Child Support Report XXV, No. 4, 20030401

Child Support Report

Vol. XXV, No. 4, Apr 2003

Child Support Report is a publication of the Office of Child Support Enforcement, Division of Consumer Services.

CSR is published for information purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, or individual by the Department of Health and Human Services or the Office of Child Support Enforcement is intended or should be inferred.

New Jersey Medical Support Collaboration Study

Arkansas Shares System "Re-platform" Experience with New Hampshire Staff

2003 Conference and Events

Tribal Child Support Conference

Rhode Island Introduces a Creative Payment Service for the Unbanked Community

International Child Support Payments - Guidance

Missouri Helping Incarcerated Fathers Become Better Parents

Federal Register Notice Published

HHS Celebrated 50th Anniversary

New Jersey Medical Support Collaboration Study

Expanding a child's access to affordable and comprehensive health coverage is a major public policy goal in New Jersey. Currently, 13.3% of all New Jersey children under the age of 18 do not have health insurance. Figures show that 33% of New Jersey's children under the age of 18 live in households below 200% of the poverty level, and of these most at-risk children, more than 25% are without health insurance.

In an attempt to address this issue, a Special Improvement Project (SIP) Grant was awarded to the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division for Family Development, Office of Child Support and Paternity Programs (OCSPP) to conduct a feasibility study of model review and adjustment procedures for medical support obligations with an emphasis on collaboration with the New Jersey FamilyCare Program (State health insurance for low-income/uninsured parents.) This study explored the efficacy of using a Medical Support Facilitator during the review and modification process to determine the most appropriate healthcare coverage (private or public) for a child.

The study, which was conducted in a test environment, indicates a better result with a deviation from the definition of "reasonable cost" that is contained in the Federal regulations. However, the true effect of the project cannot be determined without a pilot containing live cases.

The study utilized a test environment to examine the potential impact of ordering the non-custodial parent to meet his/her obligation to provide the Medical Support Facilitator-determined health coverage through the payment of cash medical support to the State Disbursement Unit (SDU). Because the amount of medical support ordered is income-dependent, a cash medical support guideline was developed as part of this study.

The focus of the study was on results - increasing the number of children with medical support orders, increasing the number of children with either private health care or FamilyCare coverage, and enforcing that obligation through income withholding. The study examined the feasibility of automating the collection of the medical support obligation through income withholding and distributing the premium payments to the Medical Support Facilitator-determined coverage provider - either private or FamilyCare.

Consequently, this project emphasized "sum-certain" orders for cash medical support, with the amount of the order to be set according to income-based guidelines. The simplicity of this approach is two-fold: (1) the non-custodial parent is required to make all payments through the State Disbursement Unit (SDU), thus allowing OCSPP to track compliance readily, and (2) missed payments will be collected through automated collections remedies. This project specifically addressed the need for collaborative methods to ensure not only that medical support orders are entered, but, also, that orders are enforceable.

Four principles guided the development of the proposed medical support guideline: quality healthcare coverage for more children served by the IV-D program; comprehensive, accessible, stable, and affordable coverage; private coverage preferable; and responsibility for medical coverage is on both parents (although the preference that the custodial parent carry the coverage.)

After discussing critical issues, a seven-step guideline was developed.

Availability of private coverage from parents or step-parent;
Appropriate coverage;
Eligibility of child(ren) for enrollment; if so, enrolls the child in a public health program if private coverage is not available or appropriate.
Allocation of responsibility for premium payment.
Un-reimbursed healthcare expenses for child in medical support order.
Designation of primary and secondary plan providers, if appropriate.
Drafting of the medical support provisions of the child support order.

A medical support order may be reviewed and modified without re-opening other issues of the child support obligation, except in specified cases.

This study revealed that performance in the key areas of medical support establishment and enforcement can be enhanced through improved review and adjustment of support order processes, and through automated processing efficiencies. Simply put, the proposed cash medical support guideline considers issues of affordability, accessibility, stability, and comprehensiveness prior to the issuance of an order so that enforceable orders are established. Finally, the study indicates that cash medical support orders ease enforcement burdens significantly because they allow for greater consistency in enforcement through automated means.

The full report can be viewed at: /programs/cse/pol/dcl-03-10.htm

Arkansas Shares System "Re-platform" Experience with New Hampshire Staff

By: Sarah M. Kourian

Since implementation in 1991, extensive enhancements, including required PRWORA changes, have been added to New Hampshire's New England Child Support Enforcement System (NECSES). Despite development as a model Child Support system, with some 16 states currently using a NECSES-based system, NH's current System is rapidly becoming inefficient and obsolete. Because Arkansas recently migrated its mainframe NECSES-based system to a new web-based version Child Support Information System (ARCSIS), staff from the New Hampshire Division of Child Support Services traveled to Arkansas last summer to meet with Arkansas' Child Support technical and policy staff to share best practices and experiences relating to Arkansas' successful re-platforming of its NECSES based-system. OCSE Region I assisted NH in applying for, and receiving Federal OCSE Technical Support assistance funds to finance the visit.

New Hampshire has been considering a modular approach to re-platforming NECSES, so Arkansas' two-phase migration to a new system was not only of great interest, but also supported NH's anticipated approach. Arkansas' financial sub-system has been live since July 2001, and the case management sub-system is in the test phase scheduled to go on-line this spring.

Making the Arkansas approach particularly attractive to NH is that the vast majority of the web infrastructure and systems operating environment that Arkansas had to create already exists within the NH parent Department. In addition, Arkansas has preserved many of the NECSES screen names and their associated functions, which eases transition to a new system for workers already familiar with a NECSES-based system.

New Hampshire staff discovered that navigation through the ARCSIS system, by way of tabs, drop-down boxes, right mouse clicks, and horizontal/vertical scrolling, provided greater data detail, particularly financial information, and moreover, was extremely intuitive for workers familiar with NECSES. ARCSIS individual screens contain more data than NECSES, including both a Help and an Online Manual. By combining 151 screens with "behind the scenes" in-depth data, Arkansas was able to omit 116 screens. Once NH workers learn which screens are combined and how to maneuver within those enhanced screens, a transition to a new NECSES-like system will not seem as daunting as it was prior to the Arkansas visit.

New Hampshire thanks OCSE for supporting the site visit and Arkansas staff for their warm hospitality. For more information, contact: Susan Fearon, Systems Support Manager at the New Hampshire Division of Child Support Services at (603) 271-4928, or Stan King, Information Systems Manager at the Arkansas Office of Child Support Enforcement at (501) 324-8500.

A demonstration of the ARCSIS system is available on a CD from the Arkansas Office of Child Support Enforcement, 1 Union National Plaza, 3rd Floor, 124 West Capitol, Little Rock, AR 72201.

Sarah Kourian is a Program Support Manager for the New Hampshire CSE Agency.

2003 Conference and Events

June

11-13 - 6th National Summit on Fatherhood, Philadelphia, PA, Elaine Sherman, (301) 948-0599.

19 - National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) Child Support Tele-Talk (Broadcast), Topic: UIFSA Part 2, NCSEA, (202) 624-8180.

July

18-22 - American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) Council Meeting, Washington, DC, APHSA, (202) 682-0100.

20-24 - 3rd Annual Tribal Child Support Conference, Sponsored by the National Tribal Child Support Association, and hosted by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Seattle, WA, Puyallup Tribe Child Support Program, (253) 405-5316.

23-25 - Oklahoma Fatherhood Summit, Sponsored by the National Fatherhood Initiative, Oklahoma, OK, W.L. Haskins, (405) 528-8686.

28- August 1 - National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Child Support Enforcement: Train the Trainers (TOT), Reno, NV, Joy Ashton, (775) 784-6391.

Tribal Child Support Conference

The Puyallup Tribe Child Support Program will host the 3rd Annual Tribal Child Support Conference. This year's conference will be held in Seattle, Washington, July 20 -24, 2003. Seattle was selected by the Puyallup Tribe because of its "diversity and imagination," as well as the "fine dining, entertainment, and fun shopping" it offers.

The conference will feature workshops and roundtable discussions covering diverse topics, such as levels of tribal child support program development, and training modules for court and administrative staffs and case managers. The plenary sessions will feature a mock trial and deal with issues of sovereignty and jurisdiction. Information and training tools will be provided to enable tribal groups to establish or to maintain their child support programs. Dr. Sherri Z. Heller will be attending to share her ideas with Tribes.

The conference will provide an opportunity for networking and to increase national and local support for tribal child support development and implementation. It can also be a way of strengthening the partnership with state and Federal agencies.

For more information, contact either Ronice Strickler or Gloria Howard with the Puyallup Tribe Child Support Program at(253) 573-7808.

Rhode Island Introduces a Creative Payment Service for the Unbanked Community

State disbursement units (SDUs) are finding creative ways for non-custodial parents to pay their child support. Increasingly, the trend is away from paper checks, which are costly to process and often difficult to identify. And although most child support payments come from income-withholding by employers, there are still many child support obligors in Rhode Island (RI) who make their weekly child support obligations in person. Until recently, the only way to make these payments in RI was by mail or in person at RI's SDU in Providence.

Now RI obligors have a simpler, more convenient way to meet their child support obligations - through Western Union Convenience Pay Centers. On October 9, 2002, the RI Division of Taxation - Child Support Enforcement (CSE), instituted a new program, specifically designed for child support obligors making payments by cash or money order. These generally are persons without checking accounts and not under an income-withholding order, or who, although under an order, are currently unemployed. This electronic funds transfer (EFT) service is also available to obligors currently under income withholding who wish to make an extra payment on their arrears.

RI is the first state to accept child support payments through Western Union's retail sites, currently more than 50 locations throughout the state. Western Union Convenience Pay Centers offer obligors a way to ensure that their cash payments arrive safely, securely and on time through EFT. Conveniently located in retail outlets such as grocery and convenience stores and check-cashing service outlets, Western Union Centers are located where many parents are already doing business, so it made sense to add child support to the Western Union's payment menu.

Western Union is a subsidiary of First Data Corp., which since 1998 has run RI's dial-in EFT child support payment service. Rhode Island agreed to the Western Union pilot with First Data even though there were reservations as to whether a sufficient number of obligors might participate. RI being a small state, it was assumed that child support obligors would continue to travel to the SDU to make cash payments. To date the state has been somewhat surprised and pleased with the preliminary results.

A child support obligor may go to any Western Union Pay Center in the state currently participating in this program to make his/her payment. He/she provides evidence of his/her child support case number, usually a billing statement or payment coupon. The obligor then fills out a simple transaction form and gives the clerk the cash to cover the payment plus a $3.00 service fee. The clerk enters the data, along with the cash transaction, into a computer system, and the payment is sent electronically to the RI SDU's bank. The clerk gives the obligor an instant receipt for his/her records. The electronic payment is then uploaded to RI's child support system.

The RI CSE advertised its partnership with Western Union by placing an ad in the largest newspaper in the state. It placed a similar ad in a local Hispanic newspaper. It also sent a press release to all the local newspapers, television stations, and radio stations in the state. In addition, flyers were distributed to the SDU and to all Family Court locations throughout the state, to be given to child support obligors. Finally, informational paragraphs were added to the bottom of the obligor's monthly billing statement, explaining the new payment option.

Statistics through December 31, 2002 (approximately 11 weeks worth of data) show some interesting trends: 65 transactions were received from 39 different obligors, totaling $7,891.51, for an average of $121.00 per transaction. Of the 39 obligors who used the service, 26 were one-time users while 13 have been repeat customers. Based on the amount of each transaction, approximately one-third of obligors used the service for one-time lump sum arrears payments while the other two-thirds made a current support payment. Payments have been received from obligors residing all over the state.

RI's child support agency is pleased with the preliminary success of the program, especially since the cost thus far has been borne by the obligor rather than the state agency. RI will continue to pilot this program for the next few months. After the pilot period, RI CSE personnel will compile statistics and make the findings available to all IV-D directors.

Jack Murphy is the Director of Rhode Island's Division of Child Support Enforcement.

International Child Support Payments - Guidance

The Secretary of State, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, has declared fifteen countries and Canadian Provinces to be foreign reciprocating countries.

International enforcement grows in importance to the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program, with respect to accommodating international cases within existing child support rules and procedures. International enforcement is a new and relatively rare experience for many states and enforcement presents a variety of unique challenges. One such challenge is the collection and disbursement of collections received in foreign currencies.

OCSE issued a PIQ on April 16, 2003 that clarifies that the transaction costs of collecting and distributing child support collections do not excuse a state from providing complete and timely service to the families that it serves. Under no circumstances should a U.S. family be denied a child support payment submitted from abroad because the state returned the payment to the foreign country. This is contrary to the objectives of the CSE program. Successful international enforcement requires reciprocal obligations on either side. In light of existing law and regulations, U.S. families are best served by states' accepting and converting payments in hand rather than sending the payments back to the foreign country.

This guidance should prove to be beneficial both to families and to states. Increased collections will help families get the support that they deserve as well as contribute to better state performance by improving collection rates and reducing arrearages. Any amount received, even if in a foreign denomination, is preferable to none at all, and shall be counted as a payment rather than returned.

OCSE is committed to working with the states and our foreign reciprocating partners to extend the significant progress that we have made in interstate enforcement to the international arena. In an effort to improve international child support enforcement, we plan to share other states best practices and provide other technical assistance to states, including currency issues. Because most states appear to be handling foreign payments without difficulty, sharing various states' approaches to processing payments in international cases may be helpful.

In addition, OCSE is attempting to work with the Federal Reserve to make available electronic funds transfers and electronic data interchange (EFT/EDI) on currency transfer and conversion procedures to CSE agencies and foreign reciprocating countries. The EFT/EDI extension of this process will allow child support agencies to easily and economically transfer funds in their respective currencies. Such a system would ensure that the funds transferred in the local currency would be received securely and efficiently in the other nation's currency using electronic means, such as an automated clearinghouse (ACH) gateway system.

Missouri Helping Incarcerated Fathers Become Better Parents

By: Kathy LeFebvre

Can Missouri's incarcerated fathers improve their emotional and financial connections to their children with comprehensive parenting supports provided during their confinement? The Missouri Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE) is addressing this issue in its Section 1115 Demonstration Grant project, Fathers for Life.

The goal of the project is to provide opportunities, resources, and supports to promote responsible fatherhood in order that fathers assume emotional and financial responsibility of their children, both during and upon release from prison.

Partnering with DCSE are the Missouri Departments of Corrections and Elementary and Secondary Education, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, ParentLink, Parents as Teachers Center, M.A.R.C.H., Inc., and the Missouri Area United Methodist Church. Inmate fathers serve as members of the project Steering Committee along with representatives from each partnering agency.

The project makes available the following services in two Missouri prisons:

Parenting Corners, kiosk displays that provide parent education information and links to problem-solving supports and resources, were installed in the libraries of the facilities. Books and tapes related to parenting and parental relationships were purchased and donated to the libraries.

Safe, developmentally appropriate child visiting areas are being designed with the assistance of University of Missouri-Kansas City child development staff and students.

Group parent education classes acquaint inmate fathers with services available and provide information about a father's rights and responsibilities, communicating with the child's mother and bonding with his child. Long Distance Dads, a 12-week group parent education series developed by the National Fatherhood Initiative, is also offered.

Group sessions and individual parent visits are provided by parent educators using curriculum developed by Parents as Teachers. Individual parent visits can also be available to the other parent elsewhere in the state through local school districts.

Mediation with the mother of the child(ren) is available to inmate fathers. Adapted techniques include an educational component designed to help parents develop communication and interpersonal skills, and to help build long term relationships built on trust and positive communication. The sessions focus on the development of parenting plans.

Parents' Fair Share, DCSE's non-custodial parent employment program, works with current work-readiness activities offered by Department of Corrections to enhance and expand opportunities for fathers to progress toward financial self-sufficiency upon release.

Relationship enrichment skills training offers parents an opportunity to learn and practice new ways of communicating and developing problem-solving skills. A professional marriage enrichment couple conducts the three-hour session with the inmate and his partner.

Transportation is provided by the Missouri Area United Methodist Church to the other parent/caregiver and the children for family visits or for the other parent to participate in services such as mediation and the relationship skills sessions.

An independent evaluation, provided by the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Institute for Human Development, is tracking the development and implementation of all intervention components and assessing short-term impact.

For questions or additional information, contact Kathy LeFebvre at (573) 290-5756 or e-mail at klefebvr@mail.state.mo.us.

Kethy LeFebvre is a grant coordinator for the Missouri Division of Child Support Enforcement.

Federal Register Notice Published

A Notice was published in the Federal Register on April 29 providing for a 30 day comment period for the revised forms OCSE-34A and OCSE-396A for reporting financial data. Forms can be obtained by writing to the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Administration, Office of Information Services, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW, Washington, DC 20447. Comments should be sent to Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project, 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503, Attn: Desk Officer for ACF no later than May 29.

HHS Celebrated 50th Anniversary

On Wednesday, April 30, HHS celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Department of Health, Education and Welfare was established during President Eisenhower's Administration. From 1953 to our status today as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), countless advances and innovations have taken place to improve the quality of life for America's citizens. HHS is responsible for protecting and improving the health and well-being of all Americans. The food you eat, the medicines you take, the health care and social services you receive, even the development of new treatments and cures for illnesses - HHS plays a vital role in all of these products and services. The Office of Child Support Enforcement has been organizationally located in HHS since the program was established in 1975.