Opinion ID: 1751299
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Retroactivity of the Support Order.

Text: The State complains that the court should have ordered child support beginning on the date of Caleb's birth, not from the date of the filing of the chapter 252A petition, as it did. Iowa Code section 252A.5(5) clearly recognizes liability for past support paid by the State. We recognized that in Foreman v. Wilcox, 305 N.W.2d 703, 704-05 (Iowa 1981). The date of birth, which is the date when expenses begin to accrue for the child, is the logical starting point for reimbursement, and we so hold. The court erred in commencing support reimbursement on the date of the filing of this petition, and on remand, the decree should be modified accordingly. REVERSED AND REMANDED.