finally paid off the arrears, we asked to have DHS remove the garnishment of his check and we would pay the mother directly, which she agreed to. Oh no, they can't (or won't?) rescend an order for garnishment unless he switches jobs. What a crock of crapola. I didn't fall off of the turnip truck yesterday!! Explain to me please why they cannot terminate the order? Also, I DO NOT BELIEVE IF A MAN IS UNAWARE OF A CHILD, he should be made to pay the arrearage. I'm sorry but if this woman had not lied to her husband for 8 years, we would not have been in this state. Why did she finally tell the truth you ask? Well, because he husband divorced her and left the country. She needed a new cash cow because she has a habit of being unable to work. She claims she is disabled but the government has not yet seen fit to grant her that title. She has been turned down for disability 6 times. Apparently, there is no disability. DHS needs to be revamped. I cannot believe that children continue to die and peoples lives are ruined by this monster machine. If it TOO big of a department, then split it up so it can run more efficiently. First thing I would do...Get rid of Howard Hendrick and George Johnson. They don't have a clue as to what they are doing. They are apparently unfit for leadership.
K, Oklahoma City - Aug 11, 2008 at 11:36 am
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore K
Ignoring things never make them get better or go away. If this young man had not chosen to ignore the appointment for the first paternity test he would not have been defaulted as the father. He should have asked to have the test done in Tulsa the first time instead of ignoring it.
danny, shawnee - Aug 11, 2008 at 11:28 am
just another "fine" example of OKDHS at work.
Renee, edmond - Aug 11, 2008 at 10:57 am
P.S. Should have stated they are able to over rule the family court Judge's order or orders. DHS/CPS = Protecting the little children to their very deaths. In memory of the children who have died in the care of CPS : http://almosttuesday.wordpress.com/2007/10/05/in-memory-these-children-died-in-the-governments-care-in-the-name-of-safety/
Voter, Oklahoma City - Aug 11, 2008 at 10:31 am
Jim, Almost certain here that you are not aware that D.H.S/C.P.S is able to go above the law. The system they have in the organization is that TWO only two case wreckers are allowed to over rule a Judges orders ! If they deem that " In the best interest of the child." Or really in the best interest of filling the pork barrel with funds. The only time two case wreckers aren't allowed to over rule a Judge's orders is when Department Of Human Sacrifices is taken into court for a trial. DHS/CPS = Protecting the little children to their very deaths.
Voter, Oklahoma City - Aug 11, 2008 at 10:23 am
I am a Father, a supportive, paying father, I will admit, I am currently behind, a very minimal amout, due to lack of work on occasion. In approxmately January 2002,sent me a letter called an "An Instrument of Law" directing me to pay my child support to DHS Child Support Enforcement, rather than to my ex-wife, as I was directed by the Divorce Judge in my case. I admittedly, ignored the letter, and continued to pay my ex-wife as directed by the divorce judge. continuing on, in early 2002, DHS, required me to prove my earnings, and brought me into court. At that appearance, it was established, I was not in arrears in my child support, even though, DHS said I owed (because I didnt PAY them), this was brought up to the judge, who ordered the then Assistant District attorney, to correct DHS's record in this case. At that time, I was ordered to pay child support to DHS Gestapo, which I have been doing so since. Long story short, that Assistant District attorney, chose to do nothing. I tried to show the reciepts to the Assistant District Attorney, that persons response was "YOUR RECIEPTS MEAN NOTHING", so that person chose to IGNORE that judges order. The small sum DHS said I was behind, has more than doubled since that time. Comes 2008, after years of trying to resolve this issue, I went to an administrative hearing, in regards to this issue, results, I was told to get the court transcript, and present it to the DHS worker in the case. I inquired about the transcript, the cost to obtain the transcript, approxmately $200.00. TO prove the Assistant District Attorney, Failed to do that persons Assigned J.O.B. and follow through with the judges order. Bottom Line: I am Guilty unless I can prove my innocence, and PAY $200.00 for a transcript. After obtaining, the transcript, and proving my innocence. Will I be able to recover from DHS the cost of the transcript, due to thier employees direlection of duty? With the DHS Gestapo tactics, I serously doubt it. Bottom line, I pay child support, I admit, I have had a few occasions when I was not employed, and was unable to pay temporarly. But I am currently correcting that issue. Then comes another issue, I have been threatened in numerous ways, over the years, inclusive of suspension of my drivers license, professional licenses, among other things. I currently owe less than $1500.00, including what was ordered (By the Judge, in my case), removed, because it was NOT due. Harrassment continues...... What evidence I can provide, (reciepts) are NOT acceptable to the DHS Gestapo. To make matters worse, I am continually being hassled. I know there are DEAD BEAT dads out there, that should be DHS Gestapo's concern, but they are NO DOUBT, hard to find, soooo, for fathers who are NOT dead beat dads, they are the focus, WHY, because they are not attempting to hide, and they are ALOT easier to find. So thier J.O.B. justification, go the easy way, and hassle EASY to find Dad's
jim, Newalla - Aug 11, 2008 at 9:54 am
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore jim
When children are placed into custody of the Grandma or Grandpa, both parents need to pay DHS for the expenses. There are cases now where the mother's exceed the father in wages and are not responsible for back child support.
Harvey, Oklahoma City - Aug 11, 2008 at 9:36 am
I am not one to bash government, but I feel this is a major crime by the state. The people at DHS basicly are guilty of strong armed robbery. The people that refused to give the results, hid the results and committed fraud on this young man, should be charged with criminal charges. There are so many charges that could be filed, the people could be in jail for many many years. Now about filing false and improper papers in court. Oh boy, the DHS should be disbanded and completely started anew. Stephen, you said incompetence, this is complete and total criminal activity. The DHS employees and their supervisors, knew exactly what they were doing. $167,000 is not even close to enough for this young man. After taking away his ability to better himself by going to college, ruining his credit for years to come, breaking up a relationship and the stress on his family, this young man should be asking for enough money to make up for the loss of his education, and at lease seven years of income and credit history.
James, oklahoma city - Aug 11, 2008 at 9:36 am
Oops. Typed too fast. "...second office..." should read "...second offense..." Guess I should type slower when I am burned by someone's incompetence!
Stephen, Edmond - Aug 11, 2008 at 9:24 am
It never ceases to amaze me that governmental agencies think they are above the law, or they are THE LAW. We, the People, have allowed this to continue to happen by not raising cain about these types of incidents. Pick up your phone and call the Governor's office and your representative's office and demand action to fix this type of problems once and for all. If that doesn't work, then circulate a petition to submit to the vote of the people that the DHS be broken up into smaller, more manageable agencies and that any willful violation of a citizen's civil right be a criminal misdemeaner charge for the first offense, and a felony charge for the second office with permanent discharge from government service. The powers that be won't do anything about it, so we might as well take matters into our own capable hands and fix it where this does not happen again on a regular basis!
Stephen, Edmond - Aug 11, 2008 at 9:21 am
Judie, unfortunately, in DHS, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Our case workers in Field Ops (Foodstamps, TANF, and Medicaid eligibility), Child Welfare, CSED (Child Support), Adult Protective Services, and Child Care Licensing have triple the case load of our regional area and 4 times the national average. Those jobs don't pay all that much either and we have a high turnover, especially in CW. If your daughter wants to pursue this case, contact your local DHS CSED office. They also have an office called Office of Administrative Hearing that can expedite deliquent cases. Good Luck.
J, Anonymous - Aug 11, 2008 at 9:17 am
Report as inappropriate or
Ignore J
If you think DHS is bad, just try dealing ith Indian Child Welfare for a while.
Cindy, Norman - Aug 11, 2008 at 9:10 am
I'm curious Shannon why they even came after you in the first place. Did your ex-wife have anything to do with it? My daughter has never gotten child support but she never pressed the issue so no one has gone after her ex, not even DHS.
judie, Oklahoma City - Aug 11, 2008 at 8:07 am
DHS needs to be realigned. Someone needs to be fired! They have been doing this for years. They are infamous for bullying honest citizens and looking the other way in bad citizens. They tried to come after me 12 years ago claiming that I was three years delinquient on child support. I have been in the military for 16 years and had an allotment set up to pay my child support since the day I got divorced from my ex-wife. I fought with them for a total of six months over this situation. I even showed them numerous government documents showing that the payments have been made via government allotments all that time. They still threatend to prosecute me, informing that the government documents were still not enough proof. It wasn't until I hired an attorney and pursued a lawsuit for harrasment until they finally stopped. Then it was like pulling teeth to get an apology from them. They need to be going after the trash in the state instead of bullying honest people.
Shannon, FAFB - Aug 10, 2008 at 11:31 pm
A policy of zero tolerance should be instigated but that doesn't mean that mistakes, either intentional of otherwise won't happen. I have zero tolerance for cussing in my house, but the other day the 5 year old said "S--t" because she heard it at a friends house. I guess I should have thrown her out of the house since there is a zero tolerance policy. I don't approve of many things that are done in ALL parts of our government, but it also happens in the private sector. There will always be greed, there will always be lying, and there will always be j