For some custodial parents in Virginia, collecting support from their former partner can be a hassle. But for one woman who was receiving $1,500 in child support each month, on time, the hassle came from another party: the state government. According to the woman, her ex-husband writes a check each month for the allotted amount to the state. After that, the amount is transferred into her bank account.

Earlier this month, she began to have financial problems.

She was unsure what was happening until she noticed that the amount transferred into her account was only $15. At just 1 percent of the amount she normally received, the decreased deposit caused her to overdraft several times. Many bills were automatically paid and put her bank account into the red.

Inquiring further, she found that she now owed $600 in overdraft fees and has since asked the Division of Child Support Enforcement to reimburse her for the amount. According to her, the mistake was on the end of the agency. According to the agency, the noncustodial parent -- her ex-husband -- is to blame.

The agency said that he wrote the check incorrectly, but a copy of the check provided by the man shows signs that point toward the full $1,500. The zeros were written smaller than normal, but a notation for zero cents reportedly appears on the check. On the second line, the man clearly wrote the correct amount in words.

According to the agency, their employee as well as the bank read the check as $15. They have since contacted the ex-husband, suggesting that his penmanship can be improved to prevent future mistakes. She has received the full amount for the month of December, but the state has refused to pay the overdraft fees that were accumulated.

Source: The Hook, "Child un-support: State agency blames parents for flawed deposit," Lisa Provence, Dec. 19, 2011