Fee Information:
Fees are set by the Director of CCES. All CCES evaluators charge the same fees. The fee schedule for any particular year appears on the Referral Form and on the Brochure that was handed to each participant at the custody conference. There is a base fee that covers the participation of both of the litigating parties and one child, for six sessions. There are additional fees for children in excess of one, for collateral participants (step-parents, etc), for extra sessions for the principles, for extended telephone consultations, for review of extensive records and other materials, and for compacted or compacted/expedited evaluations and for relocation evaluations.
CCES fees are well below those charged in the private sector for similar services. Therefore, there can be no exceptions to the following policy:
- Payment in full is due at the first session, or one-half the total fee is due at the first session and the balance due at the second session (the first joint session). No other payment arrangement is possible.
- If fees are not paid at those times, the evaluator will not conduct the scheduled session, all other scheduled sessions will be canceled, and the evaluation will be put on hold for a period not to exceed fourteen (14) days, at which time the case will be closed and the court so notified.
- Payment for compacted or compacted/expidited evaluations must be made before the evaluation schedule is set.
- Additional fees are due at the time that the additional service is rendered, e.g. a meeting with a step-parent or other collateral.
- Third party (insurance) payents are not accepted.
- Checks or money orders should be made payable to the assigned evaluator and not to CCES.
- There will be a $25 surcharge for checks returned by your bank for any reason.
- Appointments not canceled 48 hours in advance, except for emergencies, will be charged at the prevailing hourly rate to the party missing the appointment. Subsidized clients, not the court, will be held responsible for the payment of a missed-session fee.
Subsidy:
Parties may qualify for a subsidy for all or part of their fee based on their current income level and other applicable factors. The forms for reporting income are provided by the Custody Conference Officer. The CCO, or the Judge, determines eligibility for subsidy, not CCES. [Please note: requests for subsidy should be made at the time of the custody conference or hearing to avoid unnecessary delays. Otherwise, the party should proceed directly to the office of the Custody Conference Officer to obtain these income-reporting forms.
Refunds:
Parties who have paid their fees in full will be entitled to partial or full refunds for incomplete evaluations. Parties who believe that a refund is due shall contact the Director, who will determine the amount of refund due. Refunds are based on a per hour rate. Once a report is issued, there is no refund, even if all the sessions were not held. In determining refunds, a higher fee rate is ascribed to the first individual session. Parties are asked to consult the Brochure for the prevailing fee schedule and per hour rate.
The current fee schedule is printed on the Brochure. Please contact the Director for any questions about fees.