Section 1 Definitions
Section 1. As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:
“Claimant agency”, the IV-D agency as set forth in chapter 119A, the division of medical assistance, the executive office of health and human services, the division of employment and training, the department of transitional assistance, the board of higher education in the exercise of its duty to aid and foster programs supporting higher education pursuant to chapter 15A, the office of the state comptroller, or the division of health care finance and policy in the exercise of its duty to administer the uncompensated care pool pursuant to chapter 118G.
“Commissioner”, the commissioner of the department of revenue.
“Corporation”, the Massachusetts Higher Education Assistance Corporation created under chapter two hundred and ninety-eight of the acts of nineteen hundred and fifty-six.
“Debt”, an unpaid spousal or child support obligation which is being enforced by the claimant agency, or which is collected or ordered to be collected by a court, whether or not there is an outstanding judgment for the sum; an amount owed the division of medical assistance by a debtor; an amount owed to the executive office of health and human services by a debtor; an amount owed the department of transitional assistance by recipients, or former recipients, of public assistance; any liquidated sum due and owing to the corporation on an education loan made under any of the programs administered by the corporation in behalf of the commonwealth whether or not there is an outstanding judgment for that sum or any liquidated sum, certified by the comptroller as due and owing to any state agency, as defined in section 1 of chapter 29, any overdue debt certified by the comptroller as due or owing to a city or town of the commonwealth or any agency of the city or town or any housing authority or any state authority as defined in said section 1 of said chapter 29, or an amount owed the division of health care finance and policy on behalf of the uncompensated care pool by a person or a guarantor of a person who received free care services paid for in whole or in part by the uncompensated care pool or on whose behalf the uncompensated care pool paid for emergency bad debt, pursuant to subsection (m) of section 18 of chapter 118G. For the purpose of this section an agency of a city or town shall include a housing authority created pursuant to section 3 or 3A of chapter 121B.
“Debtor”, any individual owing money for support payments to the claimant agency or to persons for whom the claimant agency is providing enforcement services under state and federal law; any individual owing money to the division of medical assistance or the executive office of health and human services; any individual owing money to the division of employment and training; any individual owing money to the department of transitional assistance for overpayments of public assistance; any individual owing money on an education loan to the corporation or any individual or entity owing a debt as defined herein, which obligation has not been adjudged satisfied by court order, set aside by court order, or discharged in bankruptcy; or any individual owing the Uncompensated Care Trust Fund administered by the division of health care finance and policy for the cost of free care services or emergency bad debt paid for in whole or in part by the uncompensated care pool, pursuant to subsection (m) of section 18 of chapter 118G; or any individual owing the Health Safety Net Trust Fund for the cost of reimbursable health services or emergency bad debt paid in whole or in part by the fund, under subsection (c) of section 39 of chapter 118G.
“Obligee”, a person or public agency entitled to assistance in collecting support payments pursuant to state and federal law and to whom is owed a debt for unpaid support.
“Refund”, an income tax refund from the commonwealth.