Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes

23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 4378 (2026)

Assistance recipients to seek support.

✓ current as of May 2026

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§ 4378. Assistance recipients to seek support.

(a) Seeking support required.--Prior to authorization, every applicant for assistance whose circumstances include the reported absence of a legally responsible relative from the household or the presence of a putative father shall appear before the domestic relations section or other applicable division of the court of common pleas. Upon the request of a family court or domestic relations section, the secretary is authorized to waive the requirement of personal appearance before a family court or domestic relations section if another procedure would be as efficient and effective. Subject to Federal approval, only when necessary, assistance shall not be authorized by the department until it has been certified that the applicant has cooperated in determining paternity and enforcing support.

(b) Assignment.--Acceptance of assistance shall operate as an assignment to the department, by operation of law, of the assistance recipient's rights to receive support on his or her own behalf and on behalf of any family member with respect to whom the recipient is receiving assistance. Such assignment shall be effective only up to the amount of assistance received during the period that a family receives assistance. The assignment shall exclude arrears that accrued prior to receipt of assistance. The assignment shall take effect at the time that the recipient is determined to be eligible for assistance. Upon termination of assistance payments, the assignment of support rights shall terminate, provided that any amount of unpaid support obligations shall continue as an obligation to and collectible by the department to the extent of any unreimbursed assistance consistent with Federal law. Immediately upon receipt of notification from the department that a recipient has been determined to be eligible for assistance, the clerks of the appropriate courts of the Commonwealth shall transmit any and all support payments that they thereafter receive on behalf of such assistance recipients to the department. Such clerks shall continue transmitting such support payments until notified by the department that it is no longer necessary to do so. While the recipient is receiving assistance, any such support payments made to or on behalf of the assistance recipient shall be allocated to any amount due the department as assignee of the recipient's support rights consistent with Federal law. The assistance recipient shall be deemed to have appointed the department as his attorney-in-fact to endorse over to the department any and all drafts, checks, money orders or other negotiable instruments submitted for payment of support due during the time the recipient is receiving assistance on behalf of himself, herself or any family member.

(c) Standing.--An applicant or recipient shall have standing to commence an action to obtain support for any child with respect to whom the applicant or recipient claims assistance.

(May 13, 2008, P.L.144, No.16, eff. Oct. 1, 2009)

2008 Amendment. Act 16 amended subsec. (b).

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 3 cases, 2001–2010 · leading case: Commonwealth v. Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc., 8 A.3d 267 (Pa. 2010).

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Commonwealth v. Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc., 8 A.3d 267 (Pa. 2010). · cites it 2× “§ 4341 (granting standing to any person caring for child to commence or continue action for child support regardless of whether court order grants that person custody); 23 Pa.C.S. § 4378 (recipient of public assistance has standing to commence action for support for any child…”

Rooney v. Dep't of Pub. Welfare, 989 A.2d 423 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2010). · cites it 3× “See 23 Pa.C.S. § 4378(b)(acceptanee of assistance shall operate as an assignment to the DPW, by operation of law, of the assistance recipient’s rights to receive support) and 23 Pa.”

Barlet v. Horner, 51 Pa. D. & C.4th 503 (2001). · cites it 2× “23 Pa.C.S. §4378(e).” (See also, prior law at 62 P.”

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 4378(b) — 1 case

Rooney v. Dep't of Pub. Welfare, 989 A.2d 423 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2010). “See 23 Pa.C.S. § 4378(b)(acceptanee of assistance shall operate as an assignment to the DPW, by operation of law, of the assistance recipient’s rights to receive support) and 23 Pa.”

— 23 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 4378(e) — 1 case

Barlet v. Horner, 51 Pa. D. & C.4th 503 (2001). “23 Pa.C.S. §4378(e).” (See also, prior law at 62 P.”

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