To request reimbursement for your child’s out-of-pocket medical costs in Texas, complete the Request for Reimbursement of Health Care Expenses form published by the Texas Attorney General’s Office, itemize each expense against the split percentage in your child support order, attach the supporting paperwork, and deliver the packet to the other parent by certified mail. The Texas child support medical reimbursement form is available on the Attorney General’s child support forms page, and most district clerk offices will provide a copy as well.1Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Child Support Forms Getting the form right the first time matters, because a request with gaps or math errors gives the other parent an easy basis to dispute it.
Check Your Order for the Split Percentage
Before filling in anything, pull your child support order and find the medical support section. Under Texas Family Code § 154.183, courts allocate uninsured health care costs between parents “according to their circumstances,” which usually means in proportion to each parent’s income.2State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 154.183 – Medical and Dental Support Additional Support Duty of Obligor Many orders set a straight 50/50 split, but yours could say 60/40, 70/30, or any other ratio. Whatever percentage is written in your order controls what you can ask for on the form.
The costs covered by that split include deductibles, copayments, and any reasonable and necessary medical, dental, or vision expense the child incurs that insurance does not fully cover.2State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 154.183 – Medical and Dental Support Additional Support Duty of Obligor Orthodontia, prescriptions, therapy, and eyeglasses qualify when the treatment is medically necessary. Elective or cosmetic procedures generally do not. If you are unsure about a particular expense, include it with full documentation and let the other parent raise the objection.
Documents to Gather Before You Start
The paperwork behind the form is what makes it enforceable. Collect three things for every expense:
- The Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance carrier, showing what the provider billed, what insurance paid, and what balance remains for the parents. If the service was not covered by any plan, get a written statement from the provider confirming no coverage was applied.
- The itemized bill or receipt from the provider, listing the date of service, the specific treatment or medication, and the amount charged. A credit card summary alone will not do, because it does not identify what the charge was for.
- Proof that you actually paid — a canceled check image, a credit card statement showing the charge, or an electronic payment confirmation that ties directly to the itemized bill.
Keep a dedicated folder, physical or digital, and drop every receipt and EOB into it as they arrive. Opposing parties and courts look for gaps between the bill, the EOB, and the proof of payment. Any missing link is a reason to challenge the number.
Filling Out the Form
Start with the header. Enter the cause number and court number exactly as they appear on your existing order, and use both parents’ full legal names as shown in the court file. Nicknames or shortened names create confusion if the form later becomes evidence.
The body of the form is a line-by-line accounting. For each expense, provide the child’s name (identify which child if the order covers more than one), the date of service, the provider’s name, the total out-of-pocket cost after insurance (the balance on the EOB), and the amount you are requesting. To calculate the requested amount, multiply the out-of-pocket balance by the other parent’s court-ordered percentage. If the split is 50/50 and the balance is $200, your request on that line is $100.
Check the math against your documents on every line. A single arithmetic error can undermine the credibility of the whole request. Sign and date the form when the entries are complete, then attach the EOBs, itemized bills, and proof of payment as a packet. Number or label each attachment so it corresponds to the matching line on the form.
Sending the Form to the Other Parent
Most Texas child support orders build the delivery deadline right in. The standard Medical and Dental Support Order used by Texas courts requires the parent who paid an expense to send copies of the receipts, bills, statements, and EOBs to the other parent within 30 days of receiving them. The other parent then has 30 days after receiving that documentation to pay their share, either directly to the provider or by reimbursing you.3TexasLawHelp.org. Medical and Dental Support Order Check your specific order for the exact wording, because a judge can set different deadlines.
Send the completed form and all attachments by certified mail with return receipt requested. The green card you get back proves the date of delivery, which starts the other parent’s payment clock and gives you the best possible evidence if the matter later reaches court. Photocopy everything before sealing the envelope.
Email or text delivery is faster but does not produce the same verifiable proof of receipt. Some parents do both, sending an email for speed and a certified mailing for the record. If your order specifies a delivery method, follow that method exactly.
When Both Parents Carry Insurance on the Child
If the child is enrolled on two separate health plans, coordination of benefits rules decide which plan pays first. The most common standard is the birthday rule: the parent whose birthday falls earlier in the calendar year has the primary plan, and the other parent’s plan is secondary. When one parent has sole custody, that parent’s plan is typically primary. In joint custody, the birthday rule generally controls.
This matters for the form because you have to submit the claim to the primary insurer first, then to the secondary insurer, before you calculate the remaining out-of-pocket balance. The reimbursable amount is whatever is left after both plans have processed the claim. Asking for the full post-primary balance without running it through the secondary carrier overstates what is owed and gives the other parent grounds to push back. The EOBs from both carriers are the proof that the balance you are requesting is correct.
If the Other Parent Won’t Pay
When the 30-day payment window closes with no payment or only partial payment, you have two options. You can ask the Texas Attorney General’s Child Support Division to pursue enforcement, at no cost to you; the AG’s office has tools like wage withholding and license suspension that private parties cannot use.4Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Medical Support General Information Or you can file your own Motion for Enforcement.
Under Texas Family Code § 157.001, the motion is filed in the court of continuing, exclusive jurisdiction, which is the same court that issued the original support order. It must identify the provision that was violated, the specific amounts owed, and the date each payment came due.5State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 157.001 – Motion for Enforcement6Texas Judicial Branch. District Court Civil Filing Fees7eFileTexas.Gov. Official E-Filing System for Texas
If the court finds the other parent failed to pay, it can enter a money judgment for the arrearage, hold the parent in contempt, and order them to pay your attorney’s fees and court costs.8Justia Law. Texas Family Code Chapter 157 – Enforcement Unpaid medical support also accrues 6 percent simple interest per year from the date it becomes delinquent.9State of Texas. Texas Family Code FAM 157.265 The stronger your original reimbursement request and delivery record, the easier every step of enforcement becomes.