County Must Seek a Medical Income Execution Order (to Pay for a Child’s Health Insurance) Where No Medical Income Execution Order Has Yet Been Issued in the Case

The Fourth Department determined petitioner-county must seek a judicial medical income execution order (to pay for a child’s health insurance) and cannot simply issue an income execution on its own where no medical income execution has previously been issued in the matter:

Petitioner contends that, pursuant to CPLR 5241 (b) (2) (ii), it may issue a medical income execution to a new employer of the parent without going to court, and it was therefore error for the Support Magistrate to include the provision that a medical income execution “shall not [be issued] without such Court Order.” We conclude that petitioner’s reliance on CPLR 5241 (b) (2) (ii) is misplaced. A plain reading of that statute shows that it is not applicable here because neither parent provided health insurance coverage for the child at the time the Support Magistrate issued the order. The statute specifically provides that, “where the [parent] provides such coverage and then changes employment,” an amended medical income execution may be issued by petitioner without returning to court (id. [emphasis added]). Inasmuch as there was no medical income execution that was issued in this case, there was nothing to “amend.” Contrary to petitioner’s further contention, a medical income execution can be issued only where a court has ordered a parent to provide health insurance benefits, and that has not occurred yet inasmuch as the Support Magistrate determined that such benefits are not available (see CPLR 5241 [b] [2] [i]…). Matter of Chautauqua County Dept. of Health & Human Servs. v Matteson, 2015 NY Slip Op 02259, 4th Dept 3-20-15