Attorney Sophie Jacobi-Parisi Explains What Parents Need to Know About The Changes To New York’s Law for Child Support Payments for Special Needs Children

An interview with Ilyssa Panitz

Attorney Sophie Jacobi-Parisi advises divorced parents of special needs children who may be nearing the end of their teenage years to begin the process if they are seeking more child support.

Back in October 2021, New York decided to play catch-up by becoming the 41st state to pass a law that extends child support until the age of 26 for kids who are the product of a divorce and have been diagnosed as having developmental special needs. The news offered some comfort to custodial parents who often struggle with the never-ending and exorbitant costs that tending to a child with special needs entails such as;
paying for tuition at specialized schools, hiring specifically trained caretakers, attending regular physical therapy appointments, following a specific diet, and getting wheelchairs and/or other equipment children may require to help them get around. For parents who have settled their divorce but have a son/daughter with special needs under the new emancipated age, Sophie…