
INSTRUCTIONS - Page 3 of 6
Co-Petitioners – 9A: Instructions9AVer09.doc (9/10)
This website also has a Child Support Calculator which may help you to calculate the amount of child support which
should be paid: http://www.dcs.state.or.us/calculator. Your local court facilitator, legal aid office or child support
program may also be able to help you calculate the amount of support.
Cash Medical Support. In addition to cash child support, Oregon law may require the payment of cash medical
support. If neither party has private health insurance for the child(ren) or if the health insurance is to be provided only by
the parent that receives cash child support, the court is required to order cash medical support unless the court finds there
are reasons not to order it. The purpose of cash medical support is to help defray the cost of health insurance and the cost
of uninsured medical expenses. The judge cannot order you or the other party to pay cash medical support if you or the
other party has a dependent child in the household who is eligible to receive public medical assistance or if you or the
other party is eligible for public medical assistance yourselves. A party who makes no more than Oregon minimum wage
cannot be ordered to pay cash medical support
Oregon law requires the court to make sure that payment for the child(ren)’s uninsured medical expenses are
addressed in the judgment. Although you may request that each party share the out-of-pocket medical expenses that
exceed $250.00 per child per year, it may not be appropriate to request both the payment of cash medical support and the
sharing of uninsured medical expenses. That is because one of the purposes of cash medical support is to help pay for the
cost of uninsured medical expenses.
Unmarried and Unemancipated Children at Least 18 and Under 21 Years of Age. Under Oregon law
unmarried unemancipated children who are at least 18 and under 21 years of age are necessary parties to all family law
cases involving support. The Petition
forms that deal with support will have a line to write in the child’s name, including
them in the heading. The Judgment
forms will have a place indicating how the child has been involved in the case, and if
applicable, a place to sign underneath Petitioner and Respondent signatures agreeing to the judgment. As a party to the
case, these children must be legally served with all the required documents. After they are served, children may sign a
Waiver of Further Appearance and Consent to Entry of Judgment
form found in Packet 6J if the child does not choose to
participate further in the case. Also note that on both the Petition form and the Judgment form you must select whether
support stops at age 18 or whether it continues until age 21 if the child continues to attend school.
Insurance. Oregon law requires that the judgment address the issue of health insurance for any minor child
involved in your case, and for payment of uninsured medical expenses. It also must provide for security for the payment
of support, such as life insurance. In the health care coverage section, you must mark any of the options that apply to
your family’s situation. There are two major categories involved in determining health care coverage for the children:
private
, such as insurance available through employment, and public, such as the Oregon Health Plan.
If either you, your spouse/partner, or both of you have private health care coverage available for the children, you
must fill out the “PRIVATE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE IS APPROPRIATE AND AVAILABLE” section. If neither
you nor your spouse/partner have private insurance available for the children, you will fill out the section called: “NO
PRIVATE INSURANCE IS APPROPRIATE OR AVAILABLE.” Regardless of insurance availability, everyone must
complete the section called: “RESPONSIBILITY FOR UNINSURED HEALTH EXPENSES.” It may be appropriate to
equally divide the expenses if no cash medical support is ordered or for the custodial parent to pay most or all of the
uninsured expenses if cash medical support is being paid to that parent.
Spousal Support. Oregon law provides for three different categories of spousal support: transitional, compensatory
and spousal maintenance. Transitional support may be ordered for a spouse to get work related education and training.
Compensatory spousal support may be ordered if one party has significantly contributed to the education, training,
vocational skills, career or earning capacity of the other spouse. Spousal maintenance may be ordered for the support of
one spouse. The judge will consider a number of factors when making the award, and may order more than one type of
support. For more information on what the judge will consider, please refer to ORS 107.105 (to view, visit your local
law library or www.leg.state.or.us/ors).
Property and Debts. – Statutory Restraining Order. Oregon law requires both Co-Petitioners to obey a
restraining order preventing either party from dissipating (selling, destroying, removing, disposing of) real or personal