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CHANGES TO GEORGIA’S CHILD SUPPORT LAWS
JULY 2024
Georgia’s child support laws have undergone major changes that may affect you and your family. At V&T, we know most legislation is written using legal verbiage that can be challenging to understand — that’s why we’re here to help! We broke down the laws that will be in effect starting July 1, 2024, so you can understand how they may impact you and your family. BASIC CHILD SUPPORT OBLIGATION TABLE Starting July 1, 2024, Georgia updated Code Section 19-6-15 and enacted a new Basic Child Support Obligation Table, the first significant change of its kind in 15 years. The table provides the amount of child support each parent is responsible for paying for the care and support of any minor child(ren). You may ask yourself why this matters and how this affects your family. It matters because Georgia now acknowledges that the cost of raising children has increased substantially over the years, and the amount designated as presumptive child support now reflects that increase. The change to the Basic Child Support Obligation Table could affect how much child support you should receive or pay for the benefit of your child(ren), even if there isn’t a change in either parent’s income. The change shows the state’s acceptance that, presumably, all children benefiting from child support have undergone a material change in circumstances resulting from inflation and the cost of living in Georgia. If you receive child support for the benefit of your child(ren), you may be entitled to a modification of support based on the new guidelines. If you pay child support for the benefit of your child(ren), you could face defending a modification action.
PLEASE CONTACT V&T FOR A CONSULTATION IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CHILD SUPPORT UNDER THE NEW LAWS.
Calculating child support for a dependent adult child will not be done like traditional child support; instead, the courts will consider a series of factors in order to determine what support is appropriate for the dependent adult child. Seven of these factors include:
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The dependent adult child’s income and assets;
Existing and future needs related to physical/mental incapacity for the dependent adult child; The level of care the paying parent(s) currently provides for the dependent adult child; The financial resources available to each parent for the dependent adult child’s care and support; Any other resources (financial or otherwise) available for the dependent adult child’s care and support; Any state/federal programs and benefits that the dependent adult child receives or may receive; The impact court-ordered child support would have on the dependent adult child’s eligibility for any federal/state programs and benefits.
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ADULT CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS & CHILD SUPPORT
Starting July 1, 2024, Georgia enacted Code Section 19-6-15.1, allowing child support to be paid on behalf of a dependent adult child. Under the new law, a dependent adult child is an unmarried person who reached 18 years old and is incapable of self-support as a result of a physical or mental incapacity that began before age 18. A claim for child support for a dependent adult child may be brought by either the parent or the adult child and will, in most cases, be paid directly to the adult child or an appropriate person on their behalf as defined under the new law.
Please contact V&T for a consultation if you have any questions or are interested in more information about child support under the new laws. We look forward to answering your questions and working alongside you if a modification of support and/or consideration of support for a dependent adult child is imminent for you and your family.
- Esther Vayman
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Summer is the season for grilling. From skewered vegetables to sirloin steaks, your grill is perfect for making flavorful, nutritious food. Whether you plan to stoke the coals at a neighborhood get-together or prepare an incredible meal for a special occasion, you can use these two tips to get the most from your grill. ONIONS HAVE LAYERS The more you use your grill, the more grease, fat, and food debris accumulate on the grates. Luckily, onions are a natural solution to whisk away the mess. While caramelized onions are the perfect topping for burgers and steaks, you can use onions to clean your grill before grilling. First, ensure your grill is running hot; that heat will help enhance the onion’s cleansing properties. Then, using a skewer or grill fork as a handle, push the onion along the grill’s grates. The onion’s natural acidity S ummer S immer TIPS TO PERFECT YOUR GRILL GAME
will help break down built-up fat, grease, and food. Once your grill is clear, it is ready for use! Clean grates do wonders for the taste and quality of the meats and veggies you grill. HEAT AND TEMPERATURE If you’ve ever had to take a food safety course, you know every meat has an ideal cooking temperature. For instance, chicken should reach 165 degrees internally, and for pork, it’s 145 degrees. While grilling, use a meat thermometer to determine which proteins are ready to serve and which need more time. Once you pull your meat off the grill, let it rest for at least five minutes before serving. This time makes the meat more tender and allows it to finish cooking off the grill passively.
L eah J. Z ammit J oins O ur D ynamic T eam EXPERIENCE MEETS INNOVATION
pursue a career in the legal field. She attended the top trial advocacy school in the country, Stetson University College of Law, where she participated on the award-winning Stetson Trial Team, Moot Court Team, Client Counseling Team, and Negotiation Team. Leah graduated cum laude from law school and won various advocacy and character awards. Leah started her legal career focused on real estate matters before transitioning to family law and civil litigation in 2001. Four years later, she decided to open her own family law litigation firm in Cobb County. During this time, she also operated as a part-time magistrate court judge and was a requested speaker for the Beginning Lawyer’s Program, where she discussed topics related to attorney ethics, serving clients, and professionalism.
After 14 years at her own firm, Leah closed her practice and relocated to Sarasota, Florida, so her son could attend IMG Academy. Her son later accepted an offer from the United States Air Force Academy, which allowed Leah to return home to Marietta. Not long after, she joined our team! Leah stays busy when away from work. She’ll spend weekends in Colorado Springs during football season, rooting for her son and the Air Force Falcons. The rest of the year, you can find her playing tennis, watching Formula One, traveling the world, or spending time with her other son at his Brooklyn music production studio. We are so happy to have Leah on our team and know she will be a valuable resource for our team and clients for years to come!
Whenever you can add an individual with a wealth of experience to your team, it helps everyone involved. The other employees get ample opportunities to learn valuable skills and lessons about the industry, while clients get to work with someone who has worked on countless cases and experienced almost every scenario you can imagine. We recently welcomed Leah J. Zammit to our team as our firm’s Senior Attorney. With her experience, we know she will provide many benefits to our team and clients.
After completing her undergraduate studies and working overseas in Belgium, Leah decided to
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Ryan “Don’t let the fear of how long something will take stop you from doing it. The time will pass anyway.” Amanda H. “To succeed in life you need three things: A wishbone, backbone and a funny bone.” Reba McEntire Kimberly “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Abby “If you don’t want to sink, you better figure out how to swim.” Jeannette Walls, ‘The Glass Castle’
Julia “Our mind is enriched by what we receive, our heart by what we give.” Victor Hugo
Mari “Keep moving forward.” ‘ Meet the Robinsons’
Elizabeth “We make a living by what we get, but make a life with what we give.” Winston Churchill
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE?
Amanda D. “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
Leah “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” Vince Lombardi Brooke “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” Socrates Jennifer “Those who want respect, give respect.” Tony Soprano Abigayle “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for the most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.” Teddy Roosevelt
Tom “This too shall pass.”
Sara “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Oscar Wilde Anna “The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your decisions.” Ray Dalio
Ashlyn “Where words fail, music speaks.”
S ummer P izza Fire up the flavor with a grilled summer pizza loaded with veggies and light on the cheese.
ingredients • 1 lb pizza dough • 1/4 cup pesto • 1/3 cup shredded quesadilla cheese
BRAIN BREAK
• 1 thin slice of red onion, diced • 1 strip cooked bacon, chopped Butter Glaze (optional) • 1 tbsp butter • 1 tsp steak seasoning
• 10 thin slices of zucchini • 10 thin slices of summer squash • 2 mini bell peppers, thinly sliced
Inspired by AllRecipes.com
directions 1. Preheat grill to high heat on one side. 2. Reduce the flame on half of the grill burners to low. 3. Roll out pizza dough into a circle. Place dough on the grill over high heat. 4. Close the cover and let dough grill for 1–3 minutes until bottom is slightly cooked and shows char marks. 5. Use tongs to flip crust over and move it to the low-heat side. 6. Brush dough with pesto, sprinkle with cheese, and evenly distribute veggies and bacon. 7. Grill for about 3 minutes until cheese is melted; then carefully remove. 8. Optional: Combine butter and seasoning. Brush crust edges with butter glaze and place pizza in broiler until golden.
ALIEN BALLPARK CHERRY FIRECRACKER FLAG INDEPENDENCE
ORCHID PADDLEBOARD PATRIOTIC SUNDAE SUNSCREEN TRAMPOLINE
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HOW RECENT LEGISLATION IMPACTS CHILD SUPPORT IN GEORGIA
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2 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR GRILLING PERFECTION GET TO KNOW OUR SENIOR ATTORNEY
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QUESTION AND ANSWERS
SUMMER PIZZA
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THE SURPRISING RULES OF MOVIE CURRENCY
W hy R eal M oney C an ’ t T ake C enter S tage LIGHTS, CAMERA, CASH
Have you ever wondered how moviemakers can afford to blow up piles of money on the big screen? It turns out that it’s tricky, as the government has a set of strict rules to follow when studios feature U.S. currency on screen. So, roll out the red carpet because we’re about to explore the laws of prop money. IDENTICAL BILLS ARE ILLEGAL. Prop money can’t look identical to actual bills because of concerns about whether it could be circulated to the public and used. This happened after a “Rush Hour 2” scene where they blew up billions of dollars in prop money. Extras took home some of the fake cash and tried to use it in Las Vegas. The Secret Service got involved immediately, shutting down the shoot and confiscating the bills. If the money is a replica, it must be either 75% smaller or 150% larger than real bills. One of the most common methods studios use is printing only one side of the
fake money. The design can also be altered slightly, like changing the shading or picture.
REAL CASH CAN’T BE DESTROYED. Even though blowing up or burning money on camera can pump up the action for the audience, legal tender cannot be destroyed in movies. Anyone can be charged with a federal crime, punishable by 10 years in prison and fines for destroying money. Only the Federal Reserve has that power. Technically, it’s illegal to even flatten a penny. YOU CAN’T PRINT MONEY. Real currency is printed on a unique blend of cotton and linen available only to the U.S. government. Prop money can’t feel like the real deal. It has to be on paper and printed at a lower resolution. Robert De Niro didn’t like how the prop money felt in his hands while filming “Goodfellas.” To get around it, the prop master withdrew money from his bank
account for De Niro to use. At the end of each scene, no one could leave until all the money was counted and returned. So, next time one of your favorite movie characters has cash to burn, remember, those are fake bills in the flames!
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