COLUMBUS — When a Monroe construction company sent in a $5,178.35 check two weeks ago to the state for families owed child support, it was two cents short.

        State workers promptly paid 83 cents in postage to send it back.

        In the meantime, nearly 60 families spent 10 days waiting for their cash while the problem was sorted out.

        Karen Cole, payroll manager for Baker Concrete Construction, was enraged. “My issue is the check was off 2 cents and the state spent 83 cents to send it back,” she said. “They could have put the two cents in, saved the state money and 60 people wouldn't have spent days waiting for their money.”

        Jon Allen, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, was chagrined by the state's actions. “I would say the rules did not allow common sense to be applied in this situation,” Mr. Allen said. “We shouldn't let two cents stand in the way of more than $5,000 getting to moms.”

        As part of a state program, the company withholds the wages of employees who owe child support and sends the money to the department to be passed along to families.

        Mr. Allen said although officials followed the correct procedure, the agency will try to change rules that require all checks issued for the wrong amount — no matter how small the error — to be returned. “We're going to look at how we can get more flexibility,” he said. “The whole irony of this is that I've got a drawer full of pennies and I told the child support people I'd be glad to give them my pennies.”

        He said the priority has to be to get child support payments to families as soon as possible. Mr. Allen added officials are looking for a way to cover for companies who make small errors and then require them to pay the correct amount on the next check.

        “There needs to be latitude for someone to look at the situation and say, it's two cents. We can cover this for the short term,” he said.

        The state was made aware of the problem when Ms. Cole, who happens to be serving on a state subcommittee designed to improve customer service in the child support agency, sent an e-mail to the head of the bureau of customer service.

        “What kind of customer service is that?” she asked in the e-mail. “You hold up payment to 60 people for two cents. Seems to me there should have been some sort of discretion here.”

        Gerri Jensen, president of the Association for Children for Enforcement of Support (ACES), said the state's actions in this case illustrate that officials in the child support department can't get their act together.

        “To deprive children over two cents is just unbelievable,” she said.

        Ms. Jensen is already in a battle with the agency for illegally withholding millions of dollars in child support from families. Last year state officials admitted they knew that a new computer program set up to collect and distribute child support payments would improperly withhold payments.

        Gov. Bob Taft promised the state would repay the $38 million but so far only a fraction has been returned.

        Ms. Jensen said parents are tired of waiting on the state to take action.

        “They (the state) act like child support is their money when all they're supposed to do is be record keepers.”

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