questions & answers

Question: I am trying to get a contact number for the clearinghouse. I am retired military my ex wife qualifies for 42.5% of my military pay. When we the divorce was final my lawyers had the spousal maintenance taken out of my military pay instead of my civilian pay that was corrected this month now they are taking money out of my civilian pay but no one sent anything to DFAS so they are still paying her 1000 dollars a month and they are also taking 1000 from my civilian pay the court order says tha I will pay 1000 dollars a month spousal maintenance and she gets 42.5 percent of my retirement not 2000

Answer: This is a tough one.  I too have searched for a phone number for the Support Payment Clearinghouse and come up empty.  I do know the address for the Clearinghouse is P.O. Box 52107, Phoenix, AZ 85072-2107.  You do not say which county issued your order.  It may be helpful to call or visit the office of the Clerk of the Court and ask the best way to contact the Clearinghouse to resolve the double payment issue.  Also, you may find the following article helpful as it contains contact information: https://www.azlawhelp.org/articles_info.cfm?sc=120&mc=26&articleid=351. If you cannot solve the issue on your own, you may need to see a lawyer.  There are three programs in Arizona that you can use to get inexpensive legal advice and guidance.  One is the modest means program.  You will need to apply for the program and meet the financial qualifications.  Once you are qualified, Modest Means will send you a list of attorneys whose practice covers your area of concern.  You select a lawyer from the list and will be entitled to a one hour consultation for $75.  If you need additional help and if the lawyer agrees to take your case, the most you will be charged is $75 per hours.  the telephone number is (866) 637-5341.  Both Maricopa County and Pima County have lawyer referral programs that offer a 30 minute consult with an attorney.  Maricopa County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute consult with an experienced attorney for $40.  The telephone number is  (602) 257-4434.  Pima County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute attorney consult for $35.  The telephone number is (520) 623-4625.