Dear Julie,
\nDo you have any information on how to help someone (my brother) with BP who is required to pay child support, but cannot due to his BP condition?\u00a0 He is headed for jail b\/c he is so behind on his child support payments.\u00a0 There must be some type of justification in the courts that understands that he cannot work enough to make the payments. It is very stressful for all of us. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
\n\u00a0
\nThank you,
\nL.C<\/p>\n
\u00a0Hello L.C.
\n\u00a0Wow, this is quite a question. The justice system is very used to seeing
\n\u00a0mentally ill people- but are not always up on what to do.
\nHere are some ideas:<\/p>\n
– Get an official letter from his doctor with detail on his diagnosis, the meds he takes and his work ability. Can he get a doctor\u2019s statement that he\u2019s actually not able to work?<\/p>\n
– Search your county for a court that is known to understand mental health concerns. He is probably assigned a judge, but it doesn\u2019t hurt to ask. Here in Oregon, we have mental health courts- they are changing the way the justice system handles mental illness.<\/p>\n
– Find out if he has any rights under American Disabilities Act- this is a long shot, but worth a try.<\/p>\n
– And finally, he needs to talk with his partner and explain the situation- he has probably done this many times, but it has to happen.<\/p>\n
If he is not able to financially support his children, I am sure she wonders who will. It is not her fault your brother is not able to work and I assume she just wants his help. I think your brother has to look at it from both sides. What would he do if he were in her position?<\/p>\n
I, of course don\u2019t know any of the details of the situation, but it seems that there has to be better communication all around. This may be a very frustrating answer to your question as you may have tried all of this already, but if it didn\u2019t work the first time you have to keep trying.<\/p>\n
Does your brother use a very effective treatment plan daily<\/em> so that he can hopefully go back to work one day and support his children? That is a goal that is reachable and one that will certainly help the situation.<\/p>\n Yes, this is complicated, but there are options.<\/p>\n Julie<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear Julie, Do you have any information on how to help someone (my brother) with BP who is required to pay child support, but cannot due to his BP condition? He is headed for jail b\/c he is so behind on his child support payments. There must be some type of justification in the courts that understands that he cannot work enough to make the payments. It is very stressful for all of us. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, L.C<\/p>\n Hello L.C. Wow, this is quite a question. The justice system is very used to seeing mentally ill people- but are not always up on what to do. Here are some ideas:<\/p>\n – Get an official letter from his doctor with detail on his diagnosis, the meds he takes and his work ability. Can he get a doctor\u2019s statement that he\u2019s actually not able to work?<\/p>\n