In the fall of 2024, the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) mailed letters to parents who once had an open dependency and/or severance case.
Did you receive a letter? Visit the DCS letter page for more information.
Family Law
Glossaries
| Term | Main definition |
|---|---|
| UIFSA | Uniform Interstate Family Support Act. Legislation designed to replace and improve upon URESA. It has been adopted in Arizona, effective from and after June 30, 1995. |
| Uncontested | A case in which all of the issues are resolved and agreed upon by all individuals; usually the individuals will file a stipulation and proposed order with the court. |
| Unreimbursable TANF | That amount of TANF monies expended for a family that is not recoverable because it exceeds the amount of support an obligor has been ordered by the court to pay. Example: Total TANF monies expended, $3,800 less Total due under child support order $2,000, equals a difference of $1,800. |
| URESA | Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act. All 50 have this law, which is designed to assist people to receive child support from non-custodial parents living in other states. |
| Vacated | A legal term meaning canceled or rescinded. |
| Venue | The county or other geographical place in which a legal action is heard by the court. |
| Verdict | Formal decision of a trial jury. |
| Visitation | The schedule of time that a child has with each parent. |
| Voluntary Acknowledgment | A process by which parents can establish paternity without bringing a legal action. |
| Wage Assignment | A court order directing an employer or other payor to withhold money (e.g., wages, earnings, interest or trust funds, unemployment insurance benefits, etc.) owed to a support obligor for payment toward a child support obligation. |
| Wage Withholding | A method of paying child support. Under court order, money is withheld from the wages of a non-custodial parent, sent to the Office of Child Support Registry and then sent to the custodial parent. |
| Waiver | The intentional and voluntary relinquishment of a known legal right. |
| Warrant | A warrant is an order from the court to law enforcement to take someone or something into custody. Some warrant information is forwarded to law enforcement agencies throughout Arizona. For example, the court may order a “bench” warrant for law enforcement to arrest someone who failed to appear in court, or the court may issue a search warrant for law enforcement to seize and remove property from a person, place, or thing. |
| Witness | Person who gives testimony regarding what he/she saw or heard. |
| Writ | A document issued by a court which compels a sheriff or other officer to do something. |