§576E-14  Modification, suspension, or termination of court and administrative orders.  (a)  The responsible parent, the agency, or the person having custody of the dependent child may file a request for suspension, termination, or modification of the child support provisions of a Hawaii court or administrative order with the agency.  Such request shall be in writing, shall set forth the reasons for suspension, termination, or modification, including the change in circumstances since the date of the entry of the order, and shall state the address of the requesting party.  The agency shall thereafter commence a review of the order and, if appropriate, shall commence administrative proceedings pursuant to sections 576E-5 through 576E-9.  The need to provide for the child's health care needs through health insurance or other means shall be a basis for the agency to commence administrative proceedings pursuant to section 576E-5.

     (b)  Only payments accruing subsequent to service of the request on all parties may be modified, and only upon a showing of a substantial and material change of circumstances.  The agency shall not be stayed from enforcement of the existing order pending the outcome of the hearing on the request to modify.

     (c)  The establishment of the guidelines or the adoption of any modifications made to the guidelines set forth in section 576D-7 may constitute a change in circumstances sufficient to permit review of the support order.  A material change of circumstances will be presumed if support as calculated pursuant to the guidelines is either ten per cent greater or less than the support amount in the outstanding support order.  The most current guidelines shall be used to calculate the amount of the child support obligation.

     (d)  The responsible parent or custodial parent shall have a right to petition the family court or the child support enforcement agency not more than once every three years for review and adjustment of the child support order without having to show a change in circumstances.  The responsible or custodial parent shall not be precluded from petitioning the family court or the child support enforcement agency for review and adjustment of child support more than once in any three-year period if the second or subsequent request is supported by proof of a substantial or material change of circumstances.

     (e)  Upon satisfaction of a responsible parent's support obligation toward the dependent child and the State, the agency or hearings officer without application of any party may issue an order terminating child support and may concurrently, if applicable, issue an order terminating existing assignments against the responsible parent's income and income withholding orders.

     (f)  In those cases where child support payments are to continue due to the adult child's pursuance of education, the agency, at least three months prior to the adult child's nineteenth birthday, shall send notice by regular mail to the adult child and the custodial parent that prospective child support will be suspended unless proof is provided by the custodial parent or adult child to the child support enforcement agency, prior to the child's nineteenth birthday, that the child is presently enrolled as a full-time student in school or has been accepted into and plans to attend as a full-time student for the next semester a post-high school university, college or vocational school.  If the custodial parent or adult child fails to do so, prospective child support payments may be automatically suspended by the child support enforcement agency upon the child reaching the age of nineteen years.  In addition, if applicable, the agency or hearings officer may issue an order terminating existing assignments against the responsible parent's income and income assignment orders. [L 1988, c 154, pt of §2; am L 1990, c 176, §20; am L 1991, c 216, §2; am L 1992, c 115, §2 and c 212, §2; am L 1997, c 293, §37 and c 294, §4]

Law Journals and Reviews

  Hawaii's Statewide Child Support Guidelines.  14 HBJ, no. 13, at 9 (2011).

Case Notes

  Subsection (b) did not apply to case where no request for modification of an existing order was filed with the agency and any request would have had to have been with respect to a preexisting court or agency order, neither of which existed in the case.  96 H. 1, 25 P.3d 60 (2001).