Child Medical Expense Reimbursement

MCL 552.511(a) is the authority for seeking reimbursement for uninsured medical expenses from the other parent.  Prior to seeking reimbursement from the other parent for uninsured medical expenses for a child, the custodial parent (or if joint physical custody, the parent receiving child support) must first have exceeded the $200.00 annual ordinary medical expense amount that the non-custodial (or child support paying) parent pre-pays through their monthly child support obligation.  Thereafter, the custodial parent must submit proof of the uninsured medical expense to the non-custodial parent within 28 days from the last payment by the insurer or denial of coverage. The non-custodial parent then has 28 days to pay their allotted portion of the uninsured medical expense.

If the non-custodial parent fails to pay his/her allotted share of the uninsured medical expense, then the custodial parent typically has one (1) year from the date of the expense to submit a complaint to the Friend of the Court (FOC) for enforcement of the child support obligation against the non-custodial parent.  Some county FOC offices have their own complaint forms (with instructions) that can be obtained on-line and filed.  The requirements can be complicated, so it may be best to consult counsel prior to attempting to do-it-yourself.  If a parent misses the one (1) year deadline, they will not be eligible for FOC assistance in recovering the expense and will be forced to file a motion with the court.