Chippewa
County,
Michigan
Contact Information
Friend of the Court
325 Court Street
Suite 104
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
(906) 635-6347
Friend of the Court
Medical
MEDICAL REIMBURSEMENT
Each child support order issued or modified after October 1, 2004 will include an amount that the non-custodial party will pay each month toward "ordinary medical expenses" incurred on behalf of the minor child(ren). This will assist the custodial party in paying for the minor child(ren)'s medical expenses as they are incurred. The custodial party may not seek reimbursement from the non-custodial party for the "ordinary medical expenses", until the ordinary medical amount per child has been met annually. The court order should state the ordinary medical amount.
Ordinary medical expenses include the support recipient’s co-payments and deductibles and uninsured medical-related costs for all children in the case. Ordinary medical expenses presume that the recipient is the individual who typically obtains medical care for the children for whom support is paid, and therefore normally has out of pocket expenses needing reimbursement.
For the custodial party, any uninsured medical expenses incurred after the annual ordinary medical amount has been met are called additional (extraordinary) medical expenses. For the non-custodial party, any uninsured medical expenses incurred on behalf of the minor child(ren) are considered additional (extraordinary) medical expenses. The court order will indicate the percentage each party must pay for the additional medical expenses.
Friend of the Court will assist in reimbursement of the additional uninsured medical expenses that are within a year old of date of service. Reimbursement forms (FOC 13 & 13a) can be obtained online or at the Friend of the Court office. It will be necessary to provide supporting documentation (i.e. bills, receipts, explanation of benefits) with the reimbursement forms. Supporting documentation should include provider’s name, patient’s name, date of service, type of service, amount charged and/or paid. Expenses submitted by the custodial party will be processed and the medical account assessed for the non-custodial party’s court ordered percentage. Expenses submitted by the non-custodial party will be processed and the account credited for the custodial party’s court ordered percentage.
Medical Reimbursement Forms:
Request for Health-Care Expense Payment (FOC 13)
Complaint and Notice for Health-Care Expense Payment (FOC 13a)
The custodial party or non-custodial party must submit their request for proportionate reimbursement to the other party within 28 days of the insurers’ final payment or denial of coverage.
If direct reimbursement is not received by the other party within 28 days after the demand, the request for payment of uninsured medical expenses may be submitted to the Friend of the Court.
HEALTH CARE INSURANCE
The Friend of the Court has enforcement procedures available to require one or both parties to obtain health care insurance for the minor child(ren) if ordered by the Court. Assistance is also available in obtaining information about current insurance coverage.