(1) Any child or any relative, lawful custodian, guardian, or next friend of a child may file with the county attorney, authorized attorney, or other office designated by the Department of Health and Human Services an application for the same child, spousal, and medical support collection or paternity determination services as are provided to dependent children and their relatives under sections 43-512 to 43-512.10 by the department, the county attorney, the authorized attorney, and the clerk of the district court.
(2) If an office other than the office of the county attorney or authorized attorney is authorized by the department to accept such applications and if the application discloses that such child has a parent or stepparent who is able to contribute to the support of such child and has failed to do so, a copy of the application shall immediately be filed with the county attorney or authorized attorney.
(3)(a) The department shall determine an application fee to be charged to each individual who applies for services available in this section which shall not exceed the fee amount allowed by Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act, as amended. The fee shall be collected from the individual or paid by the department on the individual's behalf. The county attorney or authorized attorney may recover the fee from the parent or stepparent who owes child, spousal, or medical support and reimburse the applicant. The governmental entity which is actually collecting the delinquent support payments shall collect the fee and send it to the department. (b) The department may establish a schedule of amounts to be charged to recover any costs incurred in excess of any fees collected to cover administrative costs of providing the full scope of services required by state law. The department shall by regulation establish a schedule of amounts to be paid for such services based upon the actual costs incurred in providing such services. The schedule shall be made available to all applicants for such services. Any amount charged to recover costs may be collected from the parent or stepparent who owes child, spousal, or medical support or from the individual who has applied for enforcement services, either directly from such individual or from the child or spousal support collected, but only if the individual has been notified that the county attorney or authorized attorney will recover costs from an individual who receives enforcement services. The department shall not impose an application fee for services in any case in which the department is authorized to continue to collect and distribute support payments after a family ceases to receive aid to dependent children payments.