Terms Used In Iowa Code > Chapter 252H - Adjustment and Modification of Support Orders

• Act: means the federal Social Security Act. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Child: means a child as defined in section 252B. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• Child support agency: means any state, county, or local office or entity of another state that has the responsibility for providing child support enforcement services under Tit. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• clerk: means clerk of the court in which the action or proceeding is brought or is pending; and the words "clerk's office" mean the office of that clerk. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• Consumer: means any one of the following:
   a. See Iowa Code 216E.1
• Cost-of-living alteration: means a change in an existing child support order which equals an amount which is the amount of the support obligation following application of the percentage change of the consumer price index for all urban consumers, United States city average, as published in the federal register by the federal department of labor, bureau of labor statistics. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• Court: shall mean and include any court upon which jurisdiction has been conferred to determine the liability of persons for the support of dependents. See Iowa Code 252A.2
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the department of human services. See Iowa Code 249L.2
• Determination of controlling order: means the process of identifying a child support order which must be recognized pursuant to section 252K. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• Institution: means a birthing hospital. See Iowa Code 252A.2
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Modification: means either of the following:
   (1) A change, correction, or termination of an existing support order. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• month: means a calendar month, and the word "year" and the abbreviation "A. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Parent: means , for the purposes of requesting a review of a support order and for being entitled to notice under this chapter:
   (1) The individual ordered to pay support pursuant to the order. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• Party: means a petitioner, a respondent, or a person who intervenes in a proceeding instituted under this chapter. See Iowa Code 252A.2
• person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
• property: includes personal and real property. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Public assistance: means benefits received in this state or any other state, under Tit. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• Review: means an objective evaluation conducted through a proceeding before a court, administrative body, or an agency, of information necessary for the application of a state's mandatory child support guidelines to determine:
   (1) The appropriate monetary amount of support. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• Rule: includes "regulation". See Iowa Code 4.1
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• State: means "state" as defined in chapter 252K. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Support order: means an order for support issued pursuant to this chapter, chapter 232, 234, 252A, 252C, 252E, 252F, 598, 600B, or any other applicable chapter, or under a comparable statute of another state or foreign country as registered with the clerk of court or certified to the child support recovery unit. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• unit: means the child support recovery unit created pursuant to section 252B. See Iowa Code 252H.2
• United States: includes all the states. See Iowa Code 4.1
• year: means twelve consecutive months. See Iowa Code 4.1